The chickadee is one of the farmers' best friends. He benefits the 
trees of the orchard, field, and forest by eating the eggs and larvae of 
the many injurious insects which injure them. More than four hundred 
and fifty eggs of plant lice have been known to be taken by one bird in 
a single day. Chickadees may be attracted to the orchard and the vicinity 
of the house by hanging pieces of suet, bones and meat to the trees in 
winter time. If you should do this, very often they will not go back into 
the woods to nest, but will remain in the vicinity during the summer. 
It is to the advantage of the farmer and fruit grower to encourage 
the presence of these birds. 
WILSON'S THRUSU.— iTurdus fuscescens.) 
Upper parts, wings and tail nearly uniform cinnamon brown; center 
of throat white ; sides of throat and breast a delicate cream buff, spotted 
with small wedge-shaped spots of nearly the same color as the back. 
Length about seven and a half inches. 
Arrival. May i to 20. 
Favorite Haunts. In the shrubbery beside the highways, also in low 
moist woods where there is plenty of undergrowth. 
Field Marks. Upper parts uniform cinnamon-brown; sides almost 
white. 
Song. Ridgway describes it thus: "Taweel'ah-taweel'ah, twil-ah, 
twil-ah." The call note is a mournful whistled "whee-u." 
Wintering in Central America the Wilson's thrush arrives later and 
departs earlier that the hermit. It is not so retiring in disposition as the 
latter bird. This thrush also is a sweet singer. Mr. Chapman says: 
''The veery's song is a weird, ringing monotone of blended alto and 
soprano tones. Neither note nor letter can tell one of its peculiar quality ; 
it has neither break nor pause and seems to emanate from no one place. 
If you can imagine the syllables ree-r-r-hu repeated eight or nine times 
around a series of interwining circles, the description may enable you to 
recognize the veery's song." Mrs. Wright suggests that the Wilson be 
called the "Echo Thrush" as that name would reveal its identity to any 
one who ever heard the song. 
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