Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1860-01-19
. The Mooking Bird.

I'll sIhle W0nGerlul ecrealDn OF eIn6 IeaUnereu
tribe, whose native home in the south is made
joyous by its eyer.varying voice, has recently
been supposititiously decried in the Atlantic
Monthly. A clever article entitled might
Birds which appeared in that magazine al
ludes to their miraculous concentration Of sweet
songs, in very cautious terms of praise, and then
presumes, without personal experience on which
to found an opinion, that the lnocking bird, as
a musician, IS inferior to the English nightin-
gale This admission we take to be treason to
one of our g American institutions, and the
readiness, or rather the going out of the way,
to make invidious comparison, is indicative of
the foreign atmosphere which pervades
Boston, and which would overwhelm it with
destruction, as were GO the cities of the plain
if it were not for g Lot y of good Christians
who live in its midst, prominent among which
are " acorn - and other patriarchal saints. But
to the birds The nightingale deserves all that
has been said and sung of it; it is classic from
the illusions made to it by the best British
poets, and herein lies really ats Immense
popularity, for without such endorsement, it
never could have had its widespread popular
ity in this country. But the mocking bird is
its superior. The charge that it is mere
g mimic y is false, 10 be sure the m0cking-
bird plays Old Nick with his fellow wood CON-
papions; he deranges all their harmonies, is in
fact very Puck of mischief, and seems to
delight in annoying his fellow warbiers, and in
confusing their best laid plans; but there are
times when the mockng-bird tires of his own
initiative exuberance, and sets down with soul
filled with himself, to pour out upon creation
his songs of heavenly praise. On these oc-
easiOns, the best efforts Of the English nightin-
gale sink into mere prettineSs; they are the SON
nets of Shenstone, while the knocking bird is
pastoral Collins, and at the same time as sublime
as Homer. We have seen the bird in the quiet
midnight Of a southern sky, when the moon
was declining in its full line of splendor, select
some dead limb near the house. and after going
through various eccentric motions, as if prepar-
ing for its grateful task, it would turn its little
head towards heaven, as if for inspiration, and
commence pouring out its song of alteration and
praise. The leyity and absolute rascality of
daylight revels Were gone it was now seeming
ly an inspired Uoice,a land for hours it would make
the surrounding groves echo with it's wonderful
compositions Sometimes commencing with an
original composition in which all the feathered
songsters were represented, yet surpassed, it
dwet upon their inferior strains until they form
ed back ground for its expression, then would
pour forth such an overflow of notes that the
listener. in spite of himself, is led to believe
tina some immortal and blessed spirit is strug
Cling In the effort to make divine communication
with the world You listen-you are charmed
next you are absorbed, and then in the
establishment and admiration, you become
superstitiOus and absolutely alarmed-you think
that the bird is delusion, that the strains you
hear are from the invisible world-that they are
pro 'hecies- hintS-Ordclcs-- aCarningS-'nesSageS
from the land of dreams. Such is the effect of
the music of the hooking bird in its wild home,
on the most unpoetical mind-it absorbs,
astonishes, and fills with dreamy fear. The
English nightingale at best merely fills one with
admiration-its morning salute is as happy in
its time of expression, as its harmony is beauti-
full and enchanting, but nothing more. The
mocking-bird equals all this, and then ascends
to higher sphore-reaching the moral sublime.
Spirit of the Times.