204 BIRDS, BEASTS, AND FISHES 



he is a good pet. I knew a young bird in captivity who 

 would follow his master round when he took the gun, 

 and behave just like a retriever, except that Frank ate the 

 starlings shot for him. I saw him eat a pound roach and 

 numbers of eels, which he killed by pecking them, holding 

 them crosswise, then swallowing them head first. Upon 

 one occasion he essayed swallowing two eels at once, but 

 that was too much for him. 



