*' TRICKS AND MANNERS'' OF A CAT-BIRD. 81 



drive him away till he had seen if there was 

 still a drop of water left for him in the bottom 

 of the dish. 



One day, in his travels about the floor, he 

 found a marble. It was too large to take up in 

 his mouth, so he tried to stab it, as he does a 

 grape. The first peck he gave sent it rolling 

 off, and he hastily retreated to the cornice. 

 When it stopped he returned and tried it again. 

 This time it sprang toward him. He gave one 

 great leap, and then, ashamed of his fright, 

 stood and waited for it to be still. Again and 

 again he tried to pierce the marble, till he was 

 satisfied that it was not practicable, when he 

 abandoned it forever. 



The pins on my cushion are always objects 

 of deepest interest to the cat-bird. He first tries 

 to pull them out, and then to push them in. 

 A large, black-headed shawl pin nearly drives 

 him wild. He seizes it in his bill, but finds it a 

 little too big and too slippery to carry off as he 

 does the shoe-buttons it so greatly resembles. 

 Then he tries to force it in ; he pounces upon 

 it, but his bill slips off ; he gets so frantic that 

 he fairly jumps off his feet to give greater force 

 to the blow ; still it does not move. After some 

 time he departs in disgust, but he is not satis- 

 fied, for every time he visits the bureau, where 

 he is fond of going, he has another struggle 

 with that pin. 



