THE OOLOGIST. 



163 



the boat and crossed the river and took 

 another stroll through the marsh and 

 found a nest and five eggs of the Marsh 

 Hawk. The eggs were handsomely 

 mottled and blotched with chestnut 

 and lilac and were quite different in 

 appearance from a set I took later at 

 the top of a coulee on the top of the 

 thick brush. The second set was en- 

 tirely clear not a spot on them. They 

 also average a little larger. 



After taking a couple of sets of Eared 

 Grebe I made for the house as the day 

 was ending and I felt I had done 

 enough slushing since morning. 



E. Arnold, 

 Battle Creek, Mich. 

 (to be continued.) 



The MockingVird. 



The Mockingbird is typically a native 

 of the extreme Southern part of the 

 Southern States. I may still more con- 

 fine its habitat by saying that it is 

 chiefly found in Southern Louisiana 

 and Texas. Ic is found elsewhere, but 

 nowhere does it sing, flourish and hatch 

 its callow brood as in the two states 

 mentioned. 



As my travels, even in my own state, 

 have been limited, 1 can speak of the 

 bird only as it is found in the extreme 

 Southeastern part of Louisiana, on the 

 banks of the Mississippi. 



The Mockingbird follows the general 

 characteristics of the Thrushes only its 

 build is slenderer, and this slenderness 

 is even more marked by the long tail 

 that it has. Like that of the Thrasher 

 its head is narrow and its bill long, 

 only in this case it is perfectly' straight. 

 The general color above and below is a 

 steel gray, the wings and tail being 

 black with the exception of a few white 

 feathers. Tn the latter there are four 

 white fe;Uhers, and they are not seen 

 except when the bird is flying. 



Somewhat like the old story of Adam 



and Eve, the male Mockingbird is 

 said to have one more white feather in 

 his wing than the female has, that is, 

 the male has nine and the female 

 eight. This is firmly believed by most 

 people who know anything about 

 Mockingbirds, and in keeping a cage- 

 bird the wing feathers are always care- 

 fully counted, for the males alone sing, 

 the female having but a few calls and 

 note.s of alarm. However, I do not 

 know whether to accept this or not, for 

 ev. ry Ijhd that I have had my hands on. 

 had nine white feathers in each wing. 



As you see the plumage of the Mock- 

 ingbird is very plain, and there is 

 nothing to recommend it to man but its 

 beautiful song. 



The song of the Mockingbird is as 

 unlike the singing of other birds as are 

 the grand arias of a prima dona to the 

 ordinary singing of the household. 

 Our household songs may be very 

 sweet and may have charms and may 

 excite feelings that no other singing 

 will, but still from a point of excellence 

 it is generally low. 



. The Mockingbird takes the pretty 

 notes of our commoner birds and 

 weaves them together with a marvelous 

 musical skill, and to them he adds a 

 magnificent song of his own. I need not 

 tell yon what the effect is. The great 

 Wilson appreciated it and in his ar- 

 ticle on the Mockingbird he speaks of 

 it in a beautiful manner. I advise all 

 to read it who have not done so al- 

 ready, for when once read it will never 

 be forgotten. 



A favorite singing place of the Mock- 

 ingbird is the top of a house or a bare 

 limb in the top of a tree. Often the 

 bird will become as if intoxicated by 

 its own song, and in its ecstasy leap 

 with outstretched wings and tail into 

 the air, and whirl about as if mad, all 

 the time singing the song that only a 

 Mockingbird can sing. 



In many cases its beautiful song is . 

 the ruin of the Mockingbird, for man 



