THE RED-BREASTED-THRUSH. 417 



io-Florida. Arrives in Pennsylvania about the 20th of April, and 

 returns to the south in October. Length eight inches ; the 

 whole upper parts are a fulvous brown, brightening into 

 reddish on the head, and inclining to olive on the rump and 

 tail ; throat and breast white, tinged with light buff colour, and 

 beautifully marked with dark spots running all over the belly, 

 which is white. Frequents solitary woods; sings finely in the 

 morning and evening, and also in moist and gloomy weather : 

 the sadder the day the sweeter its song. Eggs four or five, 

 light blue, without spots ; nest, in a laurel or elder bush, com- 

 posed of beech leaves exteriorly, lined with mud, over which is 

 laid fine black fibrous roots of plants; the nest is found in 

 moist situations and the neighbourhood of brooks. This bird 

 is often heard, but rarely seen. For its Morning Song; see 

 page 551. 



The Turdus A%ra£onws, Red-breasted-Thrush, or Robin, 

 of Wilson, is nine and a half inches long ; sings very pleasantly ; 

 frequently seen in America in cages, in one of which it has been 

 kept for seventeen years; inhabits the whole of North America, 

 from Hudson's Bay to Nootka Sound and Georgia; rarely 

 breeds on the east side of the mountains south of Virginia. See 

 page 350. 



Eve at length came, in mantle of purple array'd, 

 While the moon o'er the mountains her radiance dis- 



play'd. 

 The birds sought repose — who had journeys to take, 

 Deferr'd their return till the morning should wake ; 

 Meantime, the sweet Mocking-Bird, true to his lay, 

 Thus welcom'd the Night, thus took leave of the Day: 



t3 



