MOCKING BIRD. Ill 



of April. A little farther up the country, they are out by the fifteenth of 

 May. The second brood is hatched in July, and the third in the latter 

 part of September. 



The nearer you approach to the 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 posi- 

 tion 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 has been displaced, 

 or touched by the hand of man, she utters a low mournful note, at the 

 sound of which the male immediately joins her, and they are both seen to 

 condole together. Some people imagine that, on such occasions, the 

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

 she redovibles her assiduity and care, and scarcely leaves the nest for a 

 moment ; nor is it vintil she has been repeatedly forced from the dear 

 spot, and has been much alarmed by frequent intrusions, that she finally 

 and reluctantly leaves it. Nay, if the eggs are on the eve of being hatch- 

 ed, 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 for- 

 tunate 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 overturn 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-tops ; 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, 



