THE MARVELLOUS MOCKING BIRD
We have said much about the canary because it is far the most common of cage-birds, but we have at home a bird of our own, not so often kept in cages, but in its way one of the most marvellous of birds. This is the Mocking-bird, a native American with so rich and tender a voice that in the West Indies, where it is very common, it is called the nightingale. This is due both to the melody of its song and its habit of singing at night.
It is not quiet in the day-time, but then shows its powers in a different way. It is this that gives it the name of mocking bird, for it has a wonderful power of taking up the songs of other birds, imitating them so exactly as to cheat the ears of all that listen. Now it takes up the song of one bird, now of another, and fills the air with its fine mockery. By night, when other birds are apt to be still, it keeps to its sweet native song, but by day takes delight in its strange faculty of imitation. Not only does it repeat musical tones, but also the harshest tones it hears, making of it all a strange medley.
The Mocking Bird. No other Bird has such Versatile Vocal Powers
This is seen in a striking way when the mocking bird is caged. Then it mocks the many sounds around it. It will bark like a dog, mew like a cat, crow like a cock, cackle like a hen, creak like a wheelbarrow, and take up a host of varied sounds. And while doing this it spreads its wings, expands its tail, and throws itself about the cage as if it was having the best time of its life. It can be easily taught to whistle a tune of some length, but never seems to imitate the voice of man.
It rarely, however, sings as well in the cage as in its free state. The wild bird seems to like to be near man and often builds its nest in a tree or bush close to a house. While the female bird is sitting the male is very wide-awake and shows the greatest courage in driving enemies away from the nest. In the brooding season they will often gather in flocks and fight off birds of prey of much larger size. A snake that comes too near is killed by a quick series of blows on the head, and the cat soon finds that it is best to keep away from the mocking bird's nest.
There is another bird of the same family that dwells much farther north, being common as far north as Massachusetts. It has powers of imitation like those of the mocking bird and a sweet song of its own, but when disturbed gives vent to a sharp, mew-like cry from which it has got the name of Cat-bird. Like the Mocking bird, it builds its nest near man and makes no attempt to hide it, but fights off enemies with a like boldness. No one thinks of caging this bird, for its cat-call is not at all pleasant and has given it a bad name, but its song is pleasing to our ears.