S6 SINGING BIRDS. 



and bold whistle struck upon the ear of a Baltimore with great 

 delight ; and from that moment his ordinary notes were laid 

 aside for 'woit, 'woit, teii, and other phrases previously foreign 

 to him for that season. I have likewise heard another individ- 

 ual exactly imitating the soft and somewhat plaintive int yu, 

 vlt yiu of the same bird, and in the next breath the pent, or 

 call of Wilson's Thrush ; also at times the earnest song of the 

 Robin. Indeed his variations and imitations have sometimes 

 led me to believe that I heard several new and melodious 

 birds, and I was only undeceived when I beheld his brilliant 

 livery. So various, in fact, are the individual phrases chanted 

 by this restless and lively bird that it is scarcely possible to fix 

 on any characteristic notes by which he may be recognized ; 

 his singular, loud, and almost plaintive tone, and a fondness 

 for harping long on the same string, are perhaps more peculiar 

 than any particular syllables which he may be heard to utter. 

 When alarmed or offended at being too closely watched or 

 approached, both male and female utter an angry, rattling tsher 

 tshW, or hiss, tsJi' tsli" tsh' ^tsh. 



The beautiful Baltimore bird is only one of the tribe of true 

 Icteri, which, except the present and two following species, 

 remain within the tropical regions, or only migrate to short 

 distances in the rainy season. Ours wing their way even 

 into Canada as far as the 55 th degree, and breed in every 

 intermediate region to the table-land of Mexico. A yellow 

 Brazilian species of the section of this genus, called cassici4s, 

 according to Waterton inhabits also Demerara, where, like our 

 bird, he familiarly weaves his pendulous nest near the planter's 

 house, suspending it from the drooping branches of trees, and 

 so low that it may be readily looked into even by the incu- 

 rious. Omnivorous like the Starling, he feeds equally on insects, 

 fruits, and seeds. He is called the Mocking Bird, and for hours 

 together, in gratitude as it were for protection, he serenades 

 the inhabitants with his imitative notes. His own song, though 

 short, is sweet and melodious. But hearing perhaps the yelp- 

 ing of the Toucan, he drops his native strain to imitate it, or 

 place it in ridicule by contrast. Again, he gives the cackling 



