204 Wisconsin State Horticultural Society. 



it, as it is said to be changing its location. Audubon places this 

 bird very high in his li-t of minstrels. The song begins like the 

 Cat-bird's, then rushes into a flood of melody, falls into warblings, 

 echos and trills that are indescribable. It is highly prized as a 

 cage bird. Philip Deihl, a German naturalist of ]\Iadison, cages 

 many of the wild birds of this species, for which he finds ready 

 sale at ten dollars each. He has also succeeded in raising young 

 ones in captivity. These birds show remarkable skill and intelli- 

 gence in nest building, for the} 7 bend twigs by biting the inner 

 side from end to end. 



The Cat bird or Northern Mocking Bird frequents town as well 

 as country. It is a dark colored bird, always in motion. It 

 comes the middle of May. He is at first shy, but should you 

 desire it, you can be on delightfully intimate terms with him be- 

 fore the summer is over, for he will hover near you, sing to you, 

 and bathe with the Eobin in the wooden bowl almost at your feet. 

 A p'lir of Cat-birds have built nests in our garden for several 

 years. One year while the nest was being constructed, we watched 

 the little house builders with silent wonder and delight. They 

 twittered and sung in most perfect happiness all day long. On 

 moonlight nights we could hear sweet whispers and murmurs 

 from one to another, at times during the entire night. We assist- 

 ed the enterprising little pair in their work by dropping bits of 

 string, cloth, paper, etc., on the ground. They eagerly seized 

 everything when the colors were dark or light; if we left bits of 

 color like red, yellow or blue, they were not picked up, for reason 

 or instinct taught them that in display there was danger. One 

 dead limb on the upper part of the tree has been the chosen spot 

 for the evening vesper song for several years. When our min- 

 strel returns in the spring and sings again from his favorite branch, 

 we feel indeed that the absent one is home again. He often sings 

 with such rapture and abandon that the song continues as he takes 

 flight from one tree to another. One year when the fema'e was 

 sitting upon the nest, the cat stole in upon her and killed her. 

 The mate came home, called and sung most sweetly, but could 

 get no response. He continued his song and cries for several 

 days, then flew away and returned with a new mate, and all went 



