Heaton Celeb ON BULL ie. Tt N 19 
ing follows the first so closely that there is little singing between broods. 
The thrasher has also a lovely whisper song in spring and autumn. This 
is audible only when one is near the singer. 
The Brown Thrasher has a somewhat pugnacious disposition and is 
certainly valiant in the defense of his nest and young. Once a Brown 
Thrasher gave me a decided thump on the head as notice to me to leave 
the vicinity of his nest. 
Thrashers eat both fruit and insects. Examination of 636 stomachs gave 
evidence of 36% vegetable and 64% animal food, principally insects taken 
in the spring before fruit is ripe. Of the insects taken, half were beetles, 
and the remainder chiefly caterpillars, bugs, grasshoppers, and spiders. As 
an insect-destroyer, the species is beneficial. The remainder of the diet is 
wild fruits or seeds. 
The flight of this bird is apparently heavy, so that it usually flies low, 
not very rapidly, and not for any great distance unless crossing an open 
field or a river. Thrashers are said to migrate by flying stealthily from 
thicket to thicket. They spend the greater part of their time on the ground, 
where they obtain much of their food. They run or hop. Bent mentions 
walking; this is not often evident. 
This is the only thrasher found in the East or Middle West. It covers 
an extensive territory, ranging from Canada south to the Gulf of Mexico 
and Florida, extending west to the base of the Rocky Mountains. 
The thrasher has a delightful song of his own and does not often 
mimic other birds. His song is loud, clear and sweet, and under favorable 
circumstances may be heard for a half a mile. The note is a harsh chack. 
In the Audubon Book of True Nature Stories, Marie V. Beals tells of 
a tame thrasher — so tame that it would alight on her head, pull out 
hairpins, tousle her hair, etc. When the door-bell rang, the bird was tho 
first to reach the door. It manifested extreme curiosity. Then, remarkably, 
it learned to imitate human speech. The bird acquired a vocabulary of 90 
individual words and an extensive repertory of phrases or sentences. It 
used only words and sentences spoken by Mrs. Beals. In addition to human 
speech, it imitated the songs of the Baltimore Oriole, Red-winged Black- 
bird, Yellow-throated Warbler, and others, and pronounced the names of 
various birds. Such attainments, as far as I know, have not been mentioned 
by other ornithologists, but Mrs. Beals’ story has been accepted as authentic 
by John K. Torres. Yet Oliver L. Austin in his new book, Birds of the 
World, page 250, states that “the Brown Thrasher makes no attempt at 
mimicry.” 
927 Brummel Street, Evanston, Illinois 60202 
= fi val 
1.A.S. AWARDED LARGE BEQUEST 
Paul Schulze, Treasurer of the Illinois Audubon Society, reported in May 
that we were soon to receive a bequest of $2,000.00 from the estate of 
Miss Jessie Gregg of St. Charles, Ill. Curiously enough, she was not a 
member, but she had an interest in the work of the Society and took this 
means of expressing her support. The sum will be added to the investment 
account of the Society, which produces an income that supports the educa- 
tional work of the I.A.S. throughout the year. 
