THE MOCKING-BIRD. 159 



THE MOCKING-BIRD. 



THIS extraordinary feathered musician surpasses all birds known, both in sweet- 

 ness and compass of voice, and is acknowledged by eminent English authority to be 

 the master of their beloved Nightingale. His plumage, though not brilliant, is not 

 unhandsome ; and his beautiful, well-proportioned figure amply makes up for the 

 lack of bright colors. His graceful, rapid movements and intelligent eye would attract 

 one's attention, even though he were unacquainted with the bird's power of mimicry. 



The full length of the bird is about ten inches. The throat, breast, and belly 

 are gray ; the back is generally a darker shade of the same color, except when 

 newly moulted, then it is somewhat lighter ; the wings and tail are nearly black, the 

 coverts being tipped with white ; the bill, legs, and feet are black ; the breast of 

 the young birds, before the first moult, is spotted like that of the Thrush. 



He inhabits the United States from New England to Florida, but of late years 

 has been found chiefly south of Pennsylvania : he is migratory in the Northern 

 States, but a permanent resident of the Southern. A warm climate, and low, 

 swampy country, seem desirable to him. He is, therefore, found in larger numbers 

 in the Southern States that are contiguous to the ocean. 



The time at which the Mocking-bird begins to build varies according to the 

 degree of latitude. In the warmer Southern States he commences to build early in 

 April ; farther north, much later. He prefers a dense thicket, and builds his nest 

 in either a bush or tree, but rarely higher than eight feet from the ground. The 

 nest is made of dry twigs, light sticks, and withered weeds intermixed with straws, 

 wool, or tow, the whole being lined with fibrous roots. There are usually four 

 and sometimes five eggs in a nest : they are a light blue with large brown specks. 

 The female sets fourteen days, and hatches two broods in a season. She is 

 extremely jealous of her nest, and will allow nothing to approach it. The young 

 birds are taken from the nest when three weeks old, and fed by hand. They are 

 very hardy birds, and rarely pine away and die from the loss of the mother. They 

 are easily reared by hand, and should be fed at frequent intervals on a mixture of 

 hard-boiled egg and potato, in the proportion of two parts of potato to one part 

 of egg: they are very fond of berries of all kinds, huckleberries being a favorite 

 dish. Insects and spiders, of which they are extremely fond, seem to strengthen 

 them, and prove the best medicine which can be administered in case of sickness. 

 As the bird grows older, a portion of the prepared Mocking-bird food should be 

 added to the egg-and-potato mixture : this accustoms him to the food which will be 

 his chief diet after he is six months old. Many prefer the hand-raised nestlings to 

 the young trapped birds : to be sure, the trouble of raising is greater ; but the attach- 



