BOBBY. 171 



half- fledged creature, very unsteady on his legs and 

 ragged as to his clothing, which latter indeed consisted 

 more of stiff black quills than anything else. His im- 

 mense bill was perpetually open ; displaying the depths 

 of his wide red throat as he shouted defiantly for por- 

 ridofe, of which he never seemed to have enouGfh. He 

 would take it with a loud, greedy noise, swallowing as 

 much of your finger with it as possible, and apparently 

 very much disappointed at having to let the latter go 

 again. He seemed to live in hope that, if he only held 

 on long enough, it would surely come off at last and 

 slip quite down his throat. If we passed anywhere 

 near his basket — even though he had just had an ample 

 feed — he would shoot up, like a black Jack-in-the-box 

 with a large red mouth, demanding more porridge. 

 The vegetarian diet suited him, and he grew into a 

 very large, handsome bird, with the glossiest and softest 

 of blue-black plumage. 



He soon refused to stop in his basket ; tumbling out 

 head first, and hobbling about the room ; then, as his 

 strength increased, he walked and flew about outside 

 the house ; always coming at night to sleep on our 

 window. In the morning, as soon as it was light, he 

 would fly in, and wake us up by settling on us and 

 pecking us gently. Then, having given us his morning 

 greeting, he would depart on his rounds outside ; and 

 presently we would hear him on the top of the house, 

 or on the wire fence, practising some of his endless 

 variety of noises ; imitating the fowls, the donkeys, the 



dogs, or holding long conversations with himself, the 

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