﻿Our Garden Mockingbird 



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Other birds live in the grounds, of course, but all are old residents and are 

 graciously permitted to come and go as they please, provided they avoid cer- 

 tain trees. Roger has his own particular friends, and seems very fond of a 

 little female Cardinal, and often gives a cheery call, when she comes to his 

 tree. A Downy, also, is allowed to remain hours at a time, and even take 

 naps on a small oak just inside one of Roger's side boundaries. One day, 

 Downy and the Pirate disagreed over something, and the latter was driving 

 Downy to his tree at a furious rate, when Roger, who is always on the 

 lookout, saw them coming, and as soon as the Pirate had crossed the 



A PORTRAIT OF ROGER,' OUR GARDEN MOCKINOISIKIJ 

 Photographed from nature by Mrs, P. w Ro< 



boundary line -he pounced upon him with a vicious "scat," and drove him 

 back to his own territory, permitting the Downy to fly to his tree unmo- 

 lested. Last winter we were frequently entertained most delightfully by the 

 dancing of Roger with a bird that came from the grounds of a neighbor. 

 This bird had much more white on wings and tail than any Mockingbird 

 we had ever seen, that made her easily distinguished from all other birds, 

 and, as she was seen twice to dance with the Pirate, and dozens of times 

 with Roger, we concluded that it must be a female — Roger and Pirate are 

 both singers, and wtre never seen to dance together. The dancing com- 

 menced early in January, long before the nesting season, and was seen almost 

 every pleasant day until April, when they left us for housekeeping. 'I here 



