Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-10-25
OUR MOCKING BIRDS.
INT ERESTlNG INFORMATION FROM
ONE WHO STUDIES TH-m.

They Divide the Country Into Tracts, and
Each One Defends His Own ! p.- Che
Male Dird Is Very Greedy-WAat The.
Feed Upon.-Catohing the Singers.
The most remarkable thing about u
mocking bird is its way of laying out a
range. In the autumn it gucs south and
establishes itself for the winter on patch
of ground that will yield berries and other
food enough to last until tho following
spring Tho tract is determined respect
ing BOUNDARIES with as much accuracy us
mining prospector would use in stalking
out claim. Perhaps it may be only 90
yards square, or it may have length and
breadth of as much as 100 yards. The
space depends mainly upon the food sup
ply in sight, but the mocking bird is
great gluiL0n and wants ten times the
quantity that would be necessary to keep
him alive. Having laid out his range, the
owner will defend it with his life, and no
other fruit eating bird Is permitted to en-
ter it.
In this manner vast areas in southwest
Texas are thickly occupied by mocking
birds, each of them holding his range
against intrusion by neighbors whose
tracts Immediately adjoin his. Perhaps
boundary line will run through the mid
die of II bush, and if it is disputed you
will see the pugnacious proprictors trying
to settle the question by conflict after
the style of the durlO.
When very young, after leaving the
nest, the mocking birds keep together in
punches, feeding along tho river courses.
At that stage of their career they have
Spccklcd breast feathers, which they shed
after awhile. When they arc old enough
to look out for themselves. they are driven
off the nome range After shedding they
separate, and each one attends exclusively
to his own affairs. Their most important
business Is TO locate claims of their own.
The tramrs are usually young birds look
ing for homCstcads. During most Of tho
year the males and females have nothing
to do with zach other. The latter seek the
woods, whilC the former browse on the
cactus covered plains. In the breeding
season the hen birds come TO the range of
the males, hun after the young are reared
tho cock parts with his mate. He will not
have her Oh his range in winter because
he would have To divide the food
In winter the nIucking bird doesn't do
anything but cat and look out for tramps.
Once in awhile IN intcrlopcr will steal
into the range unohservcd and feed under
tho cactus, keeping as still as death The
chosen food Of the species consists chiefly
Of the fruit of the cactus, mistletOc, mes
quite and poison ivy The mistlcloe is Il
parasitic plant that grows on trees, and it
is propugatcd by the birds, which eat the lit
la, I.,,,u Il, 81,
the branches Of the trees. Thus they may
be said to plant their own farms The
country l described is very dry, and you
will find mocking birds 80 miles or more
from any water, but what they need in the
way of moisture is obtained from the cuc-
tus and other juicy fruits
Mocking birds are very fond of watcr.
After Il rain one may see them pccking the
drops from twigS with Gvidity. Bat il
far away from u strcam-say, more than
half Il milo or sO-ticy will never 40 in it
because they are afraid TO leave their claims
even for IL few moments lest they be Occu-
pied by intrudcrs. If the stream is not
far Off the mUcl.ing bird will risk the trip
occasionally. He does so with every pre-
caution, first rising perpendiGulnrly to u
great height IN the air. AS he passes over
the ranges that lie between his own and the
strua;l every bird is eager TO attack him,
but in 10 case will any bird pursue him
beyond the limits of its farm. Having OBJ
tanned the coveted drink the mockiag
bird returns in the same manner
Naturally, inasmuch rs the available
territory is crowded, each mOcking bird
holds his own against continual pressure
on every side His business is TO retain
as much ground as he is able to defend.
They are like Human beings in many re-
spects, and some of them are much moro
Intelligent than others. Certain indiyid-
uals | have known year after year, and l
make no attempt to trap them because l
know that it is useless. They know too
much. Season after sc;son they occupy
tho same ranges. and | can point out the
very twig upon which each Of these slick
fellows finds his natural perch Try to
catch them with bird limo? Not much!
1t is II performance unworthy of n skilled
trappcr, and besides it would ruin the
feathers.
The biggest and best marked hooking
birds arc found within belt 30 miles
north and 80 miles south Of San Antonio.
These birds seem to DO migrating further
north and further south every year. They
are very prolific and are steadily increas-
ing in numbers apparently. If this is true,
it follows that they would be obliged to go
further for food They have their summer
ranges in the north and their winter
ranges in the south. 1 am not sure that
my theory is correct, but l have notion
that along certain narrow line of lati-
tude the mocking birds stay on the same
ranges all the year around and do not
migrate mt all. Those little outside Of
this belt fly over the heads of those which
are stationary, having thus very short
migration. This goes on until you find
the hooking birds that are farthest to the
north in summer going farthest to the
south in winter. This they are obliged to
do in order to avoid contcsting claims of
territory with the intermediate birds
Some knocking birds are taken from the
nests. but ordinarily they arc captured by