THE MOCKING BIRD 99 



a week he had shot sixty-five mocking birds, eighteen 

 woodpeckers, seven shrikes, and a pair of kingbirds. In 

 some surprise I asked why he had killed the kingbirds 

 and shrikes. 



^^I have seen the kingbirds catching our bees,'' he ex- 

 plained, ^^and those loggerheads, I don't like them and 

 just hate to have them about. ' ' 



There were other grape growers in the country, and I 

 asked one of these what he did to keep the mocking birds 

 from eating his grapes. 



**0, that's easy enough!" he answered. ^^When the 

 grapes begin to ripen I inclose each bunch in a paper bag 

 and tie the mouth of the bag close about the stem. That 

 keeps the birds from the grapes, and as they are in the 

 dark I sometimes think they ripen more evenly than if left 

 exposed. Shoot them! shoot a mocking birdT' he ex- 

 claimed, in answer to my suggestion, ^^why, I wouldn't 

 think of such a thing, they catch too many insects and give 

 me too much fine music to think of killing one. If I had 

 no way of protecting my grapes, ' ' he continued, ^ ^ I should 

 plant more vines, so as to raise enough both for the birds 

 and my own use. ' ' 



Our mocking bird belongs to a famous family of singers, 

 the brown thrasher and the catbird being his close relatives. 

 Both of these birds are gifted mockers and excellent sing- 



