220 KNOWING BIRDS THROUGH STORIES 



This bird never acted as if much afraid, and made no 

 vain struggles to escape. In fact, from the very first he 

 would both eat and drink, tho he resented being handled 

 and would peck and fight with all of his strength if we 

 attempted to lay hands on him. Seemingly aware that he 

 was being helped while we were dressing his wounds, how- 

 ever, he was usually quiet. He had a stout bill and could 

 pinch hard with it. I have had him pinch hard enough 

 to draw blood more than once. 



We fed him a variety of food. Our never failing Dutch 

 cheese was the staple article, but to it we added such 

 worms and bugs as we could catch, wheat, the seeds of 

 various kinds, bread, and even fresh apple. He improved 

 rapidly and within a week was beginning to chirp, and 

 truly he had a very musical voice. In a little more than two 

 weeks he was able to fly about in the room, tho he did not 

 use his broken leg perfectly as yet. He was still a bit shy, 

 and in making an attempt to get out through a window 

 which he evidently mistook for an opening he injured his 

 wing slightly again. Immediately I put him back in the 

 cage where he stayed another week. By this time he felt at 

 home with the family. His leg apparently was completely 

 well; at any rate in jumping about and swinging in the 

 cage he used it as well as the one that had never been 

 hurt. 



Not wishing to repeat the experience of having him 

 injure himself against the window pane, I hung the cage 

 out in a tree and opened the door. Presently he noticed 

 this open door and hopped over and sat in it for a time 

 looking longingly at the trees, but apparently uncertain as 

 to whether it was wise to venture to fly. Finally he made 

 up his mind to make the attempt, and soon was hopping 



