This far-famed bird is unquestionably the prince and leader of the feathered choir. And for his power of imitation, compass of voice, and brilliancy of execution, has no compeer among all his tribe. Many years ago our transatlantic friends endeavored to set up their Nightingale in competition with the American Mocking Bird. Of the song of the Nightingale, from personal observation, we can give no opinion;* but it was then acknowledged that the song of the Mocking Bird was equal, if not superior to the notes of the Nightingale, in their utmost compass. Now, as it is known to all who ever heard both, that the imitations of this bird are true to life, and equal, if not superior, to the originals, the great superiority of the Mocking Bird, as a songster, must appear evident to all; and, indeed, it is no longer disputed, for the best European judges have long ago yielded the palm of victory to the American songster; and it is not only in his own native forests that he reigns triumphant as a vocalist, for we have seen him in a room, surrounded with the best American and foreign songsters, not only defy all competition, but by some sudden gush of melody actually awe them all into silence. And we have no hesitation in saying, that the American Mocking Bird stands alone in the world, unrivalled as a songster. This bird loses little if any of its musical powers, in the cage. Birds, when kept for some years, I think rather improve in strength and fulness of tone. Some birds will sing in the night, during summer and autumn.

* See Nightingale.

We will now proceed to inform our readers, from our own experience and the best sources, how to keep in good health, and make happy, this delightful bird. It is by no means so difficult to keep this bird as is generally imagined. Feed your bird regularly; keep your cage clean and dry; do not let his victuals get stale or sour. If these simple rules are attended to, the Mocking Bird will live, on an average, as long as any bird that is kept in a cage.

There are various diets adopted for this bird. At the South, the general food is egg and potatoe mixed; here at the North it is Indian meal and milk, and I knew a gentleman in Maine who kept a very fine bird for three years; he fed it upon eggs and beef alone. It died moulting, occasioned, as he supposed, by a fall from its perch when in that state, owing to a sudden jar given to the cage.

I have tried all those different modes of feeding, and I am inclined to believe, that the meal and milk is the best, at least for this section of the country. In summer I scald the milk, which prevents it from souring so soon; and even then it is well to give your bird a little fresh at noon in very warm weather. I give them likewise about half of the yolk of a hard boiled egg twice a week, and as often a bit of beef, (the lean); it should be laid on a table and scraped with a knife, which frees the beef from the muscles; it is then like a paste, and they can eat without the danger of suffocation, by swallowing too large a piece; about the bulk of a hazel nut is enough for the day.

They are very fond of what is commonly called meal worms, which are found in pigeon-houses, and grain stores. When I have them, I give a bird two or three a day, but you cannot procure them at all times even if you breed them,* and the beef is a good substitute; and when you keep a bird, it is well to accustom him to eat what you can procure at all seasons of the year. Berries in summer, and small black currants in winter, and a sweet ripe apple, cut in two, and one half put into the cage so as they can eat out of the heart of it, is highly beneficial to them.

About the end of July or the beginning of August, this bird begins to moult or shed his old and worn out feathers, to be replaced by new. (Of this general law of nature among the feathered tribe, I will speak more fully hereafter.) The sooner this takes place the better; for when it is retarded until the weather gets cool, it is apt to be protracted; and sometimes the new feathers come out twisted, and not smooth, which is very annoying, as it spoils the appearance of the bird, if not his song. If there is no appearance of the bird beginning to shed his feathers about this time, give him plenty of ripe berries. I have found by experience, that this food hastens the operation, and it is highly necessary, both for the health and beauty of the bird, that it should moult early.

* To breed meal worms, take a jar or small pail that will contain four or five quarts; put in it about two quarts of manure from a pigeon-house, a handful of meal worms, and about a pint of Indian meal. Put on the top of this some woollen rags, and tie a piece of cloth over the top; then put it in a dry and warm place. Then you must have some worms to begin with; (but by the following method, taken from an English work, which I have not yet tried, you can do without:) In case you cannot procure meal worms, and they are sometimes very scarce, buy, or beg, from a vessel returned from a long voyage, some stale ship biscuit, soak it in cold water, squeeze it dry, and put it in a covered vegetable dish in a closet, or other warm place. In a few weeks you will obtain an ample supply of meal worms.

Give your bird water in a shoal vessel, every morning, to wash. This bird is not so fond of bathing as some other birds. When I have had a bird that did not use the bath, I have put near him a bird that washed regularly, every morning, and it has had the desired effect of inducing him to do likewise. Keep plenty of gravel in the bottom of your cage.

As female birds generally have no song, and in procuring singing birds it is highly important to know how to distinguish the male from the female, I shall in this work endeavor to give a minute description of the general characteristics or markings which distinguish the sexes.

Characteristics Of The Sexes

The white on the wing of a full grown male spreads over the whole of the primaries, or longest wing feathers, as well as the coverts or feathers that cover the shoulders; it reaches also well down on the wing below the coverts. The two outside feathers of the tail are white, and the others, except the two middle ones, are tipt with white.

On the female the white is only on seven of the primaries, and is less pure, and does not descend so far down, and comes farther down on the broad than the narrow side of the feather.

Location

Pound on the Mississippi and Ohio. In the Southern States - Resident.