10 



BIRDS AND FLOWERS. 



while the thrush is peculiarly delicate and graceful in 

 outline with a very erect carriage. Their coloring 

 differs considerably when closely compared. The 

 sparrow has a large blotch of ash-grey on his crown, 

 and more or less of the same color streaked through his 

 back. His breast is heavily and thickly spotted with 

 reddish brown. The thrush's head and back are an 

 exquisite shade of olive brown, which blends beauti- 

 fully into the red of his tail, while his breast is 

 marked with the delicate brown arrow-heads charac- 

 teristic of his species. Thrushes are usually con- 

 sidered inconspicuous and unobtrusive in dress, but 

 in the sunlight the olive brown shows a peculiarly 

 soft and harmonious tint, making the coloring of the 

 fox sparrow look crude and blotchy by contrast. There 

 are other minor differences, such as the yellow eye- 

 ring of the thrush, but I have indicated the chief 

 points. Both are famous singers, the best of their 

 kind. 



I had never seen the thrush on the ground before ; in 

 fact, a look at him under any circumstances is a rare 

 sight. When he moved, he made a funny little run, 

 much like the robins. He did not scratch like the 

 sparrows, but he occasionally picked things out from 

 the dead leaves. Once he ran up to a decayed apple 



