OUR HOME BIRDS. 
145 
phan kitten had got bewildered among the briers, and 
wanted assistance, so exactly does the call of the bird 
resemble the voice of that animal. He is unsuspicious 
and extremely familiar, for, whether in the woods or 
in the garden, where he frequently builds his nest, he 
seldom allows you to pass without paying his respects 
to you in the usual way/ 
“ The cat-bird is about nine inches long, and a 
short distance off his plumage appears to be black, 
but it is really a very dark slate-color, the w T ings 
edged with a much lighter shade of the same, and 
a dark red underneath, while the tail is quite 
black. 
“ The nest is made about the beginning of May in 
a thicket of briers or brambles, a thorn-bush, thick 
vine, or the fork of a small sapling ; the bird does 
not seem to care about hiding it, though very anx- 
ious about its safety and that of its young on the 
approach of any danger. The materials used are 
dry leaves and weeds, small twigs, and fine dry grass ; 
the inside is lined with the fine black, fibrous roots 
of some plant. So you see that it is quite a carefully- 
made structure. There are four or five eggs, of a 
greenish-blue tinge, without any spots. 
“ The cat-bird always begins his song very early 
in the morning, not even waiting for the dawn, and 
hovers about from bush to bush with great activity 
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