for bird-lovers who know the mocking-bird only as a captive in our houses he has few attractions: a mere loud-voiced echo of the inharmonious sounds man gathers about his home,—car-bells, street cries, and other unpleasing noises,—and choosing for his performances the hours one wants to sleep. unfortunate is the neighborhood in which one is kept. such was my feeling about the bird before i knew him in freedom, where he has a song of his own. but in my search for native birds i often saw the mocker, was surprised to notice his intelligence of look and manner, and at last took one into my bird-room, resolving that the moment he began to "mock" he should be given to some one who liked having the street in his house. my bird was very obliging in the matter; six months i watched him daily, and he was kind enough not to utter a sound, except an occasional harsh "chack." probably he had[pg 68] too much liberty and too many interests about him; whatever the reason, i thanked him for it, and heartily enjoyed the study of his manners.
the bird was perhaps the most intelligent one i ever watched, the cat-bird being his only rival in that regard. fear was unknown to him, and from the moment of his arrival he was interested in everything that took place around him; looking at each bird in succession; making close study of every member of the family; noticing the sounds of the street, including the sparrow broils on the porch-roof; in fact, extremely wide-awake and observing. to the goldfinch's song he gave attention, standing motionless except for a slight nervous jerk of one wing, looking and listening as intently as though studying the notes for future use. the freedom of the birds in the room surprised him, as he showed plainly by the eager glances with which he followed every movement and marked each act. upon joining the party of the free, he took note of pictures in a newspaper, distinguishing objects in the cut, which he tried to pick up, as a small wheel and a bar. in colors he had a choice, and his selection was red; from a vase of roses of many hues he never failed to draw out the red one to pull it to pieces on the floor.[pg 69]
liberty the mocking-bird emphatically enjoyed, and at once recognized a string attached to his door as a device to deprive him of it; after vainly trying to pick it apart, he betook himself to another cage, and refused to go back to his own. in any strange cage he stood quietly while i walked up to him, and made no attempt to leave his quarters, knowing perfectly well that i did not care to shut the door upon him; but when at home i could not lift my hands, or make the slightest movement, without causing him to dart out of the cage instantly. having contention with his room-mates about the bits of apple put out for all to enjoy, he often carried away a piece to eat at his leisure. from habit he flew first to the top of a cage, that being his favorite perching place; but he evidently appreciated that, if he dropped the morsel, he should lose it through the wires; and after looking one side and the other, plainly satisfying himself of this fact, he went to the table with it. i never before saw a bird who did not have to learn the treacherous nature of cage roofs by experience. he appeared to work things out in his mind,—to reason, in truth. one cold morning in spring, when the furnace fire was out, a large, brilliant lamp was put by his cage to take off the chill, for he felt changes keenly. he seemed to understand it at once,[pg 70] and though, no doubt, it was his first experience of warmth from a light, he drew as near it as possible, and remained there perfectly quiet until the sun warmed the room and it was removed. fear, as i said, he knew not, coming freely upon the desk, or even upon my lap, after apple or bread, or anything he fancied.
it was plain to see that this bird's first week with us was one of quiet study and observation. not a movement of bird or man escaped his notice. he wished to understand, to take measure of his neighbors, to be master of the situation. this was manifested not only by his thoughtful manner and his wise and knowing looks, but by his subsequent conduct. during this period, also, he submitted to impositions from all the birds, even the smallest, without resentment. the wood-thrush easily drove him away from the apple; the little goldfinch chased him from his perch. he appeared to be meekness itself; but he was biding his time, he was making up his mind.
the first time the mocking-bird's door was opened he was not in the least surprised; no doubt, seeing others at liberty, he had expected it. at any rate, whatever his emotions, he instantly ran out on the perch placed in his doorway and surveyed his new world from this position. he was in no panic, not even in haste.[pg 71] when fully ready, he began his tour of inspection. first, to see if he really could reach the trees without, through those large, clear openings, he tried the windows, each of the three, but gently, not bouncing against them so violently as to fall to the floor, as more impetuous or less intelligent birds invariably do. having proved each to be impassable, he was satisfied, and never tried again. next, the ceiling interested him, and he flew all around the room, touching it gently everywhere, to assure himself of its nature. convinced thus in a short time that his bounds were only widened, not removed, he went on to investigate closely what he had looked at from a distance; every bird-cage, inside as well as outside, if the owner happened to be away, every piece of furniture, pictures, books, and the pin-cushion,—where he was detained some time trying to carry off the large black heads of shawl-pins. the looking-glass absorbed him most completely on the first day; he flew against it, he hovered before it, slowly passing from bottom to top, alighted on top and looked over behind. i think he never solved that mystery to his own satisfaction, as he did that of the window-glass, which must have been quite as inexplicable, and it was never without a certain charm for him. he had no trouble in finding his way home: standing on[pg 72] a cage next to his, he saw his own door-perch, recognized it instantly (though he had been upon it only once), and, being hungry, dropped to it and ran into the cage.
the new-comer soon made thorough acquaintance with all his surroundings, and had leisure to turn his attention to a little matter yet unsettled; namely, his position in the small colony about him. the first few days, as already noted, he submitted to impositions; allowed himself to be driven away from the slices of apple on the matting, and turned from the bathing-dish on the floor. this was, however, the calm before the storm; though after all that is hardly a correct comparison, since there was never the least "storm" about his manner; he was composure itself. having calmly and patiently considered the state of affairs, he suddenly asserted himself and took the position he felt was his right,—at the head. it soon became evident that he was prepared to defend the situation by force of arms. he conducted his conquests systematically, and subdued one after the other, beginning with the least.
the english goldfinch had been very saucy, scolding and flying over him as he went around the room, in the small bird's way; but one day it came to a sudden end. the goldfinch in his cage scolded the stranger for alighting too near[pg 73] his door. the mocking-bird turned, looked sharply at him, ruffled up his feathers, and jumped heavily to the top of the cage, turning one eye down upon his small foe with an air that said, "who is this midget that insults me?" the finch was surprised, but did not fully appreciate the significance of this change of manner until he was let out, when he found at once that his amiable neighbor had suddenly become an active enemy, who chased him around the room till he panted for breath, and would not allow him a moment's rest or peace anywhere. this was strange experience for the little fellow, for heretofore none of the large birds had ever disturbed him. he scolded furiously, but he went; no one could stand against that determined approach. if the goldfinch wished to bathe, his persecutor took his place on the nearest perch, not a foot away, thus driving him to the floor with the intention of using the big birds' bath. he circled around the edge, but it did not suit, and he returned to his own, looked at his enemy, spattered a little, went back to the big dish, returned again, and thus vibrated between the two for several minutes, while the mocking-bird stood motionless, not offering any molestation, but plainly wishing to worry him. the final act occurred when both chanced accidentally to be in the same cage, not the home[pg 74] of either. the mocking-bird, without provocation, dropped from the upper perch upon the finch, who uttered a sharp cry and darted away. two or three little feathers flew, though no hurt could be seen; but the smaller bird panted violently for a half hour, as though frightened, and for four or five hours sat quietly on a perch, neither eating nor making a sound,—a very unusual proceeding for the lively chattering little fellow. this proved to be a declaration of open war, and was so vigorously followed up that before many days the larger bird's door was not opened until his victim had had his outing and returned to his home. teasing never lost its attraction for him, however. he delighted to alight on the cage and worry his little foe, or to stand near his door and stare at him. on one such occasion a curious scene occurred. they stood three inches apart, with the wires between them, when the finch suddenly began reaching upward as far as possible; taller and taller he stretched up, till he fairly stood on tiptoe. the mocking-bird, not to be outdone, imitated the movement on his side of the bars, of course towering far above his copy. it seemed to afford both of them great satisfaction; perhaps it expressed contempt more fully than was possible in any other way.
the largest bird in the room, a mexican[pg 75] thrush, was considerably stronger and fiercer than our native wood-thrush, and it seemed absurd for the mocking-bird to measure swords with him. so it would have been but for the fact that the mexican, having lost part of his wing feathers, was clumsy, unable to fly readily, and no match for his active, agile antagonist; he always conquered when hostilities reached the point of a personal encounter, but he was soon soured, and declined to meet the enemy. two or three times they flew up together, like quarrelsome cocks, but the decisive and final dispute was over the bathing-dish. it happened that morning that the mexican came out before the goldfinch was shut up, and hence the the mocking-bird's door was not yet opened. he flew at once to the top of his neighbor's cage to dress his feathers and shake himself out. it looked like a deliberate insult, and the captive in his cage evidently so regarded it; he crouched on the upper perch and opened his mouth at the enemy, who calmly went on with his operations. the moment the finch was safe at home i opened the door, and the mocking-bird came out in haste. pretending not to see the mexican, he descended to the bathing-dish, doubtless to cool his heated blood. the first splash, however, interested the enemy on his roof, and he flew to the floor; but the bather[pg 76] paid no apparent attention to him, and went on with his business. the mexican approached slowly, a step at a time, with a low, warning "chack," which meant, "make way there, i'm coming." the mocking-bird, manifestly hearing him, did not take the hint, nor look at his assailant, but serenely continued his splashing. the mexican advanced to within six inches before he was convinced that force would be necessary. when he decided upon an attack, he manifested it by a grotesque little hop a few inches into the air, but this not alarming the enemy he drew near to the dish. now at last the bather condescended to notice him. he stood up in the water and faced his adversary, bowing rather slowly and with dignity, feathers ruffled, and beak opening in the curious way usual with him,—stretching it wide, then closing it, and constantly repeating the operation.
after looking a moment at this peculiar display, the mexican hopped upon the edge of the dish, and in the same instant, as though moved by the same machinery, the mocking-bird sprang backward out upon the floor. the usurper paid him no further attention, but proceeded to bathe, while his discomfited rival took a stand on the edge of the disputed dish, which was ten inches in diameter, and fanned his wings violently. i cannot otherwise name this[pg 77] extraordinary movement, the wings raised high above his head, and moved quickly back and forth with a fanning motion. the mexican turned suddenly to him and he flew. two or three times he repeated the performance, but was each time forced to fly before the large, strong beak wielded by his opponent, who finished his bath, and retired to a perch to dress his feathers. now the mocking-bird resumed his splashing; but when thoroughly wet, the thought seemed to strike him that he was not in good fighting trim, and must dry himself as quickly as possible to be ready for war, which he at once did by flirting and shaking himself, bounding from one end to the other of a perch, as though he had suddenly gone mad. he was soon in order, and more than ready to resume hostilities. the enemy still occupied his favorite position upon his roof. two cages stood side by side on a shelf, and across the tops of them, with great noise and tramping of feet, the mexican delighted to run, thus amusing himself an hour at a time. seeing him off his guard, the wary fellow watched his chance, and when his foe was at one end of the course he suddenly alighted on the other. the mexican ran madly at him, clattering his bill furiously, when he gracefully rose from his place, flew over, and perched on the other end. the run was[pg 78] repeated, and the mischievous bird continued the annoyance until his victim was exhausted, panting, and in great excitement. from that day the mexican gave up the contest with his too lively antagonist, and refused to come out of his cage at all; so that in fact the stranger reduced the colony to submission.
with the wood-thrush, the encounters differed from both the preceding. this bird had opened hostilities when the mocker first appeared, presuming on being the older resident, and the only bird who cared much to be on the floor. the disputed object, as already mentioned, was the apple, which they received on the matting, two pieces being placed at some distance apart. seeing the thrush engaged with one, the mocking-bird quietly dropped to the other, when instantly the thrush deserted his own, ran hastily across the room, and claimed that piece. as he approached, the mocking-bird lifted himself into the air by a beautiful and graceful movement; he did not seem to fly, but to simply rise on wing. the thrush being occupied with that piece, the new-comer descended upon the abandoned slice; but the inhospitable bird wanted that also. even when three or more pieces were at their disposal, the thrush tried to monopolize them all, though the plan of collecting them in one[pg 79] place never seemed to occur to him. after a little of this contention, the mocker generally succeeded in carrying off a bit to some quiet place, where he could eat at his leisure. wishing them to live peaceably, i placed a slice of the fruit on a high gas-fixture, where the stranger was fond of alighting and no other bird ever went. he understood at once, flew over to it, and ate his fill. the mexican observed this, and tramped over his cages (it was before he had retired from the world) in a rage, seeing "good times going on," and feeling, evidently, unable to fly so high. somewhat later the thrush noticed the excitement, flew heavily up, with difficulty alighted beside the apple, snatched it off, and carried it to the floor.
settlement of difficulties between these two birds was no chance happening; it was, to all appearance, a regularly planned campaign, and, like a savage, the aggressor put on his war paint and danced his war dance. it was extremely interesting to watch, although painful to realize that a bird could be animated by emotions so—must i call them human? he selected, for the declaration of his intentions, a moment when the thrush was in his own house and the door open. the approach to this cage was by a light ladder, the top round[pg 80] of which, about a foot in length, rested perhaps four inches from the cage, and level with the door. upon this round the mocking-bird executed what has been called his war dance, shaking himself, shuffling (or moving along without raising the feet), and agitating his feathers in such a way that they rustled like stiff new silk. after a few minutes of this performance he flew away, returning presently to repeat it. this he did again and again, and his motive was plain. "you've domineered long enough," his manner said: "now come out here, and we'll settle this matter at once." the bird in the cage, though plainly surprised at this sudden exhibition of spirit, received it like a thrush—in silent dignity. he paid no attention to the demonstration further than to keep his eye upon the enemy, unless he appeared to think of entering the door, when he turned his open bill in that direction. a long time having passed in these man?uvres, the thrush, apparently tired of waiting for the belligerent to vacate his front doorstep, retired to the upper perch, and the mocking-bird immediately entered below, took his stand by the food-dish, and defied the owner, who came with open beak to dispute him, but after a few moments' silent protest returned to the high perch, leaving the intruder to eat and drink as he chose.[pg 81]
another point to settle was the possession of the apple. the next time the thrush, not warned by previous operations, hurried up to claim a slice of the fruit which his foe had marked for his own, he was met by resistance. to avoid the rush, the mocking-bird lifted himself a few inches, but came down on the same spot. the thrush, astonished, but thrush-like to the last, stood motionless where he had stopped, his body drawn to a point, bill slightly open and turned toward the bold intruder. that bird ignored his attitude and placidly went on eating, and three similar experiences ended that annoyance.
one thing still remained unsettled: the mocking-bird decided to change his residence. no reason was apparent, but he preferred a special place in the room, a certain end of a particular shelf; and no matter what cage was there, he insisted on taking possession. the day he determined on this removal, he went in while the resident—the thrush—was out, and, having eaten, proceeded to the upper perches, and began jumping back and forth on them, as if at home. in due time the owner returned, visited the food-dishes, and started for the upper regions, but was met by a threatening attitude from the bird already there. he seemed to think the matter not worth quarreling[pg 82] over, since he readily settled himself on the middle perch, where he made a most elaborate and deliberate toilet, dressing every feather with care, and spending a half hour over the operation. all this time the invader stood on the top perch, backed against the wires, his long tail on one side like the train of a lady's dress, invincible determination in his manner. the calm indifference of the house-owner evidently did not please him, and the long drawn-out toilet was irritating; he grew thirsty, and dropped to the floor to drink, when the thrush remonstrated by a low, rapid "chook, chook, chook," and the mocking-bird made an impatient dive at him. this silenced but apparently did not hurt the bird, who stayed as long as he chose, and then quietly came out. from that moment the usurper claimed the cage, and the amiable owner easily contented himself with the one the other had deserted.
when the mocking-bird had thoroughly established himself in every right and privilege he chose to consider his own, i hoped there would be peace, but i had not sounded the depths in his character; he began to tease. not content with complete victory, life seemed dull without some object to worry. i really think it was his amusement; he certainly went at it as if it were. i noticed him one morning,[pg 83] standing on the ladder before his door, apparently working himself up to something. he first looked at me,—i had a book, and pretended not to see him,—then at the thrush, who was on the floor as usual; he jerked his body this way and that, puffed out his feathers, especially on the throat and breast, held his tail on one side and turned upward at an angle of forty-five degrees, which gave him a wicked expression. he looked full of life to the tips of his toes, and greatly excited. the other birds observed him; the mexican in his cage rustled his wings, jerked his body, and at last gave his usual cry. even the little goldfinch was impressed and looked on with interest.
all this agitation did not escape the notice of the bird on the floor, who stood silent, plainly understanding, and waiting for the next move. finally the mocking-bird started, gracefully and without haste. he first flew easily and lightly to the desk, in a moment to the back of a chair, then deliberately to an arm, next to the seat, and lastly to a round; at each step pausing, shaking himself, and threatening. when he reached the floor, he ran a few steps toward the thrush, stopped short, erected himself very straight, and puffed out as big as possible; then another little run, and the operation was repeated. he proceeded till within a foot of[pg 84] the thrush, when he alternated the upright position with a lowered head, and bill pointed toward the foe, changing from one to the other very suddenly. when he came so near, the thrush crouched flat on the floor, with beak turned squarely against the approaching bird, and thus awaited the onslaught.
in that attitude the mocking-bird did not apparently like to attack him. he threatened a long time, then retreated gradually, making feints, turning, running a few inches, and bringing up suddenly with a half turn back. in this manner he moved away for some distance, then flew to the round of the chair, the seat, the arm, the back, and so on till he reached the ladder again. then for the first time the thrush changed his position and rose to his feet, when, without the least warning, the mocker flung himself madly after him, and the thrush, unprepared, ran, with a sharp cry. obviously the mocking-bird, finding the first method of attack, which was probably his usual one, a failure, decided to try another, as the event proved, successfully. the excitement of this performance evidently gave him pleasure, no doubt helped to pass away the long hours, for be often indulged in it, always making his approach in the same deliberate way, tripping daintily a step or two at a time, examining[pg 85] everything in a careless way, tasting a piece of apple-skin, lifting a bit of thread, toying and dallying to all appearance, as he moved, still always advancing, and never turning aside from his purpose till he reached the distance of a foot from the thrush, crouching motionless with crown feathers erect. at that point he often stood a moment, looking grimly at his victim, then gave a quick, exaggerated jump which carried him forward not more than an inch, but sent the thrush, in a panic, running half across the room, where he brought up in a heap,—his claws sprawled as they slipped on the matting, every feather standing up,—and made no attempt to draw his feet together. a slow, formal attack he could meet, but a sudden rush was irresistible. then the assailant turned, slowly, gracefully, the personification of tranquillity, his air saying, "who's done anything?" yet taking a direct line for the enemy, approaching in the same way, by easy stages, but relentlessly drawing nearer and nearer, till he ended by a quick plunge, which sent the thrush off with a cry. in a moment he began again, teasing, following, tormenting; so wily, so wicked, so determined!
the motions of this bird were most bewitching; his flight the perfection of grace. he never flew straight across the room as if on business,[pg 86] but always in a dancing, loitering, easy way; hovering to examine a picture, slowly pausing on wing to look at anything, turning, wheeling, up or down or any way, buoyant and light as the air itself. it was his delight to exercise on wing about the room, diving between the rounds of the ladder, darting under a stretched string or into a cage full dash. his feet found rest on any point, however small,—the cork in a bottle, the tip of a gas-burner, or the corner post of a chair; nothing was too small or too delicately balanced for his light touch, and he never upset anything. he enjoyed running up and down a ladder six feet long with six or eight rounds, passing over it so rapidly that he could not be seen to touch it at any point, yet not using his wings he must have stepped upon every round. he always used his legs with a freedom rarely seen in a bird, not moving them together as usual in his kind, but handling them with astonishing independence of each other.
the body of this bird was capable of wonderful expression, not only in the free use of each member, but every feather seemed under his voluntary control. the spasmodic movement of the wings in excitement, common to many birds, was accomplished in an original manner by holding the wing slightly away from the body, and spreading or opening it a little at[pg 87] each jerk, without changing its position toward his side. his tail seemed as loosely connected with his body as if it were hung on wires; it moved even with his breathing, and the emphatic flirt of the member was an insult which every bird in the room understood. intense interest in any sound was indicated by raising the feathers over the ears alone, which gave him the droll appearance of wearing velvet "ear muffs." in expressing other emotions he could erect the feathers of his chin, his shoulders or his back, either part alone, or all together, as he chose. a true bird of the south, he did not enjoy our climate, and if the room became too cool he made his opinion known by drawing his head down into his shoulders, with every feather on his body fluffed out, even to the base of the beak, till he looked as if wrapped in delicate gray furs to his nose, and almost burying his eyes.
the mocking-bird's emotions were so intense and so originally displayed that he was a constant source of interest. a hand-glass lying face up gave opportunity for an amusing exhibition one day. leaning over it, he puffed out every feather, opened his mouth, and tried the glass with his beak at every point. meeting no satisfaction, he turned to leave it, but first peeped slyly over the edge to see if the stranger were[pg 88] still there, no doubt unable to get over his surprise at seeing a bird in that position and ready to meet his bill at every point. the same glass standing up brought out a different demonstration. he stood in front of it and swelled himself out, while the feathers of the shoulders and breast were erected. then he opened his mouth wide and attacked the reflection, but was astonished to meet the glass. he touched the bill of his double with his own, and moved all the way to the bottom of the glass, not taking it away, but apparently trying to seize the one which opposed his. he lowered his head as though to take hold of the enemy's foot, then pulled himself up as straight as a soldier, wings and tail constantly jerking with excitement. after indulging for some time in these proceedings, he dodged around behind the glass, plainly expecting to pounce upon his opponent, and surprised not to do so. several times he drew himself up, swelled out his breast, and blustered before the glass. once he flew up with the reflection in the manner of a quarrelsome cock, and upon reaching the top of the glass, naturally went over and landed behind, without an enemy in sight. upon this he stared a moment, as if dazed, then shook himself out, and flew away in evident disgust.
the deliberate, leisurely dressing of plumage,[pg 89] with which many birds pass away the dull hours, is an occupation in which the mocking-bird never had time to indulge. he was a bird of affairs; he had too much on his mind for loitering. a few sudden, thorough shakes, a rapid snatching of the wing and tail feathers through the beak, or, after a bath, a violent beating the air with both wings while holding tightly to the perch with his feet, sufficed for his toilet. notwithstanding his apparent carelessness, his plumage was soft and exquisite in texture, and when wet the downy breast feathers matted together and hung in locks, like hair. through a common magnifying glass each tiny barbule was seen to be ringed with gray and silvery white, so finely that the rings could hardly be seen.
the most beautiful and peculiar attitude this bird assumed was when conducting an attack upon a small object. seeing one day a steel pen-point black with ink, he stood before it at a respectful distance, and raised both wings over his back till they almost touched each other, holding the tail on one side. in two or three seconds he lowered the wings a moment, then raised them again, while his tail leaned the other side. after half a dozen such feints he delivered a gentle peck, and instantly hopped back out of the way. seeing that it did not move, he[pg 90] took it in his bill and flew to the floor, where he soon satisfied himself that it was not a new variety of beetle. this was always his method with any new object of small size.
not only did this doughty warrior vanquish the ordinary birds about him, but when a gray african parrot made his appearance in the room (on a short visit) he boldly attacked him, in spite of his size and strength. the parrot had a temporary perch before the window, and on the cage nearest to him the mocking-bird took his place, and after posturing and threatening, stooped to a crouching position, and then darted past him, trying to hit him as he went. the first time this occurred the parrot whirled on his perch and cried "whoo!" and after that greeted every charge with a very good imitation of a policeman's rattle, probably as the loudest and most terrifying noise he could make. so determined was the belligerent fellow to subdue or annihilate the larger bird, and so reckless were his attacks, that i had to keep him a prisoner during the few days the parrot was in the room, for hospitality must not be violated. it is interesting to note that so great was his variety of resource that he had a distinctly different method of warfare in each of the six cases mentioned.
a dignified composure was so natural to my[pg 91] bird that he was never startled out of it, not even when suddenly enveloped in a shawl, a proceeding that greatly alarms birds of less self-possession. it was necessary on one occasion to catch him to return him to his cage, where he might be protected from the cold of the night. all the usual ways were tried without success, so lightly did he slip away, so gracefully and calmly did he flutter around the room, not in the least disturbed or confused by the darkness, and quite willing to play hide-and-seek all night. no other way availing, the last resource was tried—throwing a shawl over him as he stood crouched on the top of the cage, ready for instant flight. not a flutter nor a cry arose, and it seemed that he must have escaped; but on looking through the cage from below, he was seen flattened against the wires, but perfectly quiet, submissive to the inevitable, like any other philosopher. he was gathered up in the folds and carefully uncovered before his own door, when he simply hopped to a perch and coolly returned the gaze of his captors, not a feather out of place, not in the smallest degree disconcerted.
amusements were not lacking in this interesting life aside from the pleasures of worrying and teasing, which plainly were entertainments for him. he indulged in other performances[pg 92] which distinctly were play. especially was this true of the habit he imitated from the mexican,—tramping across two cages heavily, with as much noise as possible, and then with an extravagant jump landing on another cage, where he was received with a scolding, which apparently pleased him as much as any part of it. a specially quick flying-run rattled a paper fastened against the wall, which delighted him greatly; and when the cages were covered with paper, to put an end to the proceeding which annoyed the residents, he regarded it as a particular attention, and enjoyed it more than ever, doubtless because it enabled him to make a louder noise. often he diverted himself by a mad frolic in his cage; from place to place he went half flying, and scarcely touching anything; back and forth, with great flutter of wings and great noise; up and down, under and over and around his perches, in the same wild way, so that it seemed as if he must beat his brains out. then suddenly, when most riotous, he alighted like a feather, the image of serenity and repose. sometimes he was seized with this sort of fury of play when out of his cage, and then he flung himself about the room in the same frantic manner, scarcely touching a perch, diving under a table, between the rounds of a chair, over a gas-fixture, behind and through any openings he[pg 93] could find. should some bird in the room disapprove of this behavior, and scold, as the finch was quite apt to do, the mocking-bird instantly alighted beside him, humped his back till he looked deformed, sidled two or three steps towards him, stopped, and stared at his critic; then two or three steps more, stopping again, and in every way acting more like a mischievous monster than a bird, till the astonished finch was reduced to silence, and as meek as poor mrs. quilp before the antics of her malicious little spouse.
in all these actions, even in his contests with his room-mates, no anger ever appeared on the part of the mocking-bird; everything seemed done to amuse himself and pass away the weary hours, rather than from desire to hurt his neighbors. in fact, he never did positively touch a bird, to my knowledge, though he always acted as though he intended to annihilate them. he could hardly be called malicious; rather (shall we say?) mischievous, and like ariel "a tricksy spirit."
