46 JOURNAL OK MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



and choke cherries were his choice, but when cherry time had 

 passed he reluctantly accepted as a substitute dried currants such as 

 are used in cooking. It is interesting to watch him eat a cherry or 

 currant. Seizing it quickly in his bill and pointing his bill upward 

 he rolls it over and over in his mouth, as a juggler revolves a ball in 

 the air, then suddenly one quick gulp and the tiny ball has 

 disappeared. 



Cedric is very fond of live flies, and angleworms cut in half-inch 

 sections are graciously received, but grasshoppers and beetle-like 

 bugs are rejected. Cedric seems to like flies best when their wings 

 are buzzing, and if he is at the farther side of the cage when a fly 

 is offered him he will jump to the perch near the fly and oftentimes 

 seems to catch the fly in his bill before his feet have touched the 

 perch. He comes as near taking the fly "on the fly" as is practica- 

 ble within the confines of his cage. In the absence of flies and 

 worms, fresh beef, veal and lamb, cut in tniy fragments, are eagerly 

 swallowed, but never in great quantity. Cedric is also fond of fruit, 

 and will eat apple cut in bits, or scraped fine, and small pieces of 

 orange or banana. 



Our little bird protege always knows when he has eaten 

 enough, and when his needs are satisfied he will leave the most 

 tempting morsels and resolutely fly or hop to the opposite end of the 

 cage and turn his back on us as if to say, "I won't even look at it 

 lest I may be tempted" — a lesson to the featherless bipeds who 

 pride themselves upon their superior wisdom. 



When very hungry, about eighteen flies seem to be a satisfying 

 portion, though often half as many suffice. A half dozen bits of 

 meat the size of a green pea, and a less amount of fruit are suffi- 

 cient. Of course these meals are frequent, six or eight a day, 

 while he always has access to the dried currants which we keep in 

 his food dish, and which are washed and soaked before putting in 

 the dish. If the currants are too dry, he will roll them about in his 

 bill and toss them scornfully over his shoulder. Any food which we 

 offer him that he does not want is promptl}' thrown down. We 

 tried him on cedar cones and the berries of the ground juniper, but 



