THE MOCKING-BIRD. 
77 
to this one note. He tries to imitate the 
other birds ; and as he cannot do it with the 
skill of the mocking-bird, he only gets laughed 
at for his pains. There is very little music 
in his performance; and it consists of a jumble 
of all the notes of the wood songsters, repeated 
over and over, as if he were determined to 
learn them by heart. 
The sweetest musician in the forest is the 
mocking-bird. His voice is strong, and clear, 
and musical, and seems to fill the surrounding 
space with a flood of delicious melody. He, 
too, imitates the notes of the other birds, but 
in a far superior manner ; he actually improves 
upon nature, and, in his mouth, the song is 
richer and more harmonious than when it is 
uttered by the original songster. 
He is full of animation, as if he were in- 
spired by his own music. He expands his 
wings and tail, and sweeps round and round 
in ecstasy ; he mounts or falls, as his song rises 
or dies away ; and exerts himself so much, 
that any one, not seeing him, might fancy a 
chorus of birds were singing, instead of only 
one. 
Perhaps the best time to hear him is in the 
