PLAYING IN A BRUSH PILE. 59 



while singing is an ecstatic action that must be 

 seen to be appreciated ; he rises into the air as 

 though too happy to remain on earth, and open- 

 ing his wings, floats down, singing all the while. 

 It is indescribable, but enchanting to see. In 

 courtship, too, as related, he makes effective use 

 of this exquisite movement. In simple food- 

 hunting 011 the ground, a most prosaic occu- 

 pation, truly, on approaching a hummock of 

 grass he bounds over it instead of going around. 

 In alighting on a tree he does not pounce upon 

 the twig he has selected, but upon a lower one, 

 and passes quickly up through the branches, as 

 lithe as a serpent. So fond is he of this exercise 

 that one which I watched amused himself half 

 an hour at a time in a pile of brush ; starting 

 from the ground, slipping easily through up to 

 the top, standing there a moment, then flying 

 back and repeating the performance. Should 

 the goal of his journey be a fence picket, he 

 alights on the beam which supports it, and hops 

 gracefully to the top. 



Like the robin, the mocking-bird seeks his 

 food from the earth, sometimes digging it, but 

 oftener picking it up. His manner on the 

 ground is much like the robin's ; he lowers the 

 head, runs a few steps rapidly, then erects him- 

 self very straight for a moment. But he adds 

 to this familiar performance a peculiar and 



