i 4 o THE CANADIAN MOCKING-BIRD 
withdraws to the hilltops he abandons himself to the 
sustained ectasy of song. Then he forsakes the deeper 
shadows and comes up into the open branches, where 
his nimble and varied antics amuse, while his song 
sustains its melodious charm. For a moment his long 
bill will energetically vibrate to the shrill prestissimo, 
then it will close, and from his inflated throat will 
come the deceptive, ventriloquial notes that seem to 
proceed from the recesses of the woods. The cat- 
call will follow, as if he were tuning his vocal chords, 
and again the melody flows forth uninterrupted. 
There are many imitations in his song, for he borrows 
freely from the Warblers and Thrushes. But he gives 
forth his own spirit so abundantly that all his pilferings 
are forgiven. 
Though keeping to the low thickets, the Catbird 
is by no means unfriendly. Once assured of the good 
intentions of a visitor, he comes out quite freely and 
in ready confidence. A friendly, trusting pair will 
even nest in the vicinity of a suburban house if the 
people are properly appreciative. The nest is a big, 
straggling affair, and the birds seem to take delight 
in using a number of abnormally large and unneces- 
sary sticks and broken roots. The large mass of 
building material fastened in a low thicket serves the 
purpose of concealment, and is less noticeable than a 
compact, regular nest. The three, four, or five eggs 
resemble those of the Robin in colour, but are much 
