18 BY-WAYVS AND BIRD-NOTES. 
It has been told of the mocking-birds that, 
in Louisiana and other Southern regions, when 
such of them as have taken a summer jaunt to 
New England or Pennsylvania return to the 
magnolia and orange groves in late autumn, 
they are attacked by their resident brethren. 
My observation has not tended to verify this. 
Nor can I bear testimony to the bravery and 
fighting qualities of the mocking-bird. The 
blue-bird whips it, driving it hither and yon at 
will, though not more than half its size. It is, 
however, a famous scold and blusterer, accom- 
plishing a good deal by fierce threats and 
savage demonstrations. Ido not believe the 
story about it killing snakes. It would bea 
very small and weak reptile that such a bird 
could kill, being so poorly armed for warlike 
exploits. 
On a pedestrian tour through the loveliest 
and loneliest part of Middle Florida, I was 
struck with the strong contrast between the 
negroes and the white people as to the extent 
and accuracy of their ornithological knowledge, 
a contrast almost as marked as that of color. 
I could get no information from the whites. 
They had never paid any attention to mocking- 
birds. The subject appeared to them too 
slight and trivial to be worth any study. But 
the negroes were sometimes enthusiastic, al- 
ways interested and interesting. Somehow 
there has always seemed to me a fine touch of 
power in the way a cabin, a few banana-stalks, 
a plum-tree or two, and a straggling bower of 
grape-vines get themselves together for the 
use of indolent negroes and luxury-loving 
mocking-birds. I have fancied it, or else there 
is a marked preference shown by the songster 
