The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1922-09-14
INITIATES NO OWL.
.Mocking Bird at Newberry Uses Blue
Pencil in Song Making.
w. P. Houseal in The State.

w. P. HOuSeal in The State.
The fact that the mocking bird
and his mimicry was treated in such
an interesting manner by the editor
of the State has no doubt been the
reason that so few contributions on
the subject have been sent in by the
multitude of readers of the paper
who have enjoyed the editors arCi-
Gle.
I have hesitated to add to the sub
ject from this consideration, but
since T know an instance where the
mocking bird did not employ his
mimicry of certain bird, have de-
cided to relate the circumstances of
the case.
In 1865 the present renewed Smelt-
zer hall of Newberry college at New
berry was in ruins and became the
haunt of birds of many kinds, lnclud-
ing bats and owls. 1t was IN the
moonlight nights of the following
wear that a mocking bird would pour
forth his song in all its brilliancy
and beauty even past the midnight
hour. Only one thing would inter-
rupt his mimic concert, and that was
the hoot Of the great horned owl
which had taken up his abode in the
college building. The mocking bird
not only never initiated the owl in
it's repertoire of song but was new
er known to continue it moment
after the owl announced his presence
in the vicinity of the elms in front of
my home, where the mocking bird
had it's perch. Neither have I ever
heard the mocking bird initiate the
screech owl whose weird nots caus-
ed my darky playmate at the old
home to thrust the poker in the fire
in order to compel the screech owl
to cease his cry in the trees in the
rear Of the house.
The most versatile mocking bird I
have known was in 1880 in Newber-
ry in a jewelry store kept by Eduard
Scholz (now of Charlotte). This
mocking bird would whistle one stan
"a of the stirring southern song,
"Dixie." while running the list of the
most extensive programme of any
bird Of the species have ever heard
Robert J. Miller (now Colum-
bian) had mocking bird Gagged in
his restaurant in Newberry which i'm
itated to perfection the squawk OF a
COOP of chickens to such perfection
that the editor of the Observer next
door was frequently aroused to the
pitch of excitement that the oppor-
tunity had arrived in the early spring
when he would secure some of the
Juicy broilers at first hand, only to
be deceived by the cry of Miller's YER
satile "Mimis Polyglottos Polyglot-
tos."
The mocking bird is one of the
most alert of the feathered tribe
when huting his prey among the in
sects. He can be seen tracing grass
hoppers in the meadows and flushing
his prey by spreading both wings like
fan and as the grasshopper would
arise in flight to secure it in quick
order. Of course the grape arbor
suffers from the depredations of the
mocking bird if his tribe is very nu-
merous in the vicinity. The song of
the mocking bird has been to ME full
compensation for the fruit he took
from the vines. Only last week l
rescued two young mocking birds
from the clutches of a cat which was
about to pounce upon them as. hap
pened to be passing along Hampton
street an hour before daybreak. l
expect to enjoy their song next sum-
mer.