234 FERRUGINOUS THRUSH. 



Virginia, and the Carolinas.* It is the largest of all our 

 thrushes, and is a well known and very distinguished 

 songster. About the middle or 20th of April, or generally 

 about the time the cherry trees begin to blossom, he arrives 

 in Pennsylvania ; and from the tops of our hedgerows, 

 sassafras, apple or cherry trees, he salutes the opening morn- 

 ing with his charming song, which is loud, emphatical, and 

 full of variety. At that serene hour, you may plainly dis- 

 tinguish his voice fully half a mile off. These notes are 

 not imitative, as his name would import, and as some people 

 believe, but seem solely his own ; and have considerable 

 resemblance to the notes of the song thrush {Turdus musicus) 

 of Britain. Early in May he builds his nest, choosing a thorn 

 bush, low cedar, thicket of briers, dogwood sapling, or 

 cluster of vines, for its situation, generally within a few feet 

 of the ground. Outwardly, it is constructed of small sticks ; 

 then layers of dry leaves, and, lastly, lined with fine fibrous 

 roots, but without any plaster. The eggs are five, thickly 

 sprinkled with ferruginous grains, on a very pale bluish 

 ground. They generally have two broods in a season. Like 

 all birds that build near the ground, he shows great anxiety 

 for the safety of his nest and young, and often attacks the 

 black snake in their defence, generally, too, with success, his 

 strength being greater, and his bill stronger and more 

 powerful, than any other of his tribe within the United States. 

 His food consists of worms, which he scratches from the 

 ground, caterpillars, and many kinds of berries. Beetles, and 

 the whole race of coleopterous insects, wherever he can meet 

 with them, are sure to suffer. He is accused, by some people, 

 of scratching up the hills of Indian-corn in planting time ; 

 this may be partly true ; but, for every grain of maize he 



tends from Pennsylvania to the Saskatchewan ; but Dr Richardson 

 thinks it probable that it does not extend its range beyond the 54th 

 parallel of latitude. It quits the Fur Countries, with the other migra- 

 tory birds, early in September. — Ed. 



* See p. 173 for the supposed origin of this name. 



