The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-10-15
THE MocKINGBIRD,s NOTES

Talking about birds, the St Peters
burg Independent is endeavoring to
defend the so-called mockingbird from
the accusation carried by the name.
Just why we do not know, as the
mockingbird has always been credited
with at least having the ability OF i'm
itation. but the Independent may keep
on until IL rules him out of even his
accomplishment In It's zeal to defend.
The Standard dictionary says IL Is
NOTED for it's rich song and extraor-
binary power OF initiating other
sounds" OF course IL may not be
perfect imitation. but the poor thing.
parrot-like. does its best. Perhaps the
Independent will tell US that the par
rot does not initiate, but actually talks.
Fort Myers Press
Now. what do you think of that To
give the king of songsters the credit"
OF initiating some lesser songster. The
Independent maintains that IL Is not a
credit to this wonderful bird to say
that IL initiates another bird, and that
the charge that he is an imitator-a
"mocker"-is a Islander upon him. He
Is the original, the master artist. 1t
Is no more credit to him to say that
he initiates other birds that IL would
be TO say that Milton initiates Walt
Whitman or Shakspere initiates the
author OF the Texas Steer" or that
Wagner initiates the writer of rag
time music. We are standing for the
originality and superiority OF the
mockingblrd. both for his fame and
upon the facts.
"Of course II may not be perfect
imitation" says our critic. Then he
would class the greatest OF all song
Ct u
OF all gifts. The fact is that there is
no imitation. The moekingbird is the
original, the master. the unapproa cha
BILE in birdsong. He does not initiate
any bird. Give your time and study to
this king of songbirds and you will
find this statement correct. Listen to
his wonderful outpourings of melody.
day and night; follow the variations
until you are lost in their apparently
unlimited number and sweep; try to
identify them with the notes of any
bird with whose song you are familiar.
and you will be ashamed of having
ever called him a "mocker"-much less
a cheap and unsuccessful imitator.
Spend hours listening to the mock
ingbird and see IL you can ever find
him using the harsh shrek or the
melodious call of the jaybird. Never
And yet the jaybird is about him
shrieking and calling, from the time
he first hears a sound until he closes
his musical and benefcent career
study his song as you will to identify
the notes Of the sparrow, or the black
bird, or the whipporwill, or the quail
or any of the other birds that are
about him with their song every day
and every night, and you will not be
~ r.
not accept the old theories, but inves-
tigate the facts. Do justice to the
master of birdsong.
1t Is contended that the hooking
bird does not use a note used by other
birds. That would be impossible, fol
all music is made up of comparatively
few notes. He uses nearly, II not quite
all. the notes in the scale OF birdsong
But he does not utter the combination
or notes as used by any other bird ir
Its song. II Is just as absurd to charge
the mockingbird with imitation be.
cause he uses the same notes as an.
other bird, but not in the same relative
order. as Il would be to charge Beeth.
oven with initiating Fosters "Swane'
River" or MY Old Kentucky Home.
because they begin with practically
the same notes. II would be just a!
absurd to charge Liszt with initiating
In william TelP' the ragtime of Vo1
Tilzer because many of the same note!
are used in composing the music. An!
lover OF music from the grand intona
tions of the great pipe organ to tn,
sweet carol OF the Kentucky cardinal
knows that the finest melody In all o.
them is found in a very few notes, anC
that the major part of the compost
ton is what the artist describes a
background" or lights and shadows.
Until the mockingbird can be convict
ed of repeating the series of notes
used by another bird. he is not
plaigarist or imitator. He is not this
but rather the master composer wht
sweeps all the scale and improvises a.
the spirit OF music moves him, utter
ing all the passions.
We challenge those who blindly &C
cept the errors OF precedent to poin
out a single instance where the mock
ingbird reproduces the series of notes
used by any other bird-even tn,
birds about him, whose notes are dim
ed into his ears all day every day
st. Petersburg Independent.
The foregoing sustains the conten
tion of the Star, which Is much inclin
ed to think that the mockingbird!
mock belongs with William Tells ap
pie. George Washington's cherry tree
and other myths.