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 Mar., t906 [ 5t The Habits of a Mockingbird BY hV. OTTO EM I".RSON HAT xvild birds respond readily to human kindness is often heard of, but not so well known to many thrn personal experience. A mockingbird (Mimts pol)!ottos ietcopterus) came about my home place here at Haywards in Iov- ember, I9O4, and took np his quarters for the winter in the top of a Monterey cypress sumtner-house. This was nothing new, for mockingbirds bad visited the place for several years past. But this one began early to shoxv unusual freedom about the south porch, where a young grape vine grexv at the corner post and bore several fine clusters of fruit. Mimus must have thought these were grown for his special benefit, for he soon found them out and by his tameness let us know his approval. There was piled some fifteen feet away a lot of prune-tree brush where Mocky usually took up his stand alter a fill of grapes, and here on the highest branch he ;vould sing, as if to pay for the treat. Should he detach a ;vhole grape, off he would sail to the brush pile, showing those flickering white ;ving-patches and tail spread fan-like. Down he ;vould dive beneath the brush ;vhere he would remain while eating the grape, and lhen come hopping out from limb to limb to an upper branch, wipe his bill, preen a feather or t;vo, and sing a thanksgiving in tender s;veet notes. This continued until the grapes were almost gone. Meantime he had become so tame that I could set up my camera on top of a small table within three feet of his grapes and snap the shutter, without his showing alarm by even a t;vitch of the ;ving or tail. Neither was he alarmed by the appearance of the black cat, Nig, about the porch at any hour of the day. He only cocked his little head to one side as tho to say, "He won't jump for me; he has been taught better." In fact Nig did not take any notice ot him, taking it tor gralted that Mocky had a cer- tain right to hop about the railing unmolested, to which place the bird often flew before going up into the vine to feed. It was not long before the question arose as to what we could do to keep him