VOL. II. ] Andrew Fackson Grayson. . 63 
and often furious combats take place between them, resulting in the 
victor keeping possession of the favorite spot. It spends much of 
the time upon the ground, turning up the leaves with its bill in 
search of insects in the same manner as most thrushes. The Mex- 
icans call this bird AZc/ato, for what reason I could never ascertain. 
It is one of the favorite cage-birds with them, and its pugnacious 
propensities often cause it to lose its liberty. A cage or rather 
trap is constructed with two apartments, one upper and one lower; 
the lower contains a live bird of the same kind, whilst the top of 
the upper is raised and set like a trap. It is placed in a thicket 
where one of this species is known to frequent, and, as soon as it 
discovers the one in the cage, it immediately flies to it, and in its 
endeavors to get at it, finally touches the spring of the trap and is 
itself encaged. In this same manner the common mocking bird is 
also captured, but it never sings after losing its liberty. The natives 
often sell them to strangers, knowing full well that they will never 
sing in the cage. It is only when they are taken from the nest just | 
before they are able to fly, that they become good singers. Not so 
with the blue mocking bird, the old birds if taken from the woods 
and well treated will soon become reconciled and cheerful and sing 
from morning till night. It is indeed a very interesting cage-bird, 
easily kept and becomes very docile, whilst its song is surpassed by 
few of the feathered vocalists. ; 
The blue mocking bird does not migrate. It seems to have strong 
local attachments where it has taken up its abode, and seldom 
_ departs to any great distance. 
Its flight is low among the dense foliage and brush in which it is 
usually found and never long extended. It is very shy, though 
possessed of a good deal of curiosity. ; 
| found this bird quite abundant on the islands of the Tres Marias 
and in that locality it was very tame and unsuspecting. They often 
- followed me in my rambles in the virgin forest, and I sometimes 
seated myself on an old prostrate log, when they would come 
around me in a very inquisitive manner, looking into my eyes, 
_ and observing every movement I made. I tossed them bits of hard 
- bread, which I carried in my pocket; they would immediately seize, 
~ and after examining it would beat it against a branch or rock, swal- 
lowing the small pieces broken off. I one day threw to one which 
was near me on the ground, the end of my cigar which I had fin- 
