CARDINAL 19 



into the plantation I was soon apprised of his where- 

 abouts by his loud call-note; but though he could 

 not fly, but only hop and flutter from branch to 

 branch — his wings never having been exercised — he 

 refused to be caught. I was advised to wait until 

 he was hungry, then to try him with the cage. This 

 I did, and, taking the cage, placed it on the ground 

 under the trees and retired a few paces, holding it 

 open by means of a string which when released would 

 cause the door to fly to. He became greatly excited 

 on seeing the cage, and being very hungry soon came 

 down to the ground and, to my joy, hopped up to 

 it. But he did not go in: it seemed to me that he 

 was considering the matter, if the state he was in 

 of being pulled in opposite directions by two equally 

 importunate impulses may be so described. "Must 

 I go in and satisfy my hunger — and live in prison ; or 

 stay out and keep my freedom and go hungry?" 

 He stood at the door of the cage, looking in at the 

 seed, then turned and looked at me and at the trees, 

 then looked at the seed again, and raised and lowered 

 his shining crest and flirted his wings and tail, and 

 was excited and in two minds and a quandary; 

 finally, after taking one more look at the tempting 

 seed, he deliberately flew or fluttered up to the 

 nearest branch, then to another, and so on, till he 

 had gone to the very top of the tree, as if to get as 

 far from the tempting cage as he could! 



It was a great disappointment, and I now deter- 

 mined to hunt him down; for it was late in the day, 

 and he was not a cunning wild bird to save himself 



