MOCKING-BIRD. 101 



guished English naturalist, and curious observer, on this subject, 

 the Hon. Daines Barrington, who at the time he made the com- 

 munication was vice president of the Royal Society, to which 

 they were addressed. * 



" It may not be improper, here," says this gentleman, " to 

 " consider whether the Nightingale may not have a very formida- 

 " ble competitor in the American Mocking-bird; though almost 

 " all travellers agree, that the concert in the European woods 

 " is superior to that of the other parts of the globe. I have hap- 

 " pened, however, to hear the American Mocking-bird, in great 

 (( perfection, at Messrs. Vogels and Scotts, in Love-lane, East- 

 66 cheap. This bird is believed to be still living, and hath been 

 " in England these six years. During the space of a minute he 

 " imitated the Wood-lark, Chaffinch, Blackbird, Thrush, and 

 " Sparrow; I was told also that he would bark like a dog; so that 

 " the bird seems to have no choice in his imitations, though his 

 " pipe comes nearest to our Nightingale of any bird I have yet 

 " met with. With regard to the original notes, however, of this 

 "bird, we are still at a loss, as this can only be known by those 

 " who are accurately acquainted with the song of the other Ame- 

 " rican birds. Kalm indeed informs us, that the natural song is 

 "excellent;! but this traveller seems not to have been long enough 

 " in America to have distinguished what were the genuine notes: 

 " with us mimics do not often succeed but in imitations. I have 

 " little doubt, however, but that this bird would be fully equal 

 " to the song of the Nightingale in its whole compass; but then 

 "from the attention which the Mocker pays to any other sort 

 " of disagreeable noise, these capital notes would be always de- 

 " based by a bad mixture." 



On this extract I shall make a few remarks. If, as is here con- 

 ceded, the Mocking-bird be fully equal to the song of the Night- 

 ingale; and, as I can with confidence add, not only to that but to 

 the song of almost every other bird; besides being capable of ex- 

 actly imitating various other sounds and voices of animals, his 

 vocal powers are unquestionably superior to those of the Night- 



* PhiL Trans, vol. LXII, part n, p. 284. f Travels, voj, T, p. 219, 



