CA T BIRD. 



243 



I removed the nest of a cat bird, which contained four eggs, 

 nearly hatched, from a fox-grape vine, and fixed it firmly and 

 carefully in a thicket of briers close by, without injuring its 

 contents. In less than half an hour I returned, and found it 

 again occupied by the female. 



The cat bird is one of our earliest morning songsters, begin- 

 ning generally before break of day, and hovering from bush to 

 bush, with great sprightliness, when there is scarce light suffi- 

 cient to distinguish him. His notes are more remarkable for 

 singularity than for melody. They consist of short imitations 

 of other birds and other sounds ; but, his pipe being rather 

 deficient in clearness and strength of tone, his imitations fail 

 where these are requisite. Yet he is not easily discouraged, 

 but seems to study certain passages with great perseverance ; 

 uttering them at first low, and, as he succeeds, higher and more 

 free, nowise embarrassed by the presence of a spectator even 

 within a few yards of him. On attentively listening for some 

 time to him, one can perceive considerable variety in his per- 

 formance, in which he seems to introduce all the odd sounds 

 and quaint passages he has been able to collect. Upon the 

 whole, though we cannot arrange him with the grand leaders 

 of our vernal choristers, he well merits a place among the most 

 agreeable general performers. 



This bird, as has been before observed, is very numerous 

 in summer in the middle States. Scarcely a thicket in the 

 country is without its cat birds ; and were they to fly in flocks, 

 like many other birds, they would darken the air with their 

 numbers. But their migrations are seldom observed, owing 

 to their gradual progress and recession, in spring and autumn, 

 to and from their breeding places. They enter Georgia late 

 in February, and reach New England about the beginning of 

 May. In their migrations, they keep pace with the progress 

 of agriculture ; and the first settlers in many parts of the 

 Gennesee country have told me, that it was several years 

 after they removed there before the cat bird made his appear- 

 ance among them. With all these amiable qualities to 



