The Mockingbird as a Mimic. 



BY H. K. TAYLOR. 



The Singing of Birds. E.P.Bicknell. 



It has somehow happeaed that in my re- 

 searches in ornithological literature I have never 

 met with a description of the Mockingbird's re- 

 markable genius as a mimic, and so the other 

 day, when 1 heard a wonderful medley proceed- 

 ing from a cage by the window of a cottage, I 

 stopped to listen and was richly rewarded for 

 I so doing. 



j As I liad thought, the musician was a Mock- 



ingbird, and a better singer 1 never heard. The 

 extent of his repertoire was something wonder- 

 ful and he imitated the notes of some of our 

 wild birds and domestic fowls with a facility 

 that surprised me. Song after song poured 

 forth from his little throat without intermis- 

 sion, 'till he stopped for a moment's rest, soon 

 to go on again as before with an almost infinite 

 variety of notes. 



A partial list of the birds and animals he so 

 well imitated may prove of interest : American 

 Goldtinch, Canary, Blue-fronted Jay, Park- 

 man's Wren (song and scolding notes). Brew- 

 er's Blackbird, Humming bird, dog barking, 

 Crimson House-linch. Turkeys and young, Hen 

 clucking and cackling. Yellow-bellied Fly- 

 catcher, young chickens, howling of a puppy, 

 frogs croaking, rooster's crow. 



The crowing of a rooster was of course in 

 miniature but a charming mitation and it was 

 always followed by an artistic little trill or 

 flourish. It is but just to give this talented 

 Mockingbiixl credit for his own music also, 

 which was of great merit and should, I think, 

 properly entitle him to the name of composer. 



The lady who owned the bird soon observed 

 my interest and kindly volunteered some infor- 

 mation regarding him. He could imitate, I was 

 told, almost any sound he heard. At one time 

 the lady had a cough and was considerably an- 

 noyed to hear her pet mimicking her contin- 

 ually. The bird used to imitate a neighbor 

 who whistled for lus dog. The whistle was re- 

 peated so exactly by the Mockingbird that 

 someone in the house would often remark, 

 " there, Charlie has lost his dog again." 



AndroB Island, Rahamas 

 ^ John I. Northrop AW. VHI. Jan. 1891.P. 6 6 - 6 7- 



3. Mimus polj^lottos Locally known as Brown Thrasher 



and Mocking Bird. My specimens were all collected near the northern 

 end of Andros, the first on March 25, the last on April 16. They were 

 quite common about our house at Nicoi's Town, and their song could be 

 heard at almost any hour of the day. It was loud and varied, each syl- 

 lable usually being repeated three times. It often sounded as if they 



were trying to decline the familiar 'kic, kmc, hoc' after a fashion of their 

 own, and we imagined we could plainly distinguish 'hujus, /iiijus, hiijus' 

 'huic, /luic, haic: '/lis, /lis, /«s,' given with great emphasis. While on the 

 western coast in June, we noticed what was undoubtedly one of these 

 Mockingbirds, perched on the top of a pain 

 parently with all his heart, and attracted oui 

 into the air a few feet, then dropping to his 

 peated three times, singing all the while; 

 bird go through the same performance. 



The stomachs of the specimens examined t 

 fruit of the gum elemi {Bursera gummifera), 

 snail shells. 



[The three specimens referred to this species are indistinguishable 

 from M. polygiottos of the Carolinas or Florida. They are hence very 

 unlike the small form of Minms from Inagua, recognized by Mr. Sharpe 

 as M. elegans.--]. A. A.] 



Mimus polyglottus. Mockingbird. 



I observed a Mockingbird by the Harlem River on October 

 TO, 1880, my attention being attracted to it by a few notes of its 

 song, vvliich would doubdess liave been continued had not the bird 

 been startled. The species is of casual occurrence in the locahty 

 of my observations, but on no other occasion have I heard any 

 sound from it save a sharp alarm note. 



Auk, I, April, 1884. p. /3/ . 



He was singing, ap- 

 r attention by springing up 

 ; perch again. This he re- 

 we afterwards saw another 



ontained the remains of the 

 white ants, and pieces of 



