. Cassell's book of birds . y-eighth of February, and probably winters in THE SINGING BIRDS. 217 Florida. About the beginning of May he has already succeeded in building his nest. The placechosen for this purpose is generally a thicket of briars or brambles, a thorn bush, thick vine, or thefork of a small sapling; no great solicitude is shown for concealment, though few birds appear moreinterested 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 laysfour, some
. Cassell's book of birds . y-eighth of February, and probably winters in THE SINGING BIRDS. 217 Florida. About the beginning of May he has already succeeded in building his nest. The placechosen for this purpose is generally a thicket of briars or brambles, a thorn bush, thick vine, or thefork of a small sapling; no great solicitude is shown for concealment, though few birds appear moreinterested 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 laysfour, sometimes five eggs, of an uniform greenish blue colour, without any spots. Two, andoccasionally three broods, are raised in the year. The manners of this species are lively, and at intervals border on the grotesque. It isextremely sensitive, and will follow an intruder to a considerable distance, wailing and mewing as itpasses from one tree to another, its tail now jerked and thrown from side to side, its wings drooping, vjfVi. the cat bird (Galeoscoptes Caiolineiuis) and its breast deeply inclined. On such occasions it would fain peck at your hand; but theseexhibitions of irritated feeling seldom take place after the young have sufficiently grown to take careof themselves. In some instances I have known this bird at once to recognise its friend from itsfoe, and to suffer the former even to handle the treasure deposited in its nest with all the markedassurance of the knowledge it possessed of its safety; while, on the contrary, the latter had to bearall its anger. The sight of a dog seldom irritates it, but a single glance at the wily cat excites themost painful paroxysms of alarm. It never neglects to attack a snake with fury, though it oftenhappens that it becomes the sufferer for its temerity. The Cat Bird, continues the same author, is one of our earliest morning songsters, beginninggenerally before break of day, and hovering from bush to bush with great sprightliness when the
Size: 1892px × 1321px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorbreh, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectbirds
