MOCKING-BIRD. 



15 



be near the farm or mansion house: always ready to defend, but 

 never over anxious to conceal, his nest, he very often builds within 

 a small distance of the house; and not unfrequently in a pear or 

 apple tree ; rarely at a greater height than six or seven feet from 

 the ground. The nest varies a little with different individuals, 

 according to the conveniency of collecting suitable materials. A 

 very complete one is now lying before me, and is composed of the 

 following substances. First a quantity of dry twigs and sticks, 

 then withered tops of weeds of the preceding year, intermixed with 

 fine straws, hay, pieces of wool and tow; and, lastly, a thick layer 

 of fine fibrous rootSj of a light brown color, lines the whole. The 

 eggs, one of which is represented at fig. 2, are four, sometimes five, 

 of a cinereous blue, marked with large blotches of brown. The 

 female sits fourteen days; and generally produces two brood in 

 the season, unless robbed of her eggs, in which case she will even 

 build and lay the third time. She is, however, extremely jealous 

 of her nest, and very apt to forsake it if much disturbed. It is 

 even asserted by some of our bird dealers, that the old ones will 

 actually destroy the eggs, and poison the young, if either the one or 

 the other have been handled. But I cannot give credit to this un- 

 natural report. I know, from my own experience, at least, that it 

 is not always their practice; neither have I ever witnessed a case 

 of the kind above mentioned. During the period of incubation 

 neither cat, dog, animal or man, can approach the nest without 

 being attacked. The cats, in particular, are persecuted whenever 

 they make their appearance, till obliged to retreat. But his whole 

 vengeance is most particularly directed against that mortal enemy 

 of his eggs arid young the Black snake. Whenever the insidious 

 approaches of this reptile are discovered, the male darts upon it 

 with the rapidity of an arrow, dexterously eluding its bite, and 

 striking it violently and incessantly about the head, where it is 

 very vulnerable. The snake soon becomes sensible of its danger, 

 and seeks to escape ; but the intrepid defender of his young re« 



