THE MOCKINGBIRD 
By T. GILBERT PEARSON 
The National Association of Audubon Societies 
Educational Leaflet No. 41 
What the Nightingale is to Europe the Mockingbird is to the South- 
ern States — the most wonderful song-bird of the country and the universal 
favorite of the people. His reputation as a musician is world-wide. 
Whoever hears his song is deeply impressed, and wherever the story of 
birds is told the power of the Mockingbird’s voice is recalled. He is one 
of the first in the spring to sing; indeed, I have heard A p rince 
him near the northern border of his range singing Singers 
with great force on a clear February morning when 
ice covered the branches of all the trees with glittering frost-work. 
In those States that border on the Gulf of Mexico, Mockingbirds 
sing at intervals throughout the winter months, and by March i are in 
full song. In that semi-tropical region they are among the most abundant 
of birds. I have thought sometimes that they must be conscious of the 
power of their numbers, from the bold, defiant manner in which often 
the music will come from a dozen or more throats within hearing at one 
time, drowning in its volume the notes of all other denizens of the fields 
and shrubbery. The bird revels in the glory of his vocal strength, and 
shouts his ringing challenge to the trees, the flowers, the very sky itself. 
Watch a Mockingbird some spring morning, as with ruffled feathers 
and drooping wings he sits on the topmost bough of a tree and pours out 
the beautiful story of his love. The very intensity of the music within his 
breast seems from time to time to lift him many feet into the air. With 
dangling legs and carelessly drooping wings he drops again to his perch, 
singing the while. Anon he descends to the earth for a moment, makes 
a few rapid hops in the grass, and bounds again into the air with scarcely 
an intermission in his song. Music high and low, loud and soft, hilarious 
and sorrowful, with never a hesitation, never a false note, falls upon 
your ears as you hearken to this wonderful, masterful fellow, the music- 
prince of the southern highways and groves. It is at night, however, 
that the Mockingbird is at his best. If he is the 
music-prince of the grove by day, he is the song-king 
of the lawn on moonlit nights, when sometimes his 
singing may be heard until dawn. He is our American Nightingale! 
Besides his native song, the Mockingbird has the power of acquiring 
by practice the notes of many other birds that he is accustomed to hear. 
He imitates the song of the Robin and the Wood Thrush, the Bluebird 
and the W ren ; and will give with remarkable distinctness the clear 
whistle of the Cardinal Grosbeak. In regions where the little Sparrow 
Power of 
Mimicry 
