6 Bird Portraits 



the hepatica surprise the visitor in spots where the late snow still 

 lingers. The birds are easy to find; there is no dense foliage to 

 hide them, and the number of species is still so few that their songs 

 and figures are not difficult to distinguish. 



The Thrasher's song ceases as you approach him. He slips 

 down like a wren to the undergrowth, where, if you listen, you 

 hear him rustling and scratching in the dry leaves. If you sit 

 down near by, you will see him as he mounts again from one twig 

 to the next. His white breast is heavily spotted with black, his 

 head, back, and tail are of a bright rufous shade, and his yellow eye 

 glitters like a snake's. When he is alarmed, he puffs like a turtle, 

 or utters a note curiously like a loud smack. The whole air of the 

 bird is one of vigor and intelligence. The sexes are alike in size 

 and color. By watching patiently near the spot where the male 

 sings, it is often possible to surprise the pair bringing bark and 

 roots to the bush among whose roots or stems the nest is woven. 



It is one of the most delightful experiences in the study of 

 birds thus to watch a pair of birds building their nest, to note later 

 the laying of each egg, to see the female brooding till the nestlings 

 are hatched and finally leave the nest. One always heaves a sigh 

 of • relief at the last moment, for so many tragedies may put an 

 end to the story. The female Thrasher is very bold when on the 

 nest, and sits close till the visitor, if he approach quietly, is within 

 a few feet of her. She gazes fixedly at him with her bright 

 eye, but let him draw a step nearer and she slips off into the 

 bushes. The eggs are four or five, whitish, covered with many 

 light brown markings. 



The food of the Thrasher consists of insects and fruit. Many 

 linger in the North till the end of October, and spend the winter in 

 the Southern States, where the ground is generally free from snow. 



