372 (/literal Notes. LJuly 



Lancaster, about due west. I went with him the next day (May 28, 1911) 

 and found the nest with the female on it. She glided off and I shot her, 

 to be absolutely sure about the identity. The nest was placed in a laurel 

 bush (Kalmia latifolia) about eleven inches from the ground and contained 

 four fresh eggs. It was a typical nest of this species, lined with the dark 

 fibres that are usually used. 



Later in the day we found another nest, in a laurel bush, about two feet 

 from the ground. It contained four eggs slightly incubated. As the 

 female was very tame and gave us every opportunity to identify her, 

 I did n't shoot her, as it seemed unnecessary; especially as I had collected 

 the parent bird with the first set. 



I located another pair in this same wood, but failed to find their nest. — 

 John E. Thayer, Lancaster, Mass. 



Notes on a Massachusetts Mockingbird. — The notes on the blocking- 

 bird, published in a recent issue of ' The Auk,' recall to mind some pleasant 

 and interesting observations I made on this species in eastern Massachu- 

 setts a few years since. In looking over my notebooks I find under date 

 of June 5, 1908: "An unusual bird visitor seen today. While working 

 in the field my attention was attracted by the (supposed) note of the 

 Crested Flycatcher. I was somewhat surprised to hear it, as this fly- 

 catcher is found here only in a few restricted localities. This being outside 

 of the localities where usually found, I hastened to investigate and found 

 that these notes, and a varied collection of others also, came from a Mock- 

 ingbird. By good fortune he proved to be very approachable, affording 

 a fine chance to see and watch him. 



" He was for the most part singing all the time; a pause of a few minutes 

 now and then, during which time he fed more persistently than when 

 singing, although his time when in song, was not entirely devoted to that, 

 but he was frequently changing his perch in order to catch some insect, 

 but making no noticeable pause in song. Much the same style and 

 manner as the Red-eyed Vireo in this respect. I do not know what the 

 powers of mimicry may be for the average mocker but I should think 

 that this one was more than ordinarily skilled in that difficult art. 



" A multitude of call-notes and songs of the commoner birds, and some 

 that I hear but infrequently, he ran over apparently as easily as the pianist 

 plays the scale, and with perfect imitation. In many cases not even an 

 acute and practised ear could detect a variation from the genuine. He 

 seemed to be especially well skilled in the performance of the song or calls 

 of the Crested Flycatcher, giving that peculiar inflection one notes in the 

 whistle of this particularly interesting species. Again, without any 

 apparent pause, he would be " whipping-poor-will " with spiteful accent 

 or trilling the amicable " cheer-up " of the robin. The squall of the Blue 

 Jay and also the Jay's more musical bell like note, were rendered with 

 correct expression. The mew of the Catbird and the clicker of the King- 

 bird, the laughing call of the Flicker, and the Downy Woodpeckers metallic 



