70 THE MOCKING BIRD. 



Appropriately named, bird of many voices ! 

 Thy carol of gladness touches at once the 

 heart of statesman or peasant. The untutored 

 Indian, clad in his pride of selfish stoicism, 

 pauses in his pursuit, his ear drinks in thy 

 melody, and he wonders at the musical 

 powers the Great Spirit has given unto thee. 

 Sweet songster ! the nightingale of America ! 

 Yet far surpassing the Philomel of Europe : 

 could he hear thy varied tones, he would feel 

 his own inferiority, and shrink in silence from 

 thy presence. 



But in the cage, to which he soon becomes 

 accustomed, he is better known as a songster. 

 Here, full as happy as in his woodland home, 

 his intelligence and genius have ample scope ; 

 and he spreads, by their exertion, a feeling 

 of joy and happiness around. He is unceas- 

 ing in his song ; cloudy or clear weather is 

 the same to him ; he is the Shakspeare of 

 nature, and his genius never sleeps. Of 

 himself he is all, breathing forth a concert 

 of hundreds of grove and field, shaming the 

 original into silence. At daylight, mid-day, 

 and the live-long summer's night, his efforts 

 demand applause. One hundred and fifty 

 dollars we have known to be refused for a 

 favorite bird, so docile as to come at a whis- 

 tle, perch on his owner's hand and head, 

 and while there to warble incessantly. 



" Ten thousand warblers cheer the day. 

 And one the live-long night," 



as expressed by the celebrated poet, Cow- 



