Every day when the door was open he flew straight to the mirror. If we 

 moved the vase to the middle, away from the beveled edge, he found the place 

 by himself and stood on tiptoe exactly where the reflection accorded him the 

 companionship of two birds, and he would resume his melody. It was real to 

 him, this comradeship, and it lasted until actual and personally responsible com- 

 panions were provided for him. 



Now, let not the reader conjure up a picture of many birds in a cage with 

 Dicky as governor or presiding elder. It was midsummer, when the sands are 

 hot and inviting to the retiring and modest family known by name as "lizards." 

 The particular branch of this family to which we refer, and to which Dicky was 

 referred, is known to scientists, who would be precise of expression, as Gerr- 

 honotus. But the familiar name of "lizard" is sufficient for the creatures we 

 placed in a large wire cage on the upper balcony and designed for Dickey's sum- 

 mer companions. 



Now, it should not seem strange to any one that we chose the lizard people 

 to associate with this yellow-as-gold canary. Were they not one and the same 

 long ages ago? And this is no legend, but fact. Have they not both to this 

 day scales on their legs and a good long backbone? To be sure, the birds now 

 have feathers on most of their bodies, so they may be able to fly ; but a long while 

 ago the bird had only scales, and not a single feather. And are not baby lizards 

 hatched from eggs laid by the mother lizard? Ah, it is a long story, this dating 

 back too far to count. But long stories are quite the accepted fashion in natural 

 science, and from reading them we resolved to make some observations of our 

 own. There is more to be gained sometimes in making observations on one's 

 own account than by adopting those of others. 



We captured half a dozen lizards and gave them the names of Lizbeth. 

 Liza, Liz, and Lize. That is, four of them, being of the same order, received 

 these names ; there were two little ones besides, with peacock-blue trimmings, 

 which have nothing to do with this story. The four named were about eight 

 inches in length, speckled above and silver beneath. Their other beauties and 

 characteristics will not be discussed except as it becomes necessary in treating 

 of Dicky's further development. 



From the day when these five creatures became fellow-captives they were 

 friends. The lizards took to sleeping in the canary's food-box, so that in getting 

 at his meals he was obliged to peck between them, and sometimes to step over 

 them and crowd them with his head after hidden seeds. As the afternoon sun- 

 shine slanted across the cage the five took their dry bath all in a heap, bird on 

 top with wings outspread, lizards in a tangle, each and all thankful that there 

 was such a thing as a sun bath or family descent. Later, as the sun was go- 

 ing down and the lizards became drowsy, as lizards will, Dicky sang them a low 

 lullaby, now on the perch above them, now on the rim of the feed-box. At times 

 another comrade joined them, especially at this choral hour. 



One of those red and white striped snakes seen in ferns and brakes along 



380 



