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as large as her own body and scattering them with the help 
of the wind. Some of the shreds clung to the trunk and 
these she picked off, one by one, and tossed outward. 
After working a long time in this way she began 
going over the other bark of the tree near the hole with 
her bill,in the most curious manner. She swung her head 
long 
from side to side rapidly and vigorously with/wide sweeps, 
just touching the bark at each stroke. This was kept up 
at intervals for ten minutes or more. What she was doing 
it for I could not imagine. I could see nothing on the 
bark even with the aid of my glass. She worked with 
feverish energy. The male also seemed strangely excited, 
coming close about her and quivering his wings. He fed 
her repeatedly with small grubs which she instantly 
swallowed. He entered the hole several times but did nothiig 
there,as far as I could see. 
As I was strolling in Birch Ft' eld late this after- 
Brown Thrasher 
feeding 
noon, I heard a loud rustling of leaves near at hand. It 
was made by a Brown Thrasher who was engaged in getting 
his supper. He was an unusually tame bird and I watched 
him with great interest, at a distance of only 8 or 10 
yards, without appearing to distract his attention for 
a single moment from his occupation. He was in a grassy 
opening over which a large number of oak leaves had 
been drifted,by high winds,from a neighboring cluster of 
trees. Swinging his head from side to side and using his 
bill much as a haymaker uses a pitchfork in spreading 
