64 IMITATION, BUT NOT A COPY. 



sion of himself; it is a perfect whole of its 

 kind, given with proper inflections and pauses, 

 and never hurried ; whereas, when the mocker 

 delivers it, it is simply one more note added to 

 his repertory, uttered in his rapid staccato, in 

 his loud, clear voice, interpolated between in- 

 congruous sounds, without expression, and lack- 

 ing in every way the beauty and attraction of 

 the original. 



The song consists entirely of short staccato 

 phrases, each phrase repeated several times, per- 

 haps twice, possibly five or six times. If he has 

 a list of twenty or thirty, and I think he has 

 more, he can make almost unlimited changes 

 and variety, and can sing for two hours or 

 longer, holding his listener spellbound and al- 

 most without consciousness that he has repeated 

 anything. 



So winning and so lasting is the charm with 

 which this bird enthralls his lovers that scarcely 

 had I left his enchanted neighborhood before 

 everything else was forgotten, and there remain 

 of that idyllic month only beautiful pictures 

 and delightful memories. 



" O thou heavenly bird ! " 



