Evening star., 1945-04-05
This and That
BIZ Charles E. Trdce,DelI.
"VARNUM STREET.

"VARNUM STREET.
Dear Sir:
Recently you have discussed mock
ingbirds in your This and That, and
perhaps you can explain this since I
am sure you know almost everything
about birds
I'VE have a number of Knockers in
this area near Rock Greek Park. Last
summer on the nights of July and 4
one sang all night long, literally with
out stopping.
There were no fireworks to excite it.
as the sale was banned. but 1t was
bright moonlight-a full moon
Gould that have had anything to do
with it?
1T seemed possessed of a demon of
boundless energy. The whole neigh
borhood noticed it. 1t kept me awake
all night as it was in a nearby tree
Finally got up and read for several
hours, and when dozed off at S o'clock
it was still singing.
THE next night I think it repeated
the same performance, but I was so
sleepy could not be sure it didn't stop
However, every time l woke up, it
was still singing In the II years we
have lived in this house this has never
happened before.
This is really a 's64 question: and
since people are still talking about it,
thought would ask you about it,
With much appreciation, 1 am.
Sincerely, I. W."
The peak of the nesting season, COM
bined with particularly bright moon
light night, will bring the musical out
pouring instanced.
Often on moonlight nights the male
mocker sings, but not always all night,
and not always with the demon per-
sistence our correspondent describes.
This all-night singing, hour after
hour, minute after minute, with never a
pause Of let up. is rather unusual, ex-
cept In the deep South. There it is not
exceptional and is the reason why the
bird has been called the nightingale
of the South"
1t must be said for the mocker, like a
true musician, he tones down his utter
ances at night, so that they blend with
the time and the hour.
While to an awakened person he may
seem to sing loudly, the truth is that his
utterances are only about half as loud
as those he makes during the day.
Comparative quiet at night makes
them seem loud
Our correspondent tells how easily
one may become used to the night song
of the rnockingbird. Only one night is
required. After that, even a light
sleeper will not be harassed."
This is music easy to take"
As matter of fact, even the person
most annoyed by outside noises can go
to sleep with the nocker singing, If he
will Just let the music come into his
ears.
If he will not worry, but will try to
make out and distinguish the various
bird songs the mockingbird initiates, he
will find himself dropping off to sleep
within few minutes. Thereafter he
will greet the night songs of this wonder
bird with Joy, and feel as Charlotte
Hii>on Green did, when she wrote:
Sometimes at night, when the world
Is hushed and the air Is heavy with the
fragrance OF syringa and honeysuckle,
we are awakened on our sleeping porch
under the pines by the song Of the
mockingbird. In shaft of moonlight
we see him, sometimes on an arm Of the
great pine, sometimes on the topmost
spray Of the syringa Hearts ache with
the beauty and enchantment of moon
light, garden and song-and as the bird
pours forth his song we feel, indeed,
We are nearer Gods heart In q garden
than anywhere else on earth.