MOCKINGBIRD. 51 
insectivorous bird. No objection could be raised against this practice, were it not that 
the majority of the young birds annually taken from the nests perish by careless keep- 
ing. With many people it is a mere matter of fashion to keep a Mockingbird. They 
take the nestlings because some one else does the same, hang the cage near the nest, 
and let the old birds feed them until they are able to take care of themselves. Usually 
they pine away, scarcely one surviving till spring. Then the whole thing is repeated 
again. No one ought to keep a Mockingbird, or any other bird, in a cage unless he 
feels an earnest desire to care for it to the very best of his ability.—In this country: 
wild Mockinghirds are rarely caged, but they are far more valuable than reared 
nestlings. 
Usually the bird-hunters take the young from the nest as long as they open their 
beaks for food. These are sold in Southern cities by Negro boys for from fifteen to 
twenty-five cents a piece. The experienced bird-fancier can distinguish the sex of the 
nestlings at once; he leaves the females and takes only the males from the nest. The 
young are put in small boxes containing cotton, and are covered with pieces of flannel 
to keep them warm. They are fed with a mixture of hard-boiled egg and potato, and 
this diet is also (at least in the South) continued through the remainder of their cage- 
life. This food has to be made fresh two, or even three, times a day. By the beginning 
and the middle of June great’ cargoes of young Mockingbirds reach Chicago and 
New York. Quite young birds sell at a price ‘of five dollars each, while one year old 
singers run as high as fifteen, and older ones even as high as twenty-five dollars, at 
which price they find ready sale. In the North the birds are also fed for some time 
with egg and potato; later, however, they are given the well-known mixture called 
“Mockinghbird-food,” which is mixed with grated carrot. Sometimes dried ants’ pupae, 
and ‘often also raisins and currants should be added. Every singer should receive his 
daily share of meal-worms, say fifteen to twenty-five, and different berries and fruits in 
season, with now and then a pod of red pepper. I often noticed in the South that 
caged and wild Mockinghirds ate the last apparently with great relish. The cages in 
general use are quite roomy, with arched tops; they are sometimes really elegant and 
answer their purpose perfectly. The food must be freshly prepared, at least twice daily. 
In winter, when it does not turn sour quickly, one preparation is perhaps sufficient. 
The birds must always be provided with fresh water for drinking, and frequently with 
water for bathing. The floor of the cage must be cleaned every day and strewn with 
clean dry, coarse sand. 
Thousands of Mockingbirds find their way across the Atlantic to Europe. In 
Germany these birds are highly valued. ‘The price of a bird there is regulated by its 
song, and varies exceedingly, as some Mockingbirds are most excellent singers whereas 
others are not in the least remarkable. In that country they have already bred very 
successfully in confinement. 
The Mockingbird ranges from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from central Illinois, 
Indiana, Pennsylvania, etc., southward to the Gulf of Mexico. The West Indies, Mexico, 
Central and South America, have their own species. 
NAMES: Mocxincpirp, Mocking Thrush, Mimic Thrush.—Merle moqueur (French). Spottvogel, Spott- 
drossel (German). 
