354 
INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS. 
ing on small wild berries till nearly the close of Septem- 
ber. 
It appears, according to Wilson, that the favorite re- 
sort of this, or a nearly allied species (the Turdus ludo - 
vicianus of Audubon), is in the cane-brakes, swamps, 
river shores, and watery solitudes of Louisiana, Tennes- 
see, and Mississippi. Here they are abundant, and are 
' eminently distinguished by the loudness, sweetness, and 
expressive vivacity of their notes, which, like the Night- 
ingale's, beginning high and clear, flow and descend in 
a cadence so delicate as to terminate in sounds, scarcely 
audible above the whispering breeze. At such times he 
sits perched on some branch which stretches impending 
over the flowing stream, and pours out his charming mel- 
ody with such effect as to be heard at the distance of 
nearly half a mile, giving a peculiar charm to the 
dark and solitary wilds he inhabits. The silence of 
night is, also, at times, relieved by the incessant warble 
of this Western Philomel, whose voice, breaking upon the 
ear of the lonely traveller in the wilderness, seems like 
the dulcet lay of some fairy vision. His song is also 
heard in the winter, when the weather proves mild. In 
this habit he appears considerably allied to the Reed 
Thrush # or River Nightingale of Europe, which night 
and day almost ceaselessly sings and soothes his sitting 
mate, among the reeds and marshes of his favorite re- 
sorts. This bird, in Louisiana, commences its nest 
early in April. It is placed usually at the foot of a tree, 
or by the side of a decayed log, and is formed of dry 
leaves, moss, and fine grass, being lined with hair or 
the similar fibres of the Spanish moss ( Tilandsia). 
The eggs are 4 or 5, flesh-color, with dark red spots at 
the greater end. When startled from her eggs or young, 
* Turdus arundinaceus . 
