76 
WILD SCENES AND SONG-BIKDS. 
The many times I "had been baffled in my pursuit of the 
mocking bird, only increased the fixedness of my resolution 
to accomplish my purpose of capture. 
I managed to survive the mortification of mistaking the 
Shrike, or Butcher Bird, for a new variety, and endeavored, 
by the most exemplary meekness, to atone for the arrogance, 
of the self-constituted Naturalist and Discoverer. Indeed, I 
was now, on occasion, quite eloquent upon the subject of 
the too frequent presumptuousness of youthful and inexpe- 
rienced amateurs, in- jumping at conclusions over the heads 
of aged and profound science, on the strength of a single 
" modern instance," with regard to the place and meaning 
of which, their ignorance may be utterly at fault. 
I have been sensitive on the subject of new varieties ever 
since, and, although, in spite of my Butcher Bird disaster, I 
have yet ventured to assert still the existence of a second 
variety of the mocking bird ; yet I shall do so with the ter- 
rors of the past before my eyes and on my conscience. 
In the meantime, I shall relate the " pretty and effective 
manner" in which my pet sister came to my rescue in the 
case of some young mocking birds with whom I got into a 
droll difficulty ! 
I commenced to tell this curious affair, but the story of 
old man B. coming up, set me to remembering something of 
my own disasters in the same pursuit, and then I had to tell 
the whole affair right out. The good old man ! If I have 
had my laugh at him, it is only " turn about ;" for he used to 
quiz me most unmercifully about my new variety — though, 
by the way, I must say, I have heard of worse mistakes than 
that being made ! 
Well, in short, I was riding past the memorable sink-hole 
spring, a few days after the late denouement, when, to my 
delight, I discovered a genuine mocking bird upon its nest, 
in one of those scattered thorn trees to which I have so fre- 
quently alluded. There was no mistake this time ; and stop- 
ping my horse at a short distance — so as not to disturb the 
