Genus XXXII. TURDUS. THRUSH. 
Species I. T. POL YGL 0 TTUS. 
MOCKING-BIRD. 
[Plate X. Fig. 1.] 
Mimic Thrush, Lath. Syn. nr., p. 40, No. 42. — Arct. Zool. n., No. 194. — Tardus 
polyglottus, Linn. Syst. r., p. 293, No. 10. — Le grand Moqueur, Briss. Orn. II., p. 
266, 29.— Buff. Ois. nr., p. 325. PL Enl 558, fig. 1.— Singing-bird, Mocking- 
bird, or Nightingale, Rail Syn.. p. 64, No. 5, p. 185, 31. — Sloan, Jam. n., 306, 
No. 34.— The Mock-bird, Catesb. Car. i., PI. 27. 
This celebrated and very extraordinary bird, in extent and variety 
of vocal powers, stands unrivalled by tbe wbole featbered songsters of 
tbis or perbaps any otber country ; and sball receive from us, in tbis 
place, all tbat attention and respect which superior merit is justly 
entitled to. 
Among tbe many novelties which tbe discovery of tbis part of tbe 
western continent first brought into notice, we may reckon tbat of tbe 
Mocking-bird ; which is not only peculiar to tbe new world, but inhabits 
a very considerable extent of both North and South America ; having 
been traced from tbe states of New England to Brazil ; and also among 
many of tbe adjacent islands. They are, bowever, much more numer- 
ous in those states south, than in those nortb, of tbe river Delaware ; 
being generally migratory in tbe latter, 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, I found these birds, occasionally, from Fredericksburg in Vir- 
ginia, to tbe southern parts of Georgia ; becoming still more numerous 
the farther I advanced to tbe south. Tbe berries of tbe red cedar, 
myrtle, holly, Cassine shrub, many species of smilax, together with gum 
berries, gall berries, and a profusion of others with which tbe luxuriant 
swampy thickets of those regions abound, furnish them with a perpetual 
feast. Winged insects, also, of wbicb they are very fond, and remarkably 
expert at catching, abound there even in winter, and are an additional 
inducement to residency. Tbougb rather a shy bird in the Northern 
States, here be appeared almost half domesticated, feeding on the cedars 
and among the thickets of smilax, that lined the roads, while I passed 
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