The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-06-02
THE oRPuEus OF THE WOODS.

rue Sou'hcrh mocking Bird---His Haunts,
Song and Wanton Destruction
'(b10m tie Macon (Ga.) 7etcgrapA.)
Up to emancipation times, or rather
the close of the war, hooking birds
were plentiful everywhere in Georgia.
During the years 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. Mockiug birds, car
dinals, ~jorcels, catbirds and thrushcs
went down as easy cOnqucsts before a
class that had never becn 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. Ii goes without saying that
these are the birds that should be
spared to the fields and to society.
My observation has been that few,
very few, negroes will pass, gun i'm
hand, anything that has feathers and
is large cnougl to cook; and this is
borne out bv the fact that the bluciay,
the woodpecker and the catbird arc
disappearing from the fields and woods
almost as fast rs the hooking bird
proper.
The destruction of the hooking bird
has been more rapid because his nest
has been Systematically robbed bv
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 600
or ZIn ITt,n,, tl, rn.t - ~. -I
all other cities they arc openly sold
every summer.
When it is remembered that every
bug or worm thus cut of may repre-.
sent thousands, the value of the birds
services can be understood. True, he
takes figs and berries, but he earns
them.
Most Southern people are familiar
with the habits Of these birds, but it
VIII be news to many to be told, as in
the "Encycloppdia Britannica" that
they go TO New England in Tie summer
to breed and return in the TALL. Audu-
bon's statement was that some of them
go NORTH" ond this term applied to
the migration Of birds means with him
northward. In Maryland and Nir.
ginia the bird can be found i'm summer,
but he IN southwark in the autumn.
| am inclined TO think that some pass
us and 90 to Florida in very cold
weather. i have seen them late in the
autumn flying southwark high in the
air and northWard early in the spring.
Audubon says that tie atay-at-homc
birds of the family fight these migra-
tory fellows upon1hcir return.
Mocking birds can be taught almost
anything in the way of tunes. Macon
used TO boast of Il bird that whistled
"DiXic," and years ago Il Frcnclman
travelled about the country playing airs
upon his piano which his bird would
follow accurately. At the Pulaski
House in Savannah, a negro used TO
keep q bird that would whistle Il good
alto to tunes his master whistlcd.
One OF the most popular error con-
corning 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 hooking birds
reared in the garrcts of great cities,
and beyond the reach Of the songs of
others, sing as do the natives in their
freedom, though not as strongly, since
they lack the inspiration Of mates, the
mellow sunlight and liberty. Their
song is, III fact, Il numberof songs, but
entirely original. No man ever heard
the divisions Of the hooking BIRDS
song III any forest. That he inter
spcrses them with cat call, the hawks
scrccch, the whirr Of the bull bat and
the chickens melancholy "pccp" and
notes from other birds is true, but
these are only characters in his recita-
tive ballad features imthc romance ofhis
summers. That he sings his parts
backward and forward and combines
them anew is also true. The hooking
birds song is to the ear what the
kaleidoscope is TO the eye, and the
combinations Of his songs arc as
endless as the glass forms in The toy;
but the song notes arc the same.
This bird is probably the most con-
tinuous singer in the world, but there
are two weeks ont of fifty-two when
nothing can tempt him to sing, and
that is when he is melting. At that
time he may be found moping in Il
secluded spot, lost in rayless melan-
He looks then hot and sick and
the only note he ut!crs is II low, short
whistle, not unlike that which The fat
makes as he removes his hat and mOps
his brow. Perhaps during this season
the bird lays aside mockery, repents
and makes good resolutions.
Georgia bias no law to protect her
wild singers, whose songs delight and
aslonish the world. Some of our
cities have laws to protect
buzzards and enforce them rigidly.
The negro, who by pulling a trigger
may Danish more melody from the
world than human lips can sound, may
do 1t with impunity, but it costs him
to hit n buzzard with "a clod Of dirt.
why the Case Was Dismissed.
a young man bad been arrested for