48 



The Mockingbird. 



about with han<jing wings and bristled 

 feathers, clucking to protect its injured 

 brood. The barking of the dog, the mew- 

 ing of the cat, tiie creaking of a passing 

 wheelbarrow, follow with great truth and 

 rapidity. He repeats the tune taught him 

 by his master, tho' of considerable length, 

 fully and faithfully. He runs over the quiv- 

 erings of the canary, and the clear whistlings 

 of the Virginia nightingale, or redbird, with 

 such superior execution and effect, that the 

 mortified songsters feel their own inferior- 

 ity, and become altogether silent; while he 

 seems to triumph in their defeat by redoubl- 

 ing his exertions.' 



The Mockingbird is essentially a crea- 

 ture of the South, and his center of abund- 

 ance is in the Southern States. It is there, 

 as Audubon so delightfully remarks, that 

 the Mockingbird must be seen to find him 

 at his best. Still, he sometimes journeys 

 during the summer months as far north as 

 Massachusetts, and has been found breed- 

 ing in the Connecticut Valley near Spring- 

 field. In the Southern States the Mocking- 

 bird is a resident, and may be found at all 

 seasons of the year. Those which visit the 

 North stay with us only long enough to rear 

 their brood, and then hastily retreat to 

 warmer climes. 



In its Southern home this species is tame 

 and familiar, seeming to regard man as a 

 friend and protector rather than an enemy. 

 It sometimes builds its nest near the house, 

 and, Audubon tells us, lives during the 

 winter ab(jut the gardens and outhouses, 

 where it may be often seen perched on the 

 roofs and on the chimney tops. 



The mating season in Louisiana is March 

 or early April, and the nests are begun im- 

 mediately after, so that the young are fre- 

 quently ready to fly by the last of April. 

 J''urther north they are somewhat later in 

 making their appearance. The nest is built 

 not far above the ground, sometimes upon 

 it, and is carelessly constructed with but 

 slight attempt at concealment. In some re- 



spects it resembles that of the catbird, being 

 composed externally of coarse twigs and 

 weed stems, and lined w-ith fibrous roots. 



The eggs are from four to six in number, 

 and are light green in color, dotted and 

 blotched with brownish black. Two and 

 sometimes three broods are raised in a 

 season. 



If the female leaves her nest for any pur- 

 pose, and finds on her return that the eggs 

 have been handled, she summons her mate 

 by a mournful note and exhibits much dis- 

 tress, but so far from deserting it, as some 

 people suppose, she sits with redoubled 

 assiduity. 



Except during the winter the food of the 

 Mockingbird consists almost entirely of in- 

 sects, but when cold weather has deprived 

 them of this food they turn their attention 

 to the berries, feeding on those of the cedar, 

 the Virginia creeper, the holly, smilax, sour 

 gum and others. 



The Mockingbird is easily reared if taken 

 from the nest quite young, and becomes not 

 only a sweet and constant songster, but an 

 affectionate pet as well. Instances are 

 known where they have lived about the 

 house without being confined, flying away 

 from time to time to feed and associate with 

 their kind, but returning toward night to 

 their home, where they saluted their owner 

 with every demonstration of delight and 

 affection. 



The Mockingbird is from nine to ten 

 inches in length, and the spread of its wings 

 measures thirteen inches. The upper parts 

 of the body are dark gray, tinged here and 

 there with brown. A spot of white exists 

 on the primaries, making a large patch on 

 the closed wing. The wing coverts are 

 tipped with white ; the three outer tail 

 feathers are mostly white. The under parts 

 are brownish white, palest on chin and belly. 

 Bill, legs and feet are black. Iris yellow. 

 The female differs from the male only in 

 having the colors a little duller, and the 

 white patch on the wing smaller. 



