and healthiest of birds, and that during over seven 

 years I have never known him to be ill. Last year, 

 during his moult, he lost his appetite for about a week, 

 but he never lost his spirits or his activity in any way, 

 so I was not seriously alarmed about him, but of 

 <:ourse changed his food. When he came into my 

 possession he was absolutely tame, and, I believe, 

 only a few months old. He will go to anyone who 

 will take him, and does not know what fear of any 

 human being means. He has a very marked prefer- 

 ence for what a friend of mine calls " the weaker sex," 

 and the instant a man comes near him he tries to 

 attract his attention. To some men in particular he 

 manifests such intense love that I have feared his 

 excitement would make him ill. Quite recently he 

 got out of his cage, which was outside the window, 

 flew on to the front garden railings, and when a 

 passing policeman stopped to look at him, he jumped 

 on to his shoulder, to use the man's own words, and 

 sat there delighted. I should like to have seen that 

 very stalwart man coming in at the gate with the little 

 creature on his shoulder. That is the second time 

 that he has been restored to me by a policeman. But 

 the first man, although he arrested him, was afraid 

 to take him into custody. 



My Senegal has a very individual character of his 

 own, and shows great determination and persistence 

 in trying to get his own way. He is extremely affec- 

 tionate, but has a very hasty temper, and if spoken 

 to harshly, gets at once into a rage, which is, however, 

 over in a minute. He understands all I say to him, 

 and makes me understand everything he wants either 

 to do or to have. And that is generally the same thing 



