Evening star., 1946-02-16
This and That
By Charles E. TrdceDeH.
"ST. PETERSBURG. Fla

>. T.,
Dear Sir:
Some time ago a Washington friend
sent me clipping OF an article by YOU
regarding the dance of the mocking-
birds.
During the many years I lived In
Washington, never had much oppor-
tunity to study the habits of these birds,
but since have been in Florida for the
past four years have become quite well
acquainted with them.
'They are so tame here that one can
walk up almost close enough to touch
them before they decide to fly very leis-
urely away.
Several times have seen them dance.
Since I cannot distinguish the male from
the female, never could tell whether
they were of opposite sexes and often
wondered If the dance was a part of
their courtship, or whether it was pre-
lude to fight.
However, one day saw two of them
dancing up and down our front steps, as
I have seen human dancers do on the
stage, and the dance ended in q scrap,
so have decided that perhaps 1t was
militant affair, rather than sentiment
tai one.
"The mocker is, of course, a scrappy
fellow-I have seen two of them attack
ing each other right In the air, striking
out with beak and claws.
Your correspondent, F. r. B. spoke of
their chasing each other playfully, but
when I have seen them chasing each
other they were not doing it in a spirit
OF play-they were usually making the
scolding noise resembling q squirrels
chatter, which indicated they were in no
playful mood.
They eat the small berries of the
camphor tree here. In January, the
robins come in droves, and clean the
trees out, and the Knockers are much dis
pleased, but since they are so much in
the minority, they cannot do much about
it. They do their best, however, in chas-
ing individual birds. Cats are afraid of
them-I have seen one keep cat at bay.
Very truly yours, A. M. p"
This correspondent would not have to
go to ST. Pete to see cats buffaloed by
mockingbirds.
This is common incident in the sub
urban sections all spring and summer.
We have never seen cat which could
or would stand up before mocker and
fight it out.
Usually tabby runs for the nearest
tree, where blue jays are likely to join
in the fun.
house cat up a tree is at disad-
vantage, not being squirrel, and the
jays know it.
They swoop after him claw and bill
striking him repeatedly in the middle of
the back, at the root of the TAIL or at
that spot between the shoulders just
back of the head where owners are ad-
vised to apply flea powder.
Even on the ground cat is at loss
as to what to do with a bird which re-
peatedly returns to the attack.
While he Is in no fear for his life, the
attacked cat certainly does not enjoy the
fracas, and usually retreats to the safety
Of porch or shrub as fast as he can.
The mockingbird mostly is satisfied
when he has driven cat away, but the
jay seems to get an impish enjoyment
out of going after one until he has put
1t up tree, and then his fun Is in
creased as he realizes he has put the cat
at further disadvantage.
The mental attitudes of mockingbird
and blue jay are dissimilar. The first
chases cats, dogs and people because he
wants to get them out of the yard.
The jay flies at cats-seldom at dogs,
never at people-because he enjoys the
sight of the precipitate retreat Of the
animal.
Any one who has watched this spec
tacle will feel sure of this. The blue jay
is a comic, comedian, one born to see
the fun in life. He is almost alone in
this attitude among the birds. Among
the animals, the gray squirrel is real
natural comedian, doing something
funny and then looking around to see If
others enjoy 1t, too.