AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



MOCKING-BIRD. 

 TURDUS FOLYGLOTTUS. 

 [Plate X.— Fig. 1.] 



Mimic Thrush, Lath. Syn. Ill, p. 40, JVo. 42. — Jrct. Zool 11, JVo. 194. — Turdus polyglot- 

 tus, Linn Syst. I, p. 293, JVo. 10. — X(? grand Moqueur, Briss. Or;7. II, 266, 29. — 

 Buff. Ois. YU, p. 325. PI. enl. 558, Jig. 1. — Singing-bird, Mocking-bird, or Nightiitgale, 

 Raii Sy7i. p. 64, No. 5, p. 185, 31.— Sloan. Ja?n. II, 306, Ab. 34.— 7%(? Mock-bird, 

 Catesb. Car. I, P/. 27. — Peale's Museum, No. 5288. 



THIS celebrated and very extraordinary bird, in extent and 

 variety of vocal powers, stands unrivalled by the whole feathered 

 songsters of this or perhaps any other country; and shall receive 

 from us, in this place, all that attention and respect which superior 

 merit is justly entitled to. 



Among the many novelties which the discovery of this part of 

 the western continent first brought into notice, we may reckon that 

 of the Mocking-bird; which is not only peculiar to the new world, 

 but inhabits a very considerable extent of both North and South 

 America; having been traced from the states of New England to 

 Brazil; and also among many of the adjacent islands. They are, 

 however, much more numerous in those states south, than in those 

 north, of the river Delaware ; being generally migratory in the lat- 

 ter, and resident (at least many of them) in the former. A warm 

 climate, and low country, not far from the sea, seem most congenial 

 to their nature; accordingly we find the species less numerous to 

 the west than east of the great range of the Alleghany, in the same 

 parallels of latitude. In the severe winter of 1808 — 9, 1 found these 



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