160 CAT BIRD. 
his garden, under his eye, the music of his song, and the interesting 
playfulness of his manners, will always be more than a recompense 
for all the little stolen morsels he snatches. ; : 
The Cat Bird measures nine inches in length; at a small distance 
he appears nearly black; but, ona closer examination, is of a deep 
slate color above, lightest on the edges of the primaries, and of a 
considerably lighter slate colot below, except the under tail-coverts, 
which are very dark red; the tail, which is rounded, and upper part of 
the head, as well as the legs and bill, are black, The female differs 
little in color from the male. Latham takes notice of a bird, exactly 
resembling this, being found at Kamtschatka, only it wanted the red 
under the tail. Probably it might have been a young bird, in which 
the red is scarcely observable. ie 
This bird has been very improperly classed among the Flycatchers. 
As he never seizes his prey on wing, has none of their manners, feeds 
principally on fruit, and seems to. differ so little from the Thrushes, I 
think he more properly belongs to the latter tribe, than to any other 
genus we have. His bill, legs, and feet, place and mode of building, 
the color of the eggs, his imitative notes, food, and general manners, 
all justify me in removing him to this genus. 
The Cat Bird is one of those unfortunate victims, and indeed “the 
principal, against which credulity and ignorance have so often 
directed the fascinating quality of the black snake. A multitude of 
marvellous stories have been told me by people who have themselves 
seen the al Cat Birds drawn, or sucked, as they sometimes express 
it, from the tops of the trees, (which, by the by, the Cat Bird rarely 
visits,) one by one into the yawning mouth of the immovable snake. 
It has so happened with me that, in all the adventures of this kind 
that I have personally witnessed, the Cat Bird was actually the 
assailant, and always the successful one. These rencounters never 
take place but during the breeding time of birds ; for whose eggs and 
young the snake has a particular partiality. It is no wonder that 
those species, whose nests are usually built near the ground, should 
be the greatest sufferers, and the most solicitous for their safety : 
hence the cause why the Cat Bird makes such a distinguished figure 
in most of these. marvellous narrations. That a poisonous snake will 
strike a bird or mouse, and allow it to remain till nearly expiring 
before he begins to devour it, our observations on the living rattle- 
snake, at present [1811] kept by Mr. Peale, satisfy us is a fact; but 
that the same snake, with eyes, breath, or any other known quality he 
possesses, should be capable of drawing a bird, reluctantly, from 
the tree tops to its mouth, is an absurdity too great for me to swallow. 
I am led to these observations by a note which I received this 
morning from my worthy friend Mr. Bartram: “ Yesterday,” says 
this gentleman, “I observed a conflict, or contest, between a Cat Bird 
anda snake. It took place in a gravel walk in the garden, near a 
dry wall of stone. I was within a few yards of the combatants. The 
bird pounced or darted upon the snake, snapping his bill; the snake 
would then draw himself quickly into a coil, ready for a blow; but 
the bird would cautiously circumvent him at a little distance, now and 
then running up to, and snapping at him; but keeping at a sufficient 
distance to avoid a blow. After some minutes, it became a running 
