Reminiscences. 2^1 



how I tried to dodt^e him. lie was always there to meet me at 

 the door. Xatnrally lie '^cA tlie inevita1)le mealworm, and he 

 took very i^ood care that nobody else got any, until one day 

 in exasperation I threw a small pebble at him to drive him away. 

 'J'he i)ebble did not actually hit the bird, but he construed my act 

 into an insult, retired into a busii.and there sulked a whole day,. 

 His body was as upright as a Norwich canary's and as immobile 

 as a stuffed bird's. Xo mealworm would soften him for 

 several days, and he refused to warble to me after his breakfast. 

 Eventually he forgave me, l)ut seemed to say " Remember I 

 am a l)ird of royal blood, )ic7'cr take such a liberty with me 

 again! " When linally he was caught up to send away, a task 

 as easy as catching a dog, and put into his travelling cage, he 

 looked the picture of injured dignity. 1 ncAcr heard how he 

 got on, but I verily belie\e that bird died of a broken heart. 

 \\'hen he left there was not luuch dimier eaten. He had so 

 entwined himself round one's heart. He followed me hke a 

 dog, and I believe he would have been quite safe out of doors, 

 although 1 never cared to risk the experiment. 



Another extraordinarily tame bird I possessed and grew 

 to love very dearly was a little hen Blue Sugarbird (Dacnis 

 cayaiia). She was blind in one eye and only cost a modest 

 half-crown. She and I entered into partnership, and between 

 us we made a lovely little cu])-shaped nest. You see she could 

 not quite manage it. and while she was still in the nest I would 

 tuck in the part next to her blind eye. vShe was very impatient 

 with my mistakes! Would take the tow out of my fingers 

 and say quite plainly in bird-language ' Here, you clumsy 

 lumian, give me that bit of tow and I will tuck that in." Of 

 fear she knew absolutely nothing, and I have often fed her on 

 the nest while she was inctd:)ating. Her husband was a ne'er- 

 do-well and shamefully neglected his pretty little wife, and 

 spent most of his time at the club. He was very quarrelsome 

 and finally murdered another of his own species, because he 

 thought the other fellow was paying too much attention to his 

 wife. fie had no use for me, and apparently no objection to 

 my building his wife's home. .A.fter a good deal of trouble 

 my little friend completed the nest, laid two enormoits eggs, and 



