Jan., 1909. Birds of Illinois and Wisconsin — Cory. 681 



The Mockingbird, so widely celebrated for its vocal accomplish- 

 ments, is a common summer resident in portions of southern Illinois, 

 but quite rare in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, although 

 Mr. E. W. Nelson states: "Dr. Hoy has recorded six nests obtained 

 in the vicinity of Racine, Wisconsin." (Birds of N. E. 111., 1876, 

 p. 94.) Mr. Ridgway found it common in the vicinity of Olney, 

 southern Illinois, and Mr. H. S. Swarth found a pair breeding at Joliet, 

 Will County, Illinois, on May 28, 1907, and took the nest and three 

 eggs. It has been observed on several occasions in the parks about 

 Chicago. 



Messrs. Kumlien and HoUister consider it a " rare summer visitant ' ' 

 in southern Wisconsin and state: "We have positive records of its 

 nesting on the old Kumlien homestead, in Jefferson County, however, 

 in June, 1879, and 1880, and of one specimen captured in Milwaukee 

 County in August, 1882 (L. K). Hoy reported specimens seen July 

 16, 1851, between Racine and Kenosha, and July 26, 1846, near the 

 southern state line. Later (1885), Hoy wrote that mockingbirds 

 nested freely near Racine previous to 1856, that he obtained three 

 nests and knew of several others that he did not molest, but that 

 none had been seen for fifteen or twenty years. In the Bulletin of 

 the Wisconsin Natural History Society for January, 1900, Mr. W. J. 

 Bennetts records one seen by himself June 29, 1894, near Milwaukee, 

 in the same locality where Mr. John W. Dunlop had reported a pair 

 nesting a few years ago, and also states that Mr. Robert O. Wanvig 

 has a nest and eggs, taken in 1897, just west of Milwaukee, from a 

 sheltered grove where he has seen the birds for the past few summers." 

 (Birds of Wisconsin, 1903, p. 121.) 



The nest is placed in a bush or low tree and is composed of twigs, 

 weed stems, etc. The eggs are 4 or 5, sometimes 6, pale bluish white 

 or buffy white, spotted and blotched with brown chiefly at the larger 

 end, and measure about .98 x .73 inches. 



The Mockingbird, as his name implies, is noted for his power of 

 mimicry and will often imitate the songs of a dozen of our birds in 

 half as many minutes. 



