th, or the cedar and chestnut,
are sure to find some excuse for visiting this miscellaneous growth in
the centre. Most of the common birds literally throng in this
idle-wild; and I have met here many of the rarer species, such as the
great-crested flycatcher, the solitary warbler, the blue-winged swamp
warbler, the worm-eating warbler, the fox sparrow, etc. The absence of
all birds of prey, and the great number of flies and insects, both the
result of the proximity to the village, are considerations which ho
hawk-fearing, peace-loving minstrel passes over lightly; hence the
popularity of the resort.

But the crowning glory of all these robins, flycatchers, and warblers
is the wood thrush. More abundant than all other birds, except the
robin and catbird, he greets you from every rock and shrub. Shy and
reserved when he first makes his appearance in May, before the end of
June he is tame and familiar, and sings on the tree over your head, or
on the rock a few paces in advance. A pair even built their nest and
reared their brood within ten or twelve feet of the piazza of a large
summer-house in the vicinity. But when the guests commenced to arrive
and the piazza to be thronged with gay crowds, I noticed something
like dread and foreboding in the manner of the mother bird; and from
her still, quiet ways, and habit of sitting long and silently within a
few feet of the precious charge, it seemed as if the dear creature had
resolved, if possible, to avoid all observation.

If we take the quality of melody as the test, the wood thrush, hermit
thrush, and the veery thrush stand at the head of our list of
songsters.

The mockingbird undoubtedly possesses the greatest range of mere
talent, the most varied executive ability, and never fails to surprise
and delight one anew at each hearing; but being mostly an imitator, he
never approaches the serene beauty and sublimity of the hermit thrush.
The word that best expresses my feelings, on hearing the mockingbird,
is admiration, though the first emotion is one of surprise and
incredulity. That so many and such various notes should proceed from
one throat is a marvel, and we regard the performance with feelings
akin to those we experience on witnessing the astounding feats of the
athlete or gymnast,--and this, notwithstanding many of the notes
imitated have all the freshness and sweetness of the originals. The
emotions excited by the songs of these thrushes belong to a higher
order,