CATBIRD 339 



graphically described the nocturnal song of the catbird as follows: 

 "And at night, when white flowers in the garden shine faintly luminous 

 in the world of shadows and ipomoeas on the pergola gleam like pale 

 moons, caressing the air with fragrance, it is then that our cavalier is 

 transformed into a celestial singer, as soul-stirring as the nightingale 

 in the Old World gardens or the mockingbird in southern climes." 



Many observers have heard and reported the "whisper" songs of 

 several species of birds, but this trait is most pronounced in the catbird. 

 It seems to be heard most frequently in autumn, but it may be given at 

 all seasons. J. W. Lloyd (1914) gives an account of the whisper song 

 of the catbird he heard on September 14, 1908, well after the nesting 

 season : "A catbird, not over 4 or 5 feet from me, sitting trustfully on 

 a stick among the weeds, quite unconcerned, and singing in such a low, 

 fine voice that I could only just hear him. * * * His throat merely, 

 trembled, and occasionally the bill parted just a trifle. Yet his song 

 seemed the full repertoire of the catbird, including * * * two 

 faint mews. The whisper song was heard in the autumn on subsequent 

 years which may or may not have been the same individual. Penelope 

 Baldwin (1929) tells of her experience in hearing this song in the 

 spring as follows : "I saw a catbird * * * in the plum tree just out- 

 side my window. There was no sound of his song, but I could see that 

 he was singing. Quietly I opened the window. In came the smell of 

 plum blossoms, in came humming of a thousand bees, in came the 

 whispered song of the catbird, tranquil and clear, indescribably 

 lovely." 



The catbird possesses a remarkable talent in mimicking the calls 

 and songs of other birds — in fact any sound it may hear whether it be 

 a cackling hen, an agonizing squeak of an ungreased wagon wheel, or 

 the musical song of its bird neighbors. Some individual catbirds are 

 extremely versatile, yet you may listen to others throughout the season 

 and never hear a recognizable imitation. There is also a variation in 

 the quality of the song. 



There are so many reports from reliable observers of the mimicking 

 ability of the catbird that we must conclude that it approaches a 

 very close second to that expert the mockingbird. E. H. Forbush 

 (1929) writes: "It is somewhat startling * * * to hear the cat- 

 bird's sweetest song interrupted by a perfect imitation of some harsh 

 cry such as that of the great crested flycatcher, the squawk of a hen, 

 the cry of a lost chicken or the spitting of a cat. * * * He is in- 

 clined to attempt to imitate the most common sounds, such as the 

 croaking of the frogs and the utterances of barnyard fowls, but also 

 sometimes succeeds in reproducing unusual musical sounds." 



Marie E. Hegler (1923) gives an interesting account of her experi- 

 ence in teaching a catbird a whistled call. The bird did not respond 



