The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1886-06-02
THE oRpHEUS OF THE WOODS.
The Southern Nockins Bird---His Haunt'
Song and WaRton Destruction.

The Southern HIockins Bird---His Haunts,
Song and waaton Destruction.
:(Froma the Macon (Ga.) 7etegraph.)
Up to emancipation times, or rather
the close of the war. mocking birds
were plentiful everywhere III Georgia.
During the wears that followed freedom
armed a race to whom guns had been
forbidden. The negro became an
enthusiastic hunter, but he was un-
skilled and could crafty his craze for
destroying only upon birds that were
nearest at hand. Mocking birds, car
dinals, joreels, catbirds and thrushes
went down as easy conquests before a
class that had never been taught better
and had neither sentiment nor con-
science. The negro hunters Of to-day,
with possibly a few exceptions, are
not wing shots, and they fill their bags
With birds that can be killed IN the
trees. 1t goes without saving that
these are the birds that should be
spared 10 the fields and to society.
Nv observation has bcen that teW,
very few, negroes will pass, gun IN
I'D, anlihing ttt.at uas feathers and
is large enough 70 cook; and this is
borue out bv the t;af ;het the blueJay,
the woodpecker and the catbird are
disappearil, e from the fields and woods
almost as fast as the mochiDg bird
proper.
The destruction Of the mocking bird
has been more rapid because his nest
has been Systematically robbed by
parties of both colors for private gain
or qualification. A yea or two since
We noted one shipment OF these birds
from Savannah which contained 60O
or 700. Upon the streets of this aud
all other cities they are openly sold
every summer.
When it is remembered that every
bug or worm thus cut off may repre-
sent thousands, the value OF the birds
services can be understood. True, lie
takes figs and berries, but he earns
them.
Most Southern people are familiar
with the habits of these birds, but i,
will be news to many to be told, as IN
the ssEncyclopadia Britannica, that
they 90 to New England III the summer
to breed and return in thetall. Audu-
bon's statement was that some Of them
ssgo North" ond this term applied to
the migration Of birds means with bin,
northward. In MARYLAND and Nir-
ginia the bird can be found in summer,
but he comes southwark in the autumn.
I am inclined TO think that some pass
us and go to Florida in very colo
weather. I have seen them late in the
autumn flying southwark high i'll the
air and rorthward early in the spring.
Audubon says that the stay-at-home
birds sof the family fight these migra-
tory fellows upon their return.
Mocking birds can be taught almost
anything in the way OF tunes. Macon
used to boast of a bird that whiStleC
ssDixie,'' and years ago Frenchmal
travelled about the country playing air:
upon his piano which his bird would
follow accurately. At the Pulaski
House in Savannah, negro used tc
keep 8 bird that would whistle a gooo
alto to tunes his master whistled.
One of the most popular errors CON
cerning the mocking bird is the belief
that he has no song of his own; that
he adopts and blends only the notes OF
other birds into song. This is purely
nonsense. The young mocking birds
reared in the garrets ot great cities,
and beyond the reach Of the songs ,i
others, sing as do the natives. in theu
freedom, though not as strongly, since
thew lack the Inspiration OF mates, the
mellow sunlight and liberty. Ihen
song is, in fact, numberof songs, but
entirely original. No man ever heard
the divisions OF the mocking birds
song in any forest. That he inter,
sperses them with cat call, the hawks
screech, the whnr of the bull bat and
the chickens melancholy "peep" and
notes from other birds is true, but
these are only characters in his reclta'
tive ballad features inthe romance of his
summers. That he sings his parts
backward and forward and comblnes
them anew is also true. The mocklh9
birds song is to tie ear what the
Kaleidoscope IS TO tie &c, and iae
combinations OF his songs are as
en.::,ss as the Gle Iorlns IN the toy
but the song votes ere the same.
This bird is probably ne most con-
tiuuous singer IN the world, but there
are two weeks out of tiity-tWo ~hel
nothing can Tempt him TO sing. aao
thai is wien he is melting. At thai
time he may be ionli moplrg in q
secluded spot, S, il rayleSs meian,
cholv. He looks then no; and sick and
the. cnly note he ut,ers is a low, short
whistle, no. unlike that which the fal
makes as ne removes his hat and mopS
his brow. Perhaps during this season
the bird lays aside nockery, repents
and makes good resolutions.
Georgia bas no law to protect hel
wild singers, whose songs delight anc
as,oni>h the world. Some Of oul
Southern cities have laws to protect
buzzards and eaforce them rigidly
The negro. who by pulling q trigger
NAV banis!t more melody from the
world than human lips can sound, may
do it with impunity, but it costs hin
SIS to hit buzzar3 with q clod OF dirt