Dick the Mockingbird

Dick the Mockingbird is the name of one of US president Thomas Jefferson's pet birds. Although presidents before him also had pets of their own, Thomas Jefferson is thought to be "the first president to have a pet [that lived ]in the White House..."^[1] Prior to his term in the Oval Office, Jefferson bought his first mockingbird from a slave for five shillings. The usual price for such a bird was ten or fifteen dollars^[2] Birds were without a doubt Jefferson’s favorite animal; during his time in the White House as third president, Jefferson wrote observations on the types of birds that he spotted in the area. In a letter to a friend, Thomas Jefferson wrote, "I sincerely congratulate you on the arrival of the mockingbird. Teach all the children to venerate it as a superior being which will haunt them if any harm is done to itself or its eggs"^[3]

Time spent together

"Dick" is the name of Thomas Jefferson’s favorite pet mockingbird. Jefferson kept Dick's cage in a special area in his study, among plants on a windowsill. Often, Jefferson left Dick’s cage open and allowed him free range of his room. Whenever he had free time, Jefferson and Dick were always side by side. Dick would perch on Jefferson’s couch and sing him to sleep after following him one by one up the stairs. Dick liked to sit on Jefferson’s shoulder as Jefferson hummed and worked. Jefferson even put food between his lips and the mockingbird would swoop down and take it from him. Dick and Jefferson did duets together. When Jefferson took out his violin and started playing, Dick would "pour out his song along with the violin"^[4] A person who was acquainted with Jefferson wrote,"How he loved the bird! He could not live without something to love… his bird and his flowers became the objects of his tender care"^[4]

References

1. ^ Lopata, Peg. "A Real Political Animal." Faces: People, Places, and Cultures Sept. 2008: MasterFILE Premier. Web. 7 March 2010
2. ^ "Mockingbirds." Monticello.org. N.p., 29 August 8, 26, 2009. Web. 6 March 2010.
3. ^ "For the Birds." Saturday Evening Post 279.3 (2007): 54-59. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 3 March 2010.
4. ^ ^{a b} Caulkins, Janet. Pets of the Presidents. Brookfield : Millbrook Press, 1992. Print.^{[page needed]}