ORGANS OF VOICE. 09 



be seen crowing away; occasionally indulging in its 

 natural song, but this only for a second or two; 

 for it soon began again to crow; and when the cocks 

 from a neighbouring poultry-yard answered it, the 

 little bird seemed delighted, and seemed as if it 

 was trying to rival them in the shrillness of its note. 

 It was supposed that it must have been bred near the 

 spot, and learned the cry from hearing the cocks*. 



The Goat-sucker, Night-jar, Hawkmoth, (or, as 

 it is better known, in many places, the Wheel-Bird, 

 owing to its making a sound much resembling a 

 spinning-wheel,) is another bird not uncommon in 

 this country during the summer months, frequenting 

 heaths and commons. The best time to hear it is 

 about dusk, when it may be cautiously approached, 

 and discovered sitting with its head downwards, 

 repeating, for a considerable time, its rough jarring 

 cry. 



In foreign countries, however, there are birds 

 possessing a far greater power of imitation. We 

 need scarcely mention the Mocking-Bird of North 

 America at the head of the list; so widely spread 

 over the world is its character, not only having the 

 power of imitating the note of every bird it hears, 

 but also that of animals and other sounds. It can 

 bark like a dog, mew like a cat ; then all of a sudden 

 make the exact noise of a trundling wheelbarrow; 

 sometimes it will call the hens together by scream- 

 ing like a wounded chicken ; or entice the house-dog 

 from the fire-side by whistling for it in its master's 

 well-known summons. 



There is a species of Crow in India, (Corvus 



* See Mag. Nat. Hist., vol. iv., p. 433. 



