"Drop them in quick, quick! and come down. Jump, I'll catch you!"

Down he comes, and then after my whispering something more to him, he snatched the young blue birds from my hand, and ran off among the shrubbery. At this moment we heard the sweet, clear warble of the blue birds, and I drew my sister a short distance away, where, from behind a tall rose bush, we could watch the proceedings of the old birds.

"What does all this mean, brother?-what do you expect?" she asked, in a low, puzzled voice, for she did not know that the young blue birds had been taken out-so dexterously had we managed, and only understood that her charge had been transferred to the nest.

Brother, you surely can't expect that little blue bird to take care of eight young ones-your fairy will have to help, sure enough!"

"Hush! hush!" said I, all eagerness, for with an insect in its mouth, one of the old birds, twitting merrily, had alighted near the hole, and without hesitation glided in, and in a moment or two came forth again, without seeming to have observed that there was anything wrong. My heart beat more freely, for I saw that the insect had been left behind, clearly, in the throat of one of the intruders-for the bird plumed himself gaily outside, as if happy in having performed a pleasant duty. But this was the male bird, and it was the arriving of the female that I knew was most to be dreaded-for if the sharp instinct of the mother did not detect the fraud I felt that it would succeed.

In my elation at my success so far I had explained my object to my sister, who, as she did not understand about the making way with the young blue birds, was now infinitely delighted at the probable success of the scheme, and I could scarcely keep within bounds her dancing impatience to see what the mother would do-hear what the mother would say! Here she comes!-and in a business-like and

straightforward way, glided directly into the hole. We held our breaths and stood on tiptoe. Out she darts with a low cry-still holding the insect in her mouth. Our hearts sunk -she has discovered all and refuses to adopt the strangers! She flew to her mate and seemed to communicate some sad intelligence to him. He was busily engaged in trimming his feathers and merely straightened himself up for amoment, and then with an air of the coolest indifference proceeded with his occupation. The poor female seemed to be sadly distressed and puzzled; she flew around the nest uttering a low, mournful cry-then returned to her philosophical mate for sympathy, which he seemed to be too busy with his feathers to spare just now. Then she would dart into the hole-stay a moment, and out again with the insect still in her mouth. Then she would circle round and round on the wing as if searching for the cause of the disturbance, the nature of which she evidently did not clearly understand. So she continued to act until the male having arranged his feathers to his liking flew off, with a pleasant call to her, in search of more food. This seemed to decide her uncertainty, for, darting now into the nest, she immediately fed the worm to one of those lusty young fellows that had grown so wonderfully since she last went out, and then came forth chirping and apparently reconciled and followed her mate.

"There! it succeeds! it succeeds! They are safe nowthese birds are more industrious than the mocking birds, and will feed them better!-good! good!"

"Your fairy spell has succeeded, brother, sure enough !" and she clapped her hands and danced for joy; and I am not sure that I did not join her most obstreperously, for I never was more delighted in my life at the success of any little

scheme.

once.

I knew the birds were safe if the female ever fed them So it proved; for never did I see little fellows grow with greater lustihood than they. Daily we watched them; and in ten days or two weeks were greatly amused to see the

industrious old birds perseveringly laboring to fill gaping throats that were nearly large enough to swallow them bodily whole. I now narrowed the hole with wire so that the blue birds could get in and the mocking birds could not get out, for they were quite double the size of their foster parents.

When they were full fledged we took them to the house and placed them in an aviary I had prepared for them in a recess which contained a large window and looked out upon the gardens. In two days I found to my great astonishment the old blue birds endeavoring to feed them through the wires. They had found them out, the faithful creatures, and not content with having already spent double the amount of labor upon them that they would have bestowed upon their own offspring, they followed them up with their unwearying solicitude.

I was greatly shocked at first to observe the cool indifference with which the young aristocrats of song surveyed their humble foster parents. After awhile it came-in spite of the shameful ingratitude it exhibited-to be a constant scource of merriment with us to watch the lordly and impudent nonchalance with which they would turn their heads to one side and look down at the poor blue birds-fluttering against the bars with tender cries to attract their notice-with an expression which seemed as plainly as could be to say, "Who are you, pray?-get away you common fellows !"

A fine pair of old mocking birds found them, too, but when they came, our gentry behaved very differently, and seemed crazy to get out. They became very tame, and I finally fulfilled my vow of turning them loose, and for a long time they were so tame that they would take food from our hands anywhere. They lived on the place, and we felt ourselves for years afterwards plentifully-aye, bounteously rewarded for our anxiety on account of the little outcasts, by the glorious songs they sang for us the summer nights to dream by. Thus it was my fair sister helped me out of the scrape with my young mocking birds!

In conclusion I will present the reader with some things that have been said in regard to this extraordinary bird by Wilson, which may be of some consequence to those who may regard its value as a cage-bird.

"As it is of some consequence to be able to distinguish a young male bird from a female, the following marks may be attended to; by which some pretend to be able to distinguish them in less than a week after they are hatched. These are, the breadth and purity of the white on the wings, for that on the tail is not much to be depended on. This white, on a full-grown male bird, spreads over the whole nine primaries, down to, and considerably below, their coverts, which are also white, sometimes slightly tipped with brown. The white of the primaries also extends equally far on both vans of the feathers. In the female, the white is less pure, spreads over only seven or eight of the primaries, does not descend so far, and extends considerably farther down on the broad, than on the narrow side of the feathers. The black is also more of a brownish cast.

"The young birds, if intended for the cage, ought not to be left till they are nearly ready to fly; but should be taken rather young, than otherwise; and may be fed, every halt hour, with milk, thickened with Indian meal; mixing occasionally with it a little fresh meat, cut or minced very fine. After they begin to eat of their own accord, they ought still to be fed by hand, though at longer intervals, and a few cherries, strawberries, &c., now and then thrown in to them. The same sort of food, adding grasshoppers and fruit, particularly the various kinds of berries in which they delight; and plenty of clean, fine gravel, is found very proper for them after they are grown up. Should the bird at any time appear sick or dejected, a few spiders thrown in to him will generally remove these symptoms of disease."

This remark I have found to be amply verified in my own experience. Indeed, I have observed that all the Turdinæ are greatly benefited while confined in cages, by an occa

sional relish of the common house spider. This insect seems to act in some way medicinally upon many varieties of birds, and even the finches are occasionally benefited by them. Of the song and peculiar habits of the mocking bird Wilson

says:

"In measure and accent, he faithfully follows his originals. In force and sweetness of expression he greatly improves upon them. In his native groves, mounted on the top of a tall bush, or half-grown tree, in the dawn of dewy morning, while the woods are already vocal with a multitude of warblers, his admirable song rises pre-eminent. Over every other competitor the ear can listen to his music alone, to which that of all others seems a mere accompaniment. Neither is this strain altogether imitative. His own native notes, which are easily distinguishable by such as are well acquainted with those of our various song-birds, are bold and full, and varied seemingly beyond all limits. They consist of short expressions of two, three, or, at the most, five or six syllables; generally interspersed with intonations, and all of them uttered with great emphasis and rapidity; and continued with undiminished ardor for half an hour, or an hour, at a time. His expanded wings and tail, glistening with white, and the buoyant gaiety of his action, arresting the eye, as his song most irresistibly does the ear, he sweeps round with enthusiastic ecstasy-he mounts and descends as his song swells or dies away; and as my friend Mr. Bartram has beautifully expressed it, 'He bounds aloft with the celerity of an arrow, as if to recover or recall his very soul, expired in the last elevated strain.' While thus exerting himself, a bystander destitute of sight would suppose that the whole feathered tribe had assembled together, on a trial of skill; each striving to produce his utmost effect; so perfect are his imitations. He many times deceives the sportsman, and sends him in search of birds that perhaps are not within miles of him; but whose notes he exactly imitates. Even birds themselves are frequently imposed on by this