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some of you may mistake for a Heron, 
but the proper name of which is the 
American Bittern, sometimes called the 
Stakedriver, from its note, which re- 
sembles the noise made in driving a 
stake in boggy ground with a big mallet. 
It is larger than the Green and Night 
Heron, and its color a greenish yellow. 
If you desire to hear in perfection the 
grand bird choir you must arise in June 
before the sun. You may later in the 
day listen to some fine individual per- 
formers, but the grand chorus can only 
be heard from daybreak to sunrise. 
Now we come to the finest choristers 
of the heavenly choir—the star per- 
formers, so to speak; most of whom are 
embraced in the Thrush family. Here 
we have the little Golden-crowned, the 
Brown, the Hermit, the Song, the Veery, 
the Robin,—all thrushes; and I may add 
to the list the Catbird. The Mocking bird 
is generally placed at the head of this 
musical group of songsters, but it is sel- 
