132 CITIZEN BIRD 



THE MOCKINGBIRD 



" Mammy Bun knows about INlockingbirds," said 

 Dodo. " She says the bushes were full of them down 

 in Louisiana where she was born, and that sometimes 

 they used to sit on the top of the cabins and sing so 

 loud at night, wdien the moon shone, that the children 

 couldn't go to sleep, and they had to throw sticks and 

 things at them." 



"" Did the children throw sticks at the birds, or the 

 birds pelt the children?'' laughed the Doctor — for 

 poor Dodo was famous for mixing up her sentences. 



'' No, no. Uncle Roy, neither ; the children's mothers 

 threw the sticks at the Mockers." 



" What else did Mammy Bun tell you? " 



'^ Lots and lots of tilings, and a song, too, that her 

 people used to sing about the Mockers, only I can't 

 tell it as she does because you know she has a sort 

 of language all her own." 



" Suppose we ask mammy to come and tell us about 

 the Mockingbirds herself," said Olive. '' May we, 

 father?" 



'' Certainly, if you can coax her." 



The children followed Olive to the house and soon 

 returned leading mammy, who was chuckling and out 

 of breath, but evidently very much pleased to be asked. 

 She could not be persuaded to try the apple-tree perch, 

 so they made her a sort of throne at the foot of the tree 

 and sat respectfully in a row in front of her. Mammy 

 w^ore a dark-blue print dress Avith white figures on it, 

 but as she was one of the good old sort, she had a plaid 

 handkerchief tied turban fashion round her head. As 



