Part 32

In the southern provinces of the United States the breeding season of this Thrush commences in April, whilst in the northern parts, on the contrary, it does not begin till the end of May. Throughout the whole of this period the male is extremely restless, and endeavours to attract the attention of his mate by the ceaseless activity of his movements, alternately strutting conceitedly about on the ground, with tail expanded and drooping wings, or fluttering, butterfly-like, around the spot on which she is perched, at the same time performing a series of graceful evolutions in the air. The nest, which is formed of dry twigs, tendrils, grass, and wool, thickly lined with delicate fibres, is usually placed at the summit of trees or leafy shrubs, frequently close to habitations, but occasionally also in low bushes and briary clumps growing in comparatively unfrequented and uncultivated spots. Two and sometimes three broods are produced in the year; the first containing from four to six, the second at most five, and the third seldom more than three eggs. These are round in shape, of a light green colour, variously marked with dark brown. The young are hatched by the mother alone, and usually leave the shell in about a fortnight. The two first families grow rapidly, but they do not attain their full size until late in the year. Audubon maintains that, should the parents be disturbed whilst tending their young, they exhibit the greatest anxiety for their safety, and redouble their care and attention. This opinion is, however, in direct contradiction to the idea prevalent in America, that if the Mocking Thrush be alarmed it at once deserts its progeny. During the summer this species lives principally upon insects, which, unlike most Thrushes, it often pursues to a considerable height in the air. In autumn it feeds upon a great variety of berries. When caged it is readily reared upon the food usually given to Thrushes, but should also receive an occasional meal of ants' eggs or meal-worms. Upon this diet it will not only live for a considerable time and become extremely tame, but lay its eggs regularly from year to year.

THE FERRUGINOUS MOCKING BIRD, OR THRASHER.

The FERRUGINOUS MOCKING BIRD, or THRASHER (_Taxostoma rufum_), has a slender body, long wings, a short tail, and a powerful foot. The upper part of the body is brownish red; the under side, reddish white, striped with blackish brown upon the sides and breast; the small feathers on the wing-covers are edged with white, and thus form two light borders to the pinions; the eye is yellow, the beak blueish, and the foot brown. Its length is about twelve inches; this measurement includes the tail, which is nearly six inches. The wing is four inches and one-third.

"This large and well-known songster," says Nuttall, "is found in all parts of America, from Hudson's Bay to the shores of the Mexican Gulf, breeding everywhere, though most abundantly in the northern portions. Early in October these birds retire to the south, and probably extend their migrations at that season through the warmer regions towards the borders of the tropics. From the fifteenth of April till early in May they begin to revisit the Middle and Northern States, keeping pace in some measure with the progress of vegetation. They appear always to come in pairs, so that their mutual attachment is probably more durable than the season of incubation. Stationed near the top of some tall orchard or forest tree, the gay and animated male salutes the morn with his loud and charming song. His voice--resembling that of the Thrush of Europe, but far more powerful and varied--rises pre-eminent amidst all the choir of the forest. His music has all the full charm of originality; he takes no delight in mimicry, and, therefore, really has no right to the name of Mocking Bird. From the beginning to the middle of May the Thrasher is engaged in building his nest, usually selecting for this purpose a low thick bush in some retired thicket or swamp, a few feet from the earth, or even on the ground in some sheltered tussock, or near the root of a bush. It has a general resemblance to the nest of the Cat Bird; outwardly being made of small interlacing twigs, and then layers of dry oak or beech leaves. To these materials generally succeed a stratum of strips of grape-vine or red cedar bark; over the whole is piled a mass of some coarse root fibres, and the finishing lining is made of a layer of finer filaments of the same. The eggs (never exceeding five) are thickly sprinkled with minute spots of palish brown on a greenish ground. In the Central States these birds rear two broods in the year; in other parts of America but one. Both parents display the most ardent affection for their young, and attack dogs, cats, and snakes, in their defence. Towards their most insidious enemies of the human race, when the latter are approaching their helpless young, every art is displayed--threats, entreaties, and reproaches, the most pathetic and powerful, are tried; they dart at the ravisher with despair, and lament the bereavement they suffer in the most touching strains. I know nothing equal to the bursts of grief manifested by these affectionate parents except the accents of human suffering. Their food consists of worms, insects, caterpillars, beetles, and various kinds of berries. The movements of the Thrasher are active, watchful, and sly; it generally flies low, dwelling among thickets, and skipping from bush to bush with his long tail spread out like a fan."

THE CAT BIRD.

The CAT BIRD (_Galeoscoptes Carolinensis_) is almost entirely slate-grey, which is darkest on the back and lightest on the under side; the top of the head is brownish black, the throat light grey, and the lower wing-covers rust-red. Its length is nine inches, the wing four inches, and the tail four inches and three lines. The best account of this bird has been given by Wilson, who has described it at great length.

"The Cat Bird," says that graphic writer, "is very common in the United States, and arrives in the lower parts of Georgia from the south about the twenty-eighth of February, and probably winters in Florida. About the beginning of May he has already succeeded in building his nest. The place chosen for this purpose is generally a thicket of briars or brambles, a thorn bush, thick vine, or the fork of a small sapling; no great solicitude is shown for concealment, though few birds appear more interested for the safety of their nests and young. The materials employed are dry leaves, or weeds, small twigs, or fine dry grass; the interior is lined with fine black fibrous roots. The female lays four, sometimes five eggs, of an uniform greenish blue colour, without any spots. Two, and occasionally three broods, are raised in the year.

"The manners of this species are lively, and at intervals border on the grotesque. It is extremely sensitive, and will follow an intruder to a considerable distance, wailing and mewing as it passes from one tree to another, its tail now jerked and thrown from side to side, its wings drooping, and its breast deeply inclined. On such occasions it would fain peck at your hand; but these exhibitions of irritated feeling seldom take place after the young have sufficiently grown to take care of themselves. In some instances I have known this bird at once to recognise its friend from its foe, and to suffer the former even to handle the treasure deposited in its nest with all the marked assurance of the knowledge it possessed of its safety; while, on the contrary, the latter had to bear all its anger. The sight of a dog seldom irritates it, but a single glance at the wily cat excites the most painful paroxysms of alarm. It never neglects to attack a snake with fury, though it often happens that it becomes the sufferer for its temerity.

"The Cat Bird," continues the same author, "is one of our earliest morning songsters, beginning generally before break of day, and hovering from bush to bush with great sprightliness when there is scarce light sufficient to distinguish him. His notes are more remarkable for singularity than for melody. They consist of short imitations of other birds and other sounds; but his pipe being rather deficient in clearness and strength of tone, his imitations fail where these qualities are requisite. Yet he is not easily discouraged, but seems to study certain passages with great perseverance, uttering them at first low, and, as he succeeds, higher and more freely, nowise embarrassed by the presence of a spectator even within a few yards of him. On attentively listening for some time, one can perceive considerable variety in his performance, in which he seems to introduce all the odd sounds and quaint passages he has been able to collect. Upon the whole, though we cannot arrange him with the grand leaders of our vernal choristers, he well merits a place among the most agreeable general performers.

"In spring or summer, on approaching a thicket of brambles, the first salutation you receive is from the Cat Bird; and a stranger, unacquainted with its note, would conclude that some vagrant orphan kitten had got bewildered in the briars, and wanted assistance, so exactly does the call of the bird sometimes resemble the voice of that animal.

"In passing through the woods in summer, I have sometimes amused myself with imitating the violent chirping or squeaking of young birds, in order to observe what different species were around me; for such sounds, at such a season, in the woods, are no less alarming to the feathered tenants of the bushes than the cry of fire or murder in the streets is to the inhabitants of a large and populous city. On such occasions of alarm and consternation, the Cat Bird is the first to make his appearance, not singly, but sometimes half a dozen at a time, flying from different quarters to the spot. At this time those who are disposed to play with his feelings may almost throw him into fits, his emotion and agitation are so great at the distressful cries of what he supposes to be his suffering young. Other birds are variously affected, but none show symptoms of such extreme suffering. He hurries backwards and forwards, with hanging wings and open mouth, calling out louder and faster, and actually screaming with distress, till he appears hoarse with his exertions. He attempts no offensive means, but he bewails, he implores, in the most pathetic terms with which Nature has supplied him, and with an agony of feeling which is truly affecting. Every feathered neighbour within hearing hastens to the place, to learn the cause of the alarm, peeping about with looks of consternation and sympathy; but their own duties and domestic concerns soon oblige each to withdraw. At any other season the most perfect imitations have no effect whatever on him."

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The BABBLERS, or NOISY THRUSHES (_Timaliæ_), constitute a very numerous race, inhabiting Africa, Southern Asia, and other portions of the eastern hemisphere. The members of this family are in many respects nearly allied to the birds above described, but are recognisable by their compact body, short, rounded wings, in which the fourth or fifth quill is the longest; a moderate-sized, broad-feathered, and more or less rounded tail, powerful foot, and comparatively strong, compressed beak, slightly bent at the tip of the upper mandible. The plumage is unusually lax, and of a dusky hue.

These birds frequent tracts of brushwood or underwood in extensive forests or cane districts, and subsist upon the insects, snails, worms, fruits, and berries that abound in their favourite localities. All are active, restless, and social in their habits, although they rarely assemble in large flocks, and are invariably extremely noisy. Only a few possess good voices. Their powers of flight are by no means great, and rarely enable them to rise as high as the summits of the trees; but they exhibit remarkable agility in skipping in and out amidst the densest foliage.

THE GREY BIRD.

The GREY BIRD (_Pycnonotus arsinoë_) represents a group whose principal characteristics are their middle-sized but strong and slightly-curved beak, powerful foot, moderately long wings, in which the fifth quill is the longest, and somewhat rounded tail. The plumage is lax, and generally, with the exception of the lower tail-covers, of dull appearance. The Grey Bird is about seven and a half inches long and eleven broad, the wing three inches and a quarter, and the tail three inches in length. It is of a deep greyish brown on the back and top of the head. The head and throat are blackish brown, the breast and belly whitish grey; the eye is brown, the beak and feet black. Both sexes are alike in colour.

LE VAILLANT'S GREY BIRD.

LE VAILLANT'S GREY BIRD (_Pycnonotus Vaillantii_) is a very similar but larger species, met with in Arabia and the Cape of Good Hope. The body of this bird, which we have named after the celebrated traveller Le Vaillant, is of a somewhat lighter grey, and the under side of the wing and rump of a beautiful sulphur-yellow. It has been asserted that a third member of this group has been seen in Spain, but all our attempts to discover it have proved unavailing. Africa and Southern Asia must unquestionably be regarded as forming the almost exclusive habitat of the Grey Birds, from whence they but very rarely wander as far as Europe, or even Arabia. They are first met with in any considerable numbers at about twenty-five degrees north latitude. In the north of Nubia they are to be seen on every mimosa hedge, and in Eastern Soudan are more commonly met with than almost any other bird; in the latter country they alike frequent forests and gardens, mountains or plains, but usually seem to prefer such spots as afford a shelter from the sun; for this reason they are constantly found under the leafy branches of the sycamores that abound on the banks of the Lower Nile. Towards man they exhibit no fear, but trustingly take up their abode close to the huts of the natives. Their temperament is cheerful and restless, and their movements upon the ground and among the branches sprightly and active. Their flight, on the contrary, is by no means elegant, and usually consists of a kind of hovering, fluttering motion. From early morning till late in the evening their loud, clear, and often beautiful voices are to be heard almost incessantly, as they hop busily to and fro, gleaning caterpillars or insects from the leaves, pausing ever and anon to expand or elevate the long feathers that decorate the back of the head, and, with body erect, to cast a keen investigating glance on the surrounding buds and blossoms. Whilst the mimosa is in bloom, they are constantly to be seen upon its branches, diving their beaks amidst the yellow petals, in order to obtain the tiny beetles that lurk within, and thereby smearing their heads all over in the most ludicrous manner with the bright golden pollen that is profusely scattered over the stamens of the flowers. During the period of incubation, which in Soudan commences with the rainy season, and, in more northern latitudes, in the months that correspond with our spring, not only the couples, but the settlements of couples that often build upon the same tree live together in the utmost harmony. The nests are always carefully concealed under the foliage, though so slenderly constructed as to be permeable to light; their sides are composed of fine grass and roots, woven together with spiders' webs, and smoothly lined with delicate fibres. The eggs are small, of a reddish white colour, and marked with dark brown and blueish grey spots, some of which form a wreath at the broad end. We were unable to obtain further particulars respecting the breeding of either this or the preceding species. The natives of Northern Africa are far too indolent to attempt to tame these interesting birds, but in India they are much prized, and frequently reared in cages, not, however, on account of their song, but owing to the sport they afford as combatants; indeed, they are regularly trained for the cruel purpose of making them fight. In Ceylon the _Pycnonotus hæmorrhous_ is taken young from the nest, and secured by a string to its perch; it is taught to come at its master's call, and when it has learnt the necessary obedience, is confronted with another bird similarly fastened, and the two are then incited to attack each other with such fury as would certainly end in the death of one or both, did not the spectators take care to separate them at the proper moment by means of the strings.

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The TRUE BABBLERS (_Timalia_) inhabit Southern Asia, and are distinguishable by their powerful beak, which is decidedly arched and much compressed at its sides, as well as by their strong feet and claws, long hinder toes, short rounded wings, in which the fifth and sixth quills exceed the rest in length, and moderately long, rounded tail. At the base of the beak there is a growth of well-developed bristles.

THE RED-HEADED BABBLER.

The RED-HEADED BABBLER (_Timalia pileata_) is olive-brown on the wings and tail; the sides of the head and nape are dark grey; the brow and region of the ear white; the top of the head is brilliant rust-red; the throat and breast pure white, the former delicately marked with black; the belly is of a pale reddish hue, shaded with olive-brown upon its sides; the eye is dull red, beak black, and the feet flesh-pink; the body measures six inches and three-quarters, the wing two inches and three-eighths, and the tail two inches and four-fifths. Horsfield, who discovered this species, saw it first in Java, and tells us that its song consists of the five first notes of the gamut, _c_, _d_, _e_, _f_, _g_, repeated in their proper succession with great regularity. More recent travellers have found it on the continent of India, and from them we learn that the Red-headed Babblers principally frequent tracts of underwood that mark the places where the ancient forests once stood, or districts thickly overgrown with shrubs and bushes, and that they are more numerously met with in highland than lowland regions. Everywhere they live in pairs, and, though they rarely venture forth into the open country, are often to be seen in the early morning, perching on the branches of their leafy retreats, whilst they preen their feathers or dry their wet plumage. Even during the breeding season the male frequently adopts this position, and sits with drooping wings, apparently entirely forgetful, not only that his mate is left solitary, but of everything around him. At other times the somewhat neglectful spouse endeavours to cheer his hard-working partner with his song, accompanying his notes by spreading the long feathers at the back of his head and brandishing his tail aloft. The nest of these birds, which is deep, cup-shaped, and very fragile, is usually formed of leaves woven neatly together, and is placed in a bush at a considerable height from the ground. The eggs, from two to three in number, are white, thickly covered with reddish brown markings of various shades, largest and most numerous at the broad end, and often intermixed with a few dark grey patches, that appear to penetrate deep into the shell.

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The HOOK-CLAWED BABBLERS (_Crateropus_), another group of the same family, are recognisable by their strongly-built body, rather long, powerful, and slightly arched beak, which is compressed at its sides; moderate sized, strong feet, armed with formidable hooked and pointed claws; short wings, in which the fourth quill exceeds the rest in length; and long tail, formed of large feathers, and slightly graduated at the sides. The plumage is thick, harsh, and rarely very brightly coloured.

THE WHITE-RUMPED BABBLER.

The WHITE-RUMPED BABBLER (_Crateropus leucopygius_) is chocolate-brown on the upper part of the body; the top of the head, face, and rump are white; the feathers on the under side brownish grey, edged with white, this bordering presenting the appearance of crescent-shaped spots; the quills and tail-feathers are marked with a series of dark lines; the eye is deep carmine-red, the beak black, and the feet grey. These Babblers are social in their habits, and are always met with in small parties, numbering from eight to twelve birds. Their flight, which is performed by alternate rapid strokes of the wings and a hovering motion produced by broadly expanding the pinions and tail, is rarely sustained for any great distance, and has no pretence to either grace or speed. In the brushwood, on the contrary, they exhibit a wonderful power of climbing and creeping through dense foliage, such as will bear comparison with that of the Mouse Birds themselves. Few sights are more amusing than that presented by a party of these noisy chatterers, as they fly quite close together from bush to bush, settling on each one in turn, creeping through it in all directions, and screaming violently whenever anything attractive or unusual catches their eye, then, having snapped up as many insects and devoured as many buds and leaves as their appetites require, they re-assemble, and fly off in closely-packed array, to repeat the same process at another spot. We are entirely without particulars either respecting their nidification or manner of breeding.

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The LAUGHING THRUSHES (_Garrulax_), inhabiting India and Southern Asia, resemble the above-mentioned group so closely in their general appearance as to render any detailed description of their habits mere repetition; we shall therefore content ourselves with the mention of but one species, as the mode of life and habits and general appearance of the group is very similar.

THE WHITE-TUFTED LAUGHING THRUSH.

The WHITE-TUFTED LAUGHING THRUSH (_Garrulax leucolophus_) is a large bird, about twelve inches long and fifteen and a half broad; its wing and tail both measure five inches. The head--with the exception of the black cheek-stripes--the nape, throat, and breast are pure white, shaded with grey upon the sides; the rest of the plumage is of a reddish olive-brown, deepest in shade on the inner web of the quills and tail-feathers. All the wooded tracts of the Himalayas afford shelter to large numbers of these remarkable birds, and resound with their most peculiar cry, which so closely resembles a hideous laugh as to startle, and, indeed, positively to terrify such as hear it for the first time. Insects, snails, worms, and berries afford them their principal means of subsistence; the former are sought for on the ground or in the foliage, and the latter are gathered from the branches as they hang suspended from the trees. The nest is a mere mass of roots, moss, and grass, placed in a thick bush. The eggs are few in number, and have a pure white shell. Frith gives us an interesting account of the manner in which a very similar species, the CHINESE LAUGHING THRUSH (_Garrulax Chinensis_), kills and devours its prey. "This bird," he tells us, "seized a snake about a foot long that was put into its cage, struck it against the ground, bored its head repeatedly with its bill, and then proceeded to eat it, holding the body firmly with his foot whilst he tore it into pieces. Large beetles he treated in a similar manner, and, previous to snapping up a wasp or a bee, always allowed his intended victim to drive its sting repeatedly into his expanded tail; small pieces of cooked flesh he placed between the bars of his cage before proceeding to devour them."

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