Evening star., 1944-07-04
This and That
By Charles Z. Trace,DeU.
Dear Sir

Dear Sir:
read with interest the many antics
reported IN your column about Wash.
ington. D. c. birds--the capers cut the
llte!nsence Shown and the pranks per.
peIrateo. MY sense of Missouriana
mas not been dimmed even by two years
OF residence here In the District, and
give you the following, truthful re-
proouction from letter from my sister,
ln-laW, living at Bellfower. Mo, in the
heart OF the North Missouri mud
country
we have mocker who has his
nest IN rambler rose bush on the
front fence. He is 50 joyous and gem
erous with his songs and attempts to
mock everything. Any place he sees
either OF us, he perches as near as DOS
Aole, and pour his heart out in song.
Thursday morning, though, his ef..
forts at mocking didn't turn out so
we'll. My husband was loading some
grain into a wagon, using SCOOP
shovel. The mocker came and listened
ana to him the ring of the shovel as it
tWansed against the wagon was music,
he tried to initiate it and made the
aWfulest racket We laughed 50 much
at his failure. Finally. after several
aoortive attempts at scoop shovel mu-
Sic. he flew away In disgust, singing a
song he knew!'
Now, can you top this Missouri
mocking bird story7 Even our birds
back there are ambitious and willing tn
expand their programs
Sincerely, M. M. r."
X y X
MocHngbirds have been known to
initiate. or at least try to initiate, the
squeak1ng Of wheelbarrow, the notes
OF piano, the sound of an old-fash-
Toned "tinny" phonograph, human
whlstllng, the barking of a dog, and
the characteristic sounds of both tho
rooster and the hen.
One person who kept q Gagged mock.
ingbird-it isn't done any more
counted limitations of more than 60
other birds.
One observer listed 80 bird songs so
calls and the notes of cricket and a
frog.
the catbird Is another fine imitator,
although less well known to many peo-
pie; undoubtedly when they hear it
they attribute Its flowing melodies to
the mockingbird. its cousin.
Some even dare to say that the cat
olrd is better singer than the mocker
IT, too, can initiate mans machines
one of its favorite attempts being that
OF the creaky cartwheel It is interest,"
Ing to think of these two birds, listen
ing eagerly to new sounds, in order that
they may try them out themselves. For
the moment. they are very close to the
human musician.
Certainly man, when composing his
popular songs. makes no particular at
tempt to initiate well the songs of the
birds.
few years ago the woodpecker was
made the subject of a song. and his
merry serenade" was accompanied by
rhythmic sounds on wood blocks which
actually had no resemblance whatever
to the Woodpecker's drumming either
on tree or metal downspout
Perhaps the nearest human imitation
OF the woodpecker drumming is given
by the drummers In some Of our Jazz
bands. Typical Japanese music often
shows ryhthmic twanging by an odd
sort of guitar, the notes all the same,
and starting of slowly and picking up
speed as they 60 along
Musicians probably will find the cat
bird more interesting singer than the
mocker, since he never actually gives
the notes Of other birds verbatim, but
simply suggests them.
It Is interesting to note that the late
Prof. F. Schuyler Mathews, in his
Field Book of Wild Birds and Their
Music" devoted great deal more space
to the catbird than to the mocker.
The catbird, of course, has something
the mocker has not-a distinctive note
all his own, which has given him his
name. Many listeners, disliking cats,
think this odd mewing note is all the
catbird has; they do not like it, and
do not listen thereafter, and seldom
give the bird the credit for the flowing
song they hear. "Oh, listen to the
mockingbird" they say And the cat
bird In the tree, who has an odd sense
Of humor. too, does his best to initiate
"a mockinsbird.