C. Naether—A Homeless Young Mocking-bird



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fledgeling if I placed him back in the nest, I decided to raise him as

best I could. Fortunately I had on hand an ample supply of meal¬

worms and beetles, for I know well that a certain daily amount of live

food is indispensable to the well-being of all insectivorous birds,

especially young ones.


On the first day the unkempt little bird refused stubbornly to open

his beak when I offered him small pieces of bread soaked in lukewarm

goat’s milk, mealworms, and other delicacies ; so I had to open it

myself each time—a rather delicate task. On the very next morning,

however, the bird changed his tactics. Eagerly he took most of the

food offered, showing a decided preference for worms and beetles,

which, after suitable preparation, I fed him by means of small tweezers.

Within a few days this young Mocker began to call loudly and raucously

for food the moment I came near his roomy cage. His eating capacity

seemed to grow daily. Being fed generously several times an hour,

from early morning till evening, the clumsy little fellow soon grew

into a graceful and slender bird that was wholly tame within and

without the cage, that is, of course, indoors.


After approximately ten days’ patient care, the Mocking-bird began

to take a keen interest in the worms and beetles placed in his cage

and soon learned to pick them up, kill them, and swallow them. His

favourite drink was goat’s milk. Even at his tender age—the bird was

not yet two months old—he liked to bathe, splashing to his heart’s

content in the flat pan placed outside his cage for this important

purpose. What surprised me most, however, was the fact that this

youngster should attempt to sing so very early in life : sitting contentedly

on the highest perch, he would begin very softly and continue for a

few minutes, as if practising.


As soon as the bird commanded the full use of his wings, I placed

him in a large outdoor aviary for a few days, preparatory to giving

him his liberty. Here he exercised his wings continually and almost

immediately assumed the behaviour of a bird which had never been

tame. As a matter of fact, he now refused to take mealworms from

my hand and objected most strenuously to being touched or caught.

What a sudden and complete change in behaviour ! It seemed as if

the bird had never been tame. Whereas in the cage he had been gentle



