MOCKING BIRD. 327 



lonely but active exsitence, he now, after a time, droops 

 in silent sadness and dies. 



Successful attempts have been made to breed this bird 

 iu confinement by allowing them retirement and a suffi- 

 ciency of room. Those which have been taken iu trap- 

 cages are accounted the best singers, as they come from 

 the school of nature, and are taught their own wild 

 wood notes. The prices of these invaluable songsters 

 are as variable as their acquired or peculiar powers, and 

 are from 5 to 50 dollars ; even a hundred has been re- 

 fused for an extraordinary individual. The food of the 

 young is thickened meal and water, or meal and milk, 

 mixed occasionally with tender fresh meat, minced fine. 

 Animal food, almost alone, finely divided and soaked 

 in milk, is at first the only nutritive food suited for raising 

 the tender nurslings. Young and old require berries of 

 various kinds, from time to time, such as cherries, straw- 

 berries, whortleberries, ^c, and, in short, any kind of 

 wild fruits of which they are fond, if not given too freely, 

 are useful. A few grasshoppers, beetles, or any insects 

 conveniently to be had, as well as gravel, are also neces- 

 sary ; and spiders will often revive them when drooping 

 or sick. 



The young male bird, which must be selected as a 

 singer, may be distinguished by the breadth and purity 

 of the white on the wings. This white spot, in a full 

 grown male, spreads over the whole 9 primaries, down 

 to, and considerably below their coverts, which are also 

 white, sometimes slightly tipt with brown. The white 

 of the primaries, also, extends to the same distance on 

 both vanes of the feathers. In the female, the white is 

 less clear, spreads only over 7 or 8 of the primaries, does 

 not descend so far, and extends considerably farther down 

 on the hroad than on the narrow side of the feathers. 

 The black is also more inclined to brown. 



