(83) 



opportunity offers, a hedge fence is selected ; the eggs, from four to 

 six in number, are light green, spotted with brown. The food of 

 the Mocking Bird consists chiefly of berries and insects. It is usu- 

 ally observed in the orchards, or about the highly cultivated farms, 

 though at times it frequents the dry sandy beaches in the immediate 

 vicinity of the sea. At Egg Harbor I have been informed that a 

 few years since a bird of this species passed the summer on the 

 beach. It became the pet of the residents, to whom it also seemed 

 much attached — and, as if in return for the attention they paid to 

 its wants, it poured forth its charming melody, which, on calm, 

 bright nights, blending with the subdued voice of the ocean, ren- 

 dered the scene enchanting beyond the powers of description. Its 

 fame as a vocalist is so well known, that but little can be added to 

 its justly established reputation. It is the Nightingale of America, 

 and according to those who have heard the native notes of both, its 

 voice, both in variety and fullness, is superior to that of Europe's 

 sweetest songster. Its power of imitation is so great, that this highly 

 gifted bird runs over the varied notes of all our songsters, and exe- 

 ecutes with so much skill, that it would seem as if Nature had so 

 attuned its voice that it might exceed all of the feathered choir. 



