62 NATURAL HISTORY. 



sea shores, the more plentiful do you find these birds. They are naturally fond of loose sands, 

 and of districts scantily furnished with small trees or patches of briars and low bushes. During 

 incubation the female pays such precise attention to the position in which she leaves her eggs 

 when she goes to a short distance for exercise and refreshment, to pick up gravel, or roll herself 

 in the dust, that, on her return, should she find that any of them have been displaced or touched 

 by the hand of man, she utters a low, mournful note, at the sound of which the male imme- 

 diately joins her, and they are both seen to condole together. Some people imagine that 011 

 such occasions the female abandons the nest ; but this idea is incorrect. On the contrary, she 

 redoubles her assiduity and care, and scarcely leaves the nest for a moment; nor is it until she 

 has been repeatedly forced from the dear spot, and has been muoh alarmed by frequent intru- 

 sions, that she finally and reluctantly leaves it. Nay, if the eggs are on the eve of being 

 hatched she will almost suffer a person to lay hold of her. 



" Different species of snakes ascend to their nests, and generally suck the eggs or swallow the 

 young ; but on all such occasions, not only the pair to which the nest belongs, but many other 

 Mocking-birds from the vicinity, fly to the spot, attack the reptiles, and in some cases are so fortunate 

 as either to force them to retreat or deprive them of life. Cats that have abandoned the houses to 

 prowl about the fields in a half wild state are also dangerous enemies, as they frequently approach 

 the nest unnoticed, and at a pounce secure the mother, or at least destroy the eggs or young, and over- 

 turn the nest. Children seldom destroy the nests of these birds, and the planters generally protect 

 them. So much does this feeling prevail throughout Louisiana, that they will not willingly permit a 

 Mocking-bird to be shot at any time. In winter, nearly all the Mocking-birds approach the farm- 

 houses and plantations, living about the gardens or outhouses. They are then frequently seen on the 

 roofs and perched on the chimney-pots ; yet they always appear full of animation. Whilst searching 

 for food on the ground their motions are light and elegant, and they frequently open their wings as 

 butterflies do when basking in the sun, moving a step or two, and again throwing out their wings. 

 When the weather is mild the old males are heard singing with as much spirit as during the spring 

 or summer, while the younger birds are busily engaged in practising, preparatory to the love season. 

 They seldom resort to the interior of the forest, either during the day or by night, but usually roost 

 among the foliage of evergreens in the immediate vicinity of houses in Louisiana, although in the 

 Eastern States they prefer low fir-trees. 



" The flight of the Mocking-bird is performed by short jerks of the body and wings, at every one 

 of which a strong twitching motion of the tail is perceived. This motion is still more apparent while 

 the bird is walking, when it opens its tail like a fan and instantly closes it again. The common 

 cry or call of this bird is a very mournful note, resembling that uttered on similar occasions by its 

 first cousin, the Orpheus rufus, or, as it is commonly called, the French Mocking-bird. When 

 travelling, this flight is only a little prolonged, as the bird goes from tree to tree, or at most across a 

 field, scarcely, if ever, rising higher than the top of the forest. During this migration it generally 

 resorts to the highest parts of the woods near water-courses, utters its usual mournful note, and roosts 

 in these places. It travels mostly by day. Few Hawks attack the Mocking-birds, as on their 

 approach, however sudden it may be, they are always ready not only to defend themselves vigorously 

 and with undaunted courage, but to meet the aggressor half-way, and force him to abandon his inten- 

 tion. The only Hawk that occasionally surprises it is the Astur cooperii, which flies low with great 

 swiftness, and carries the bird off without any apparent stoppage. Should it happen, that the ruffian 

 misses his prey, the Mocking-bird in turn becomes the assailant, and pursues the Hawk with great 

 courage, calling, in the meantime, all the birds of its species to its assistance ; and although it cannot 

 overtake the marauder, the alarm created by their cries, which are propagated in succession among all 

 the birds in the vicinity, like the watchwords of sentinels on duty, prevents him from succeeding in 

 his attempts. 



"The musical powers of this bird have often been taken notice of by European naturalists and 

 persons who find pleasure in listening to the song of different birds whilst in confinement or at large. 

 Some of these persons have described the notes of the Nightingale as occasionally fully equal to those 

 of our bird, but to compare her essays to the finished talent of the Mocking-bird is, in my opinion^ 

 quite absurd. The Mocking-bird is easily reared by hand from the nest, from which it ought to be 



