136 CITIZEN BIRD 



" De sugar-cane hits piishiii' in de bottoms, 

 De rice hits a-sproutiu' now fo' shore ! 

 De cotton hits a-greenin' in de furrer, 

 An' honey I'se a-waitin' at de door ! 



" Did I tole you dat I know'd whar dere's a possum? 

 Did I tole you dat I know'd whar dere's a coon? 

 Oh, mah lady, come out soon ! 

 Oh, mah honey, come out soon 3 

 While de Mocker, while de ]\Iocker 

 Am a-singin' to de moon ! " 



Suddenly mammy jumped up, and Avaving the chil- 

 dren off, started for the house as fast as she could trot, 

 muttering to herself. 



" What is the matter ? " called Olive ; " has a bee 

 stung you? " 



'' No, nope chile, but t'inkin' 'bout dem times I done 

 forgit I lef a big pan o' buns a-risin' foil yoh lunch. 

 Like's not dey's rised till dey's bust an' popped over I " 

 And mammy disappeared amid a chorus of laughter. 



" What mammy has said about the Mockingbird in 

 his summer home is true. As a visitor who sometimes 

 stays and builds, he strays east and north as far as 

 Massachusetts, and westward to Colorado and Cali- 

 fornia. If he were not a hardy bird who sometimes 

 raises three broods a year, I'm afraid the race would 

 come to an end, because so many nestlings are taken 

 each year and sold for cage birds." 



The Mockingbird 



Length about ten inches. 



Upper parts gray, but dusky-brownish on the wings, which have 

 a large white spot. Three white feathers on each side of the tail, 



