FOREST BIRDS 



177 



the yearly crop of these berries, and the Mocking- 

 bird's supply of provisions might have lasted him 

 throughout the winter if it had not been covered by 

 a heavy fall of snow. The weather was unusually 



Mockingbird 



severe, the mercury falling below zero, but the 

 Mockingbird discovered a new source of food in the 

 berries of the privet and seemed not to suffer from 

 the cold. Strange it was to hear his sharp, kissing 

 alarm-note, which I had long associated with more 

 southern scenes, mingled with the voices of children 



