THRASHERS, WRENS, ETC. 377 



i>. Under parts whitish ; primaries finely barred ; no white line over the 



eye . 721. House Ween. 7216. Western IIolse Ween. 



6'. Under parts whitish ; primaries not barred ; a white line over the eye. 



719. Bewick's Wren. 

 J'. Under parts brownish, finely barred with black. 722, Winter Ween. 

 c. Back with white streaks. 

 fli. White streaks confined to the center of the back ; a white line over 



the eye 725. Long-billed Mahsh Ween and races. 



c'. Crown, back, and wing-coverts streaked with white. 



724. Shokt-billed Maksh Ween. 



703. Mimuspolyglottos(i«ftn..). Mockingbird. vi(i.— Upper parts 

 ashy ; wings and tail fuscous ; basal half of the primaries white ; outer tail- 

 feather white, ne-xt mostly white, third about half white ; under parts soiled 

 white. L., 10-50 ; W., 4-50 ; T., 4-90 ; B., -70. 



Jiemarlcs. — The sexes can not be distinguished in color. 



Range. — ^Breeds from the Bahamas and Me-xieo to southern Ulinois and 

 northern New Jersey, and rarely to Massachusetts; winters from Virginia 

 southward. 



Washington, uncommon P. K., less numerous in winter. Cambridge, rare 

 S. E., Moh. to Nov. 



Nest^ of coarse twigs, weed stalks, etc., lined with rootlets, cotton, etc., in 

 thickets, orange trees, etc. Eggs, four to six, pale greenish blue or bluish 

 white, sometimes with a brownish tinge, rather heavily spotted and blotched, 

 chiefly at the larger end, with cinnamon- or rufous-brown, 1-00 x -72. 



The Mockingbird might be called our national song-bird ; his re- 

 markable vocal powers have made hitn famous the world over, wliile 

 our more retiring Thrushes are scarcely to be found mentioned outside 

 the literature of ornithology. He is a good citizen, and courting rather 

 than shunning public life, shows an evident interest in the affairs of 

 the day. He lives in our gardens, parks, and squares, and even in the 

 streets of the town, and is always alert and on the qui vive; a self- 

 appointed guardian, whose sharp alarm note is passed from bird to 

 bird like the signals of watchmen. 



In Florida, Mockingbirds begin to sing in February, and by March 

 1 the air rings with music. The heat of midday is insufficient to quell 

 their ardor, and on moonlight nights many birds sing throughout the 

 night. 



It Is customary to consider the Mockingbird a musician possessed 

 of marvelous technique, but with comparatively little depth of feel- 

 ing. He is said to create intense admiration without reaching the 

 soul. But listen to him when the world is hushed, when the air is 

 heavy with the rich fragrance of orange blossoms and the dewy leaves 

 glisten in the moonlight, and if his song does not thrill you then con- 

 fess yourself deaf to Nature's voices. 



Writers have compared the Mockingbird's song with that of other 



