This is a handsome, lively, and active bird, and in length of tail and shape bears a strong resemblance to the Gray Mocking Bird. In the Southern States he is called the French Mocking Bird; but his notes are not imitative, as this name would seem to imply, but are, I believe, solely his own. They are clear, and in some birds* loud, and full of variety. - They are the largest of our Thrushes, and their notes bear some resemblance to the English Thrush or Mavis. They are, upon the whole, rather distinguished songsters, and I am glad to see that their value is beginning to be appreciated, and there are a good many more of them kept in cages now than were formerly.

This bird shows a remarkable instance of what would certainly appear to be the possession of reasoning powers, or faculties. It is very fond of hard crumbs of bread; if very small it will swallow them as they are; if larger it will pick them up and carry them to the water dish, and drop them in the water, wait until they are moistened, then take them out, and, if they are very large, pick them to pieces; the others they will swallow, as there is now no danger of their hurting their gullet, or sticking in their passage down. This I have often been an eye-witness of, and so may any person who has one of those birds in his possession. Is this reason, or is it instinct? At all events it is exactly what we would do, if placed under the same circumstances.

* There is a difference in the singing of birds of the same species; some are much better singers than others, even in their wild state. This difference may depend upon the age of the bird; the old birds may be the best singers.

Food

Meal and milk, and a bit of scraped beef, two or three times a week; berries in the summer, and black currants in the winter. They should have plenty of gravel in the bottom of the cage, or in a box, as they are fond of dusting themselves in it, like the Sky Lark. This bird suffers severely in the moulting; they should then have more nourishing food, which all birds require when in that state. Give them a few meal worms, if you have them, if not a few ground worms. Change their meal to bread and milk twice a week, and give them berries and ripe apple.

Characteristics Of The Sexes

The male of this bird has the whole of the upper parts, and the tail, which is long and rounded at the end, of a brownish red. There are two bars of white on the wing, and the lower parts are of a yellowish white, with long pointed spots of black. The female has the white on its wing much narrower, and has fewer spots on the breast; otherwise they are very much alike.

Location

Found throughout the United States. In the Southern and Western - Resident.