THE TOWHEE 
By T. GILBERT PEARSON 
The National Association of Audubon Societies 
Educational Leaflet No. 79 
Not all birds possess strong personalities. Just as among a people 
there are many who are neither particularly good nor bad, handsome 
nor homely, brilliant nor stupid. They play an important part in life, 
to be sure, but they do not attract any great attention nor arouse, on 
the part of the observer, any special interest or enthusiasm. We all 
know such persons, and I dare say most of us have made the acquaint- 
ance of such birds now and then. ' 
The foregoing statement, however, does not describe the Towhee, 
except in a negative manner by calling attention to the fact that it does 
not belong to the mediocre class, for it is a bird of 
A Strong 
Character 
distinct personality, being endowed, in a very large 
way, with what we may call “character.” The male 
is especially striking in appearance, and both he and his mate are filled 
at all times with an energy and bounding activity that challenge the atten- 
tion and admiration of everyone who is so fortunate as to meet them. 
One cannot watch the Towhee (or “Joree,” as it is usually called 
in the South) without imbibing some of the purposeful energy which 
the bird imparts to its every movement. The ambitious and slothful alike 
may receive inspiration and wisdom by considering its ways. I am par- 
ticularly fond of the Towhee, and have long counted its friendship 
among my most cherished possessions. 
It is about the tenth of April when this bird is usually first seen in 
the latitude of New York. In rare instances it has been recorded in the 
winter as far north as Massachusetts, but such cases are very excep- 
tional. Virginia is usually the extreme northern limit of its winter 
sojourn. 
As a rule it is not quite so trustful of mankind as are some of our 
better-known lawn and garden species, as, for example, the Robin and 
House Wren; nor is it one of those shy denizens of 
forests and open fields that rarely venture into a city. B^^d' 
In fact it occupies a somewhat middle ground, and to 
a more or less extent flits between these two groups, and seems fairly 
well at home in either situation, as might be expected of so well-bred a 
bird-of-the- world. 
Its occurrence in town, however, would appear to be more com- 
mon in the autumn than the spring. It seems to prefer to investigate 
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