A gentleman who kept a note-book, describes one of the matinee performances of the Mocker, which he attended by creeping under a tent curtain. He sat at the foot of a tree on the top of which the bird was perched unconscious of his presence. The Mocker gave one of the notes of the Guinea-hen, a fine imitation of the Cardinal, or Red Bird, an exact reproduction of the note of the Phoebe, and some of the difficult notes of the Yellow-breasted Chat. "Now I hear a young chicken peeping. Now the Carolina Wren sings, '_cheerily, cheerily, cheerily_.' Now a small bird is shrilling with a fine insect tone. A Flicker, a Wood-pewee, and a Phoebe follow in quick succession. Then a Tufted Titmouse squeals. To display his versatility, he gives a dull performance which couples the '_go-back_' of the Guinea fowl with the plaint of the Wood-pewee, two widely diverse vocal sounds. With all the performance there is such perfect self-reliance and consciousness of superior ability that one feels that the singer has but to choose what bird he will imitate next." Nor does the plaintive, melancholy note of the Robin, that "pious" bird, altogether express his character. He has so many lovely traits, according to his biographers, that we accept him unhesitatingly as a truly good bird. Didn't he once upon a time tenderly cover with leaves certain poor little wanderers? Isn't he called "The Bird of the Morning?" And evening as well, for you can hear his sad voice long after the sun has himself retired. The poet Coleridge claims the credit of first using the Owl's cry in poetry, and his musical note _Tu-whit, tu-who!_ has made him a favorite with the poets. Tennyson has fancifully played upon it in his little "Songs to the Owl," the last stanza of which runs: "I would mock thy chant anew; But I cannot mimic it, Not a whit of thy tuhoo, Thee to woo to thy tuwhit, Thee to woo to thy tuwhit. With a lengthen'd loud halloo, Tuwhoo, tuwhit, tuwhit, tuhoo-o-o." But Coleridge was not correct in his claim to precedence in the use of the Owl's cry, for Shakespeare preceded him, and Tennyson's "First Song to the Owl" is modeled after that at the end of "Love's Labor Lost:" "When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl, Then nightly sings the staring Owl, Tu-who; Tu-whit, tu-who, a merry note." In references to birds, Tennyson is the most felicitous of all poets and the exquisite swallow-song in "The Princess" is especially recommended to the reader's perusal.