244 
THE CABINET OP NATURAL HISTORY, 
sometimes, to be near the farm or mansion house: always 
ready to defend, but nevet overanxious 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 
theconveniency of collecting suitable materials. It is some- 
times composed of the following substances: Firsta quan- 
tity 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 roots, of a light brown colour, lines the whole. The 
eggs are four, sometimes five, of a cinerous blue, marked 
with large blotches of brown. The female sits fourteen 
days; and generally produces two broods in the season, un- 
less 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. 
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 and young, the black snake. 
Whenever the insidious approaches of this reptile are dis- 
covered, the male darts upon it with the rapidity of an 
arrow, dexterously eluding its bite, and striking it vio- 
lently and incessantly about the head, where it is very 
vulnerable. The snake soon becomes sensible of its dan- 
ger, and seeks to escape; but the intrepid defender of his 
young redoubles his exertions, and, unless his antagonist 
be of great magnitude, often succeeds in destroying him. 
All its pretended powers of fascination avail it nothing 
against the vengeance of this noble bird. As the snake’s 
strength begins to flag, the Mocking-bird seizes and lifts it 
up, partly from the ground, beating it with its wings, and 
when the business is completed, he returns to the reposi- 
tory of his young, mounts the summit of the bush, and 
pours out a torrent of song in token of victory. 
As it is of some consequence to be able to distinguish a 
j r oung male bird from a female, the following marks may 
be attended to; by which some pretend to be able to dis- 
tinguish them in less than a week after they are hatched. 
These are, the breadth and purity of the white on the 
wings, for that on the tail is not so much to be depended 
on. This white, in a full grown male bird, spreads over 
the whole nine primaries, down to, and considerably be- 
low, their coverts, which are also white, sometimes light- 
ly tipt with brown. The white of the primaries also ex- 
tends equally far on both vanes of the feathers. In the 
female the white is less pure, spreads over only seven or 
eight of the primaries, does not extend so far, and extends 
considerably farther down on the broad than on the nar- 
row side of the feathers. The black is also more of a 
brownish cast. 
If the young bird is designed to be taught by an old 
one, the best singer should be selected for this office, and 
no other allowed to be beside him. Or if by the bird organ, 
or mouth whistling, it should be begun earljr, and con- 
tinued, pretty constantly, by the same person , until the 
scholar, who is seldom inattentive, has completely ac- 
quired his lesson. The best singing birds, however, in 
my own opinion, are those that have been reared in the 
country, and educated under the tuition of the feathered 
choristers of the surrounding fields, groves, woods, and 
meadows. 
The plumage of the Mocking-bird, though none of the 
homeliest, has nothing gaudy or brilliant in it, and, had 
he nothing else to recommend him, would scarcely en- 
title him to notice, but his figure is well proportioned, and 
even handsome. The ease, elegance and rapidity of his 
movements, the animation of his eye, and the intelligence 
he displays in listening and laying up lessons from almost 
every species of the feathered creation within hishearing, are 
really surprising, and mark the peculiarity of his genius. 
To these qualities we may add that of a voice full, strong, 
and musical, and capable of almost every modulation, 
from the clear mellow tones of the wood thrush, to the 
savage scream of the bald eagle. In measure and accent he 
faithfully follows his originals. In force and sweetness 
of expression he greatly improves upon them. In his na- 
tive groves, mounted on the top of a tall bush or half- 
grown tree, in the dawn of dewy morning, while the 
woods are already vocal with a multitude of warblers, his 
admirable song rises pre-eminent over every competitor. 
The ear can listen to his music alone, to which that of all 
the others seems a mere accompaniment. Neither is this 
strain altogether imitative. His own native notes, which 
are easily distinguishable by such as are well acquainted 
with those of our various song birds, are bold and full, and 
varied seemingly beyond all limits. They consist of short 
expressions of two, three, or at the most five or six sylla- 
bles; generally interspersed with imitations, and all of 
them uttered with great emphasis and rapidity; and con- 
tinued, with undiminished ardour, for half an hour, or an 
hour at a time. His expanded wings and tail, glistening 
with white, and the buoyant gaiety of his action, arrest- 
ing the eye, as his song most irresistibly does the ear. He 
sweeps round with enthusiastic ecstacy — he mounts and 
descends as his song swells or dies away; and, as Mr. Bar- 
tram has beautifully expressed it, “ Pie bounds aloft with 
the celerity of an arrow, as if to recover or recal his very 
