DOMESTICATED NATURE. 



419 



cats pretended not to notice for a time 

 and would feign sleep but Ikey had un- 

 limited patience, strennosity and will- 

 power. Finally Buttons would dash 

 away and later Gipsy would rise with 

 dignity and stroll off as if he had just 

 remembered an engagement, one which 

 there was plenty of time to keep how- 

 ever. 



While speaking of the parrot's treat- 

 ment of animals, one incident is well 

 worthy of recording, incredible though 

 it may sound. It was one of the in- 

 stances which suggested metempsy- 

 chosis or obsession. A neighbor had 

 left town on a visit and placed her cat 

 with us for safe custody. The cat had 

 only come in that day, consequently 

 had' not acquired that prudent respect 

 for I kev which our own animals had 

 learned. The cat lay asleep near Ikey's 

 cage twitching her tail as if dreaming. 

 Ikev crept down near the bars, watch- 

 ing" the tail with fascinated interest 

 and with ulterior intent. So near and 

 yet so far; one felicitous movement 

 might bring that tail inside his bars ! 

 I was busy sewing and at last, fearing 

 that the psychological moment might 

 come for Ikev, I ordered the cat to go 



downstairs. After several commands, 

 the cat started from the room. Ikey 

 climbed up on his perch and leaned 

 over, watching the cat as it disappeared 

 down the steps. Then he crossed to 

 the side of the cage nearest me, looked 

 squarely at me and said, very distinct- 

 ly and deliberately, "Now yon shut up 

 and go down stairs too." 1 looked at 

 the bird in amazement and Mother,. 

 who was in the next room, hearing 

 what the parrot had said, exclaimed, 

 "Aha, you got your orders, didn't you?" 



Needless to say, Ikey's vocabulary 

 of violent and inadmissible words was 

 acquired before he came to us and to 

 do him justice he was very discrimi- 

 nating in his choice of language, using 

 the verbiage of polite society with us. 

 But let the butcher's boy taunt him 

 or the students encourage him and he 

 would gleefully unburden himself of 

 the choicest epithets of a deckhand. 

 This was a practical instance of "like 

 begets like" and Ikey had the admir- 

 able faculty of adapting his conversa- 

 tion to his company — another proof 

 that he had a good idea of the specific 

 meaning and value of words. 



A GOOD SUGGESTION FOR A CAGE FOR PETS. 



