MOCKING THRUSH. 213 



and the variation is not more than would occur in 

 different stages of moulting, or, perhaps, age of 

 the bird: its most general appearance is as fol- 

 lows : the beak is black, with a series of reflected 

 bristles at its base : the cheeks and stripe over the 

 eyes greyish white : irides yellow : the top of the 

 head and neck, the shoulders, and the upper parts 

 of the wings, grey brown : quills brown ; the pri- 

 maries with a white spot in the middle : greater 

 wing-coverts tipped with white: tail-feathers dusky 

 brown ; the two outer ones entirely white, the four 

 following white at their tips only : the throat and 

 all the under parts of the body greyish white : the 

 feet black: the length of the bird eight inches 

 and a half : female has the colours duller : the 

 young bird has the breast and belly longitudinally 

 spotted with brown ; the white on the wings dirty ; 

 the wing-coverts, scapulars, and back, reddish ; 

 the feet and beak brown. 



This remarkable bird receives its name from its 

 amazing powers of voice, being able to imitate 

 that of almost every species of animal, and also 

 noises that are produced artificially, such as the 

 creaking of a door, wheel, or the like ; and its 

 versatility almost exceeds its imitative powers, 

 changing from the soft notes of the Wood Thrush 

 to the discordant jarring of the Whip-poor- Will, 

 then instantly reverting to its original song, and 

 breaking out with the screeching of a Hawk : it 

 has a very fine natural note: it is so much esteemed 

 in America that it was very difficult to procure 

 any in the vicinity of Philadelphia, a few years 



