222 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



Versatility of the Mockingbirds' Song. 



Within the past two or three years 

 mockingbirds have been reported from 

 several localities in eastern Massachusetts, 

 these birds usually wintering in the vicin- 

 ity where they have made their appear- 

 ance. The Arnold Arboretum at Forest 

 Hills has been one of these favored locali- 

 ties, having harbored one of the versatile 

 songsters during the winter of 1914. It 

 was here also during several weeks in 

 October just past that a mocker has been 

 observed, which in all probability will 

 make this spot its winter home. 



Probably no bird has a more remark- 

 able song in its power of mimicry and 

 variation, although there appears to be 

 a great difference shown by individuals 

 in this respect and many display no more 

 mimicry than a catbird in their son;gs. 

 Though loved by the inhabitants of the 

 southern states where it abounds, few 

 who have not visited that section have had 

 the pleasure of listening to the mocking- 

 bird's sweet chorus, — for chorus it seems, 

 appearing to be made by many birds 

 rather than the performance of an indi- 

 vidual songster, especially when the indi- 

 vidual is of the mimicing type. 



Listening to such an outburst one fine 

 October morning in the Arboretum, I 

 seated myself under the edge of a large 

 clump of forsythias while the bird sang 

 from the thicket within a few yards of my 

 head. The performer's repertoire was in 

 this instance a somewhat remarkable one, 

 and I noted the succession of its imitative 

 songs and calls. This out-pouring of 

 melody lasted between fifteen and twenty 

 minutes, during which time I recognized 

 exact imitations of the following, which 

 were given in the order named. 



Red-shouldered hawk, call ; robin, 

 song; red-eyed vireo, song; chewink, call ; 

 phoebe, call; blue jay, call; robin, song; 

 downy woodpecker, call ; chewnnk, call ; 

 blue jay, agitated call; chicadee, (day, 

 day, day call) ; bobwhite, call ; catbird, cat 

 call ; barn swallow, twittering song ; 

 cat-bird, song ; robin, song and calls : 

 English sparrow, chattering: blue jav. 

 call ; wood pew^ee, call ; brown 

 thrasher, song; robin, song; chickadee, 

 call; catbird, song; English soarrow, 

 scolding; American goldfinch, call; cat- 

 bird, call; robin, song; blue jav, call: 

 flicker, short call ; bobwhite, call : blue 



jay, several calls: robin, various calls; 

 red-breasted nuthatch, "yank" ; robin, 

 call; flicker, call; brown thrasher, song; 

 bobwhite, called twice ; phoebe, called 

 three times ; flicker, ( wicker, wicker, 

 wicker call) ; song^ sparrow, song and 

 call ; chewink, call ; bobwhite, both calls ; 

 robin, several calls ; blue jay, several calls ; 

 kingfisher, rattle (twice) ; chickadee, call; 

 blue jay, call (five times) ; flicker, various 

 calls ; robin, son,g and calls ; chickadee, 

 calls ; swallows, twittering ; red-winged 

 blackbird, nest call ; warbling vireo, full 

 song; blackbird "chip"; white-breasted 

 nuthatch, calls. 



Interspersed between many of the above 

 were various bits of melody which I did 

 not know — perhaps memories of the 

 sunny south-land. The common calls and 

 songs of nineteen different species were 

 here given in as many minutes, in addition 

 to several less familiar calls of some of 

 these same birds, which I distinctly recog- 

 nized. 



A northern race of these energetic and 

 hardy songsters would certainly be a valu- 

 able addition to our avi-fauna. May 

 their tribe increase. . 



With the Audubon Societies. 



Under the title "Birding with Colonel 

 Roosevelt" the Rev. Herbert K. Job, Pro- 

 fessor of Applied Ornithology for the 

 Audubon Societies, is bringing forward 

 a new illustrated lecture for the benefit of 

 the Audubon work. Air. Job, in his 

 recent trip with Col. Roosevelt to some of 

 the southern bird rookeries and protected 

 areas, took oz'er three miles of motion pic- 

 ture film in addition to many photographs, 

 showing the bird life of these sections. 



The campaign against the cat as a bird- 

 destroyer is being pushed vigorously, and 

 the matter thoroughly investigated. It is 

 hoped that the time may soon come when 

 sentiment ceases to interfere with this im- 

 portant action. Regulations and "cat ordi- 

 nances" are already enforced in some 

 places, but until they become more general 

 the destruction will go on. 



The wandering cat is a serious problem. 

 Last year the S\ P. C. A. put to death 

 nearly one hundred and seventy-five 

 thousand of these unfortunates in New 

 York City alone. It is stated that five cats 

 on the New York state game farm killed 

 and ate $5000.00 worth of young pheas- 

 ants before the marauders were finally 

 rounded up and killed. 



