Mockingbird (Supplement)

Explanation of Names

Fanshe (Reversing Tongue)
Shrike original: 鵙, ju; pronounced xia-ya. Shizhen states: According to the Comprehensive Guide to the Book of Changes, it is named so because it can reverse and repeat the calls of other birds. The name ju is also an onomatopoeia for its sound.
It is popularly called the "Cattle Dung Myna" original: 牛屎唎哥, niushi lige because its shape resembles the Crested Myna but it possesses a foul odor. In Sanskrit texts, it is called the Salar original: 舍羅, sheluo.

Collected Explanations

Zangqi Referring to the Tang dynasty physician Chen Zangqi says: The Mockingbird is what we now call the oriole. Shizhen states: The Mockingbird is found everywhere. It dwells in the hollows and holes of trees. In appearance, it is similar to the shrike-thrush original: 鵙鶇, judong but smaller. Its body is somewhat long and grey-black in color with slight spotting; its beak is also pointed and black. When it walks, it tilts its head downward, and it is fond of eating earthworms. After the Beginning of Spring early February, it sings and warbles incessantly, but after the Summer Solstice, it falls silent. After the tenth lunar month, it enters hibernation; if humans attempt to keep it as a pet, it will die during the winter months. The Monthly Ordinances original: 月令, Yueling, an ancient ritual calendar states that in the mid-summer month "the reversing-tongue bird is silent," which refers to this bird. Cai Yong's a Han dynasty scholar belief that this referred to a frog is incorrect. Master Chen [Zangqi] claimed this was the shrike. Fu Qian’s Popular Words original: 通俗文, Tongsu Wen identifies this shrike as the "white-fleshed bird," which is also incorrect. Though the sounds of the names are similar, the colors of their feathers are different.

The Meat

Flavor and Nature Missing.
Primary Indications Roasted and eaten, it treats children who have long been unable to speak, and it kills parasites. According to Zangqi