THRASHERS, MOCKINGBIRDS: MOCKINGBIRD 553 
regions, includes a variety of small fruits, but apparently these could be protected 
by planting, between the rows of fruit, mulberry and some of its wild foods, as 
dogwood, pokeberry, elderberry, and prickly pear. The seeds of hackberry, red 
cedar, and holly are also eaten. 
General Habits. —The mimetic powers, the rare nocturnal con¬ 
certs, amusing acrobatic feats, and ready friendliness of the Mocking¬ 
bird have made him a prime favorite wherever found; and the people 
of New Mexico may well congratulate themselves that he is listed 
among their common birds. 
Between Santa Rosa and Montoya, in 1903, we found him abundant 
everywhere except on the plains. Three nests that we found showed 
the usual discrepancies in dates—one contained eggs, June 14, 1903, 
and the others, June 12 and 17, nearly feathered young. One nest 
was made of thorny lysium sticks, and one, found at the juniper edge 
of the Staked Plains, was made of such large twigs and was so bulky 
that we took it for a Woodhouse Jay’s nest before finding the owner 
at home. On June 28, on the Conchas, we saw a nest with young in 
a cactus. 
One of the Cuervo Mockers was the best mimic I have ever heard, if 
none of the notes attributed to others were part of his personal repertoire. 
The killy-killy of the Sparrow Hawk seemed to appeal to his sense of 
humor, and he would hit it off to perfection, often prefacing his song with 
it when in his most jovial mood. Of his other neighbors, he mimicked 
the Nighthawk, Beebird (one of the western Kingbirds), Gray Titmouse, 
and the Pinyon Jay. But what interested and puzzled us most was 
his reminiscent mimicry—if it were such. The alcove in which he 
lived, just an old river cove cut into the wall of the Staked Plains, 
was so circumscribed that we ought to have made its complete bird 
census, and none of us saw either the Green-tailed Towhee or the 
acorn-eating Mearns Woodpecker; but the mewing call suggesting the 
Towhee and the ja-cob of the Woodpecker were among the choicest 
selections on the Mockingbird’s list. Interrogated cowboys, when 
shown a picture of the Woodpecker, said they thought they had seen 
it there, and told us that in the high plains of the Canadian River, 
about fifty miles to the north, there were yellow pines—and, by inference, 
oaks—where the Towhee as well as the Woodpecker might breed. 
If they did they might possibly come down into the Mocker’s country 
after the breeding season, at which time the hospitable musician could 
improve the opportunity to add their notes to his list. At Montoya, 
another Mocker had such a perfect Rocky Mountain Nuthatch call 
that it made me stop involuntarily a number of times. He also gave 
the lca-ruck-uck of the Woodpecker, but apparently had forgotten the 
ja-cob. The Woodhouse Jay’s note seemed a favorite one for mimicry. 
But after all, who knows? Perhaps we were the ones who had ja-cobs 
