OF NEW ENGLAND. 33 
however, to remain in the swamps and the adjacent woods, 
during a great part of the day. They can run over the 
ground with rapidity, but in the woods they usually poke about 
quietly among ‘the pine-needles and dead leaves, where they 
can find the insects on which they feed, and in the swamps 
walk over the decayed vegetation, which has become matted 
on the ground, or has accumulated on the stagnant pools of 
water. When disturbed, while thus busied, they generally fly 
to a bush near the spot, and sit there quite motionless, occa- 
sionally uttering their chirp, until it seems to them safe to 
return to their interrupted occupation. They also obtain much 
of their food from trees, and are particularly fond of pine- 
groves, where they may often be seen, generally on the broader- 
backed limbs. They seem, when perching, to prefer these to 
the smaller branches, as they also do a post to a fence-rail, 
apparently liking a broad surface to stand upon rather than 
one which they must grasp. They are rarcly seen far from the 
ground, and seldom protract their flight for more than a bun- 
dred yards, except occasionally when conveying food to their 
young from a comparatively remote orchard, garden, or swamp. 
' They deserve to be regarded on a cultivated estate not only 
as sources of pleasure, but also as extremely useful. Mr. 
Samuels, in an article on the Robin in his book entitled ‘‘ Birds 
of New England and Adjacent States,” says: ‘In fact, the 
Thrushes seem designed by nature to rid the surface of the 
soil of noxious insects not often pursued by most other birds. 
The warblers capture the insects that prey on the foliage of 
the trees; the flycatchers seize these insects as they fly from 
the trees; the swallows capture those which have escaped 
all these; the woodpeckers destroy them when in the larva 
state in the wood; the wrens, nuthatches, titmice and creepers, 
eat the eggs and young that live on and beneath the bark; 
but the thrushes subsist on those that destroy the vegetation 
on the surface of the earth.” 
3 Many thrushes obtain much of their food from trees; the Swainson’s Thrushes 
most of it. Many sparrows feed as thrushes do. 
4 
