The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1831-1858, 1832-06-06
THE MOCKTNG BIRD.

The following interesting account of the Mock
ing Bird IS taken from Mr. Nuttall's Manual Of III,
Ornithology.
! The Mocking Bird, like the Nightingale
IS destitute Of brilliant plunIage. hut hi,
form is beautiful, delicate, and Symmetrical
IN lis proportions. His motions are easy
rapid, and graceful, perpetually animated
with playful caprice, and look that ap
| pears full of shrew,!ness and intelligence
lie listens with silent attention to each pas.
sing sound, treasures up lessons from any
thing vocal, and is capable of initiating with
exactness, both in measure and accent, the
notes of all the feathered creation. And
however wild and discordant the notes and
calls may be, he contrives with an Orphean
talent, peculiarly his own, to infuse into
them that sweetness Of exp esson and har-
monIous modulation, which characterize this
lnimtable and wonderful composer. With
the dawn of morning, while yet the sun lin
gers below the blushing horizon, our sub
lime songster, in his native wilds, mounted
on the topmost branch of tall bush or tree
IN the forest, pours out his admirable song,
which, amidst the multitude of notes from
dill the warbling host, still rises pre-eminent,
so that his solo is heard alone, and all the
rest OF the musical choir appear employed in
mere Accompaniment to this grand actor in
the sublime opera of nature. Nor is his tai.
ent confined 10 imitation; his native notes
are also bold, full, and perfectly varied. con-
slsting of short expressions of few vara-
ble syllables, interspersed with limitations,
and uttered with great emphasis and yolu-
bity, sometimes for half an hour at time,
with undiminished ardor. These native
strains bear considerable resemblance 10
those o. the Brown Thrush, to whom he is
so nearly related in form, habits, and man.
ners; but like rude from cultivated genius.
ms notes are distinguished by the rapidity
OF their delivery, their variety, sweetness.
and energy.
AS II conscious of his unlvalled powers
"i song and animated by the harmony of
MS own voice, his music is, as it were, ac-
colhpahieo ny chromatic dancinr and ex-
pressiVe gestures; he spreads and closes his
Iight aho fannlng wings, expands his silver
en tan, ana with buoyant ga!etv, and en-
Hhnsastlc ecstacy. he sweeps around, and
mounts and descends into the air from his
doity spray, as his song swels to loudness,
Hr dles away IN sinking whispers. While
Nhus engaged, SO various is his talent, that
III might be supposed trial of skill from all
the assembled birds of the country: and SO
perfect are his limitations. that even the
sportsman Is at times deceived, and sent in
quest OF birds that have no existence around.
Inc feathered tribes themselves are decoy-
ed by the iancied call of their mates: or
dive with fear into the thicket, at the we'll
felgned scream Of the hawk Soon recon-
clled to the usurpng fancy of man, the
knocking bird often becomes familiar with
his master playfully attacks him through
the bars OF his cage, or at large in room
restless and capricious, he seems TO trv
every expedient of a lively imagination, tha,
may conduce to his amusement. Nothing
escapes his intelligent and discerning eve
or faithful ear. He whistles DC, haps for the
dog, who, deceived, runs to meet his mas
tel; the cries Of the chicken in distress
bring out the clucking mother to the pro-
lection Of her brood. The barking of the
dog, the piteous wailing of the puppy. the
mewing of the cat. the action of saw, or
the creaklng Of n wheelbarrow, quickly fol-
low with exactness. He repeats tune of
considerable length: initiates the warhing
OF the canary, the lispng of the Indigo bird,
and the mellow whistle of the Cardinal, in
manner SO superior to the originals, that
mortlhed and astonished, they withdraw
from his presence. or listen in silence, as he
continues totr:umph by renewing his efforts
In the cage also, nearly as in the woods,
he Is full of life ard action, while engaged
IN song; throwing himself round with in
spring animation, and as it were, moving in
time to the melody of his own accents. Even
the hours of night, which consign nearly
all other birds to rest and silence, like the
nightingale, he often employs in song, SER
enadlng the houseless hunter and silent cot
lager to repose, as the rising moon illumln-
ates the darkness OF the shadowy scene.
His capricious fondness for contrast and
perpetual variety appears to deteriorate his
powers. His lofty limitations of the the mu-
steal brown thrush are perhaps interrupted
by the Growing of the cock, or the barking
of the dog; the plantive warblngs of the
blue bird are then blended with the wild
scream and chatter of the swallow or the
cackling ofthe hen; amid the simple lay of
the native robin, we are surprised with the
vociferation of the whip-poor will; while
the notes the garrulous jay, kildeer, wood
pecker, wren, fling Baltimore, and many
others succeed, with such an appearance Of
reality, that we almost imagine ourselves in
the presence ofthe originals, and can scarce
ly realize the fact, that the whole of this
singular concert is the effort of single
bird. Indeed, it is impossible to listen TO
these Orphean strains when delivered by a
superior songster in his native woods with
out being deeply affected, and almost rivet-
ed to the spot, by the complicated feelings
of wonder and delight. in which, from the
sympathetic and graceful action, as we'll as
enchanting voice of the performer, the eye
Is no less gratifed than the ear. 1t is how
ever, painful to reflect, that these extraor-
binary powers of nature, exercised with SO
much generous freedom in state of con-
finelnent, are not calculated for long endur-
ance, and after this most wonderful and in
terestlng lprisoner has survived for six or
seven years, blindness often terminates his
! gay career; and thus shut out from the
cheering light, the solace of his lonely bat
active existence, he now, after tune, dfoops
in silent sadness and dies.
Successful attempts have been made 10
breed this bird in confinement by allowing
them retirement and sufficiency of room.
Those which have been taken in trap-cages
are accounted the hest singers, as they come
from the school of nature, and are taught
their own wild wood-notes. The prices OF
these invaluable songsters are as variable as
their acquired or peculiar powers, and are
from 5 to so dollars: even hundred has
been refused for an extraordinary lndividu-
al. The food of the young is thickened
meal and water, or meal and milk, mixed
occasionally with tender fresh meat, minced
I fiue. Animal food, almost alone, finely d.
vided and soaked in milk, is at first the only
nutritive food suited for raising the tender
nurslinps. Young and old require berries