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the bulldog would sit on the stairs and howl enough to take the

roof off, and the toy black-and-tan would whine until tears ran

down her face. It was quite a concert. A few years ago, when they

wanted to nest, we wired off part of a bedroom and put great

logs of wood in, and they enjoyed it tremendously. They picked

the wall paper off in strips, and nibbled holes all round the frame

work of the window ; so we did not put them up there again.”

How I cried with laughter as I pictured that scene, described

with such unconscious humour.


I wrote one day to their late owner pathetically bewailing

their destructiveness. His answer was not encouraging. “I am

not surprised at your account of the ruined aviary. When I first

had the Cockatoos I wired off a large bay window in a spare

bedroom, and, as I thought, protected every piece of woodwork

with wire. Unless I had seen it I would never have believed

the destruction done by the pair in a few hours. The window

sashes were nibbled the whole length, and a broad board about

nine inches under that around the ceiling had pieces out as large

as a tea saucer. To this day I cannot imagine how they supported

themselves in doing the mischief.” (I can though. They hang

head doivnivaids and go to work.—C.D.F.) The letter continues,

“ Their seed was supplied in biscuit tins, and these had their sides

torn out and flattened. They seemed possessed of the ‘old gentle¬

man,’ and did this mischief out of pure cussedness. After all my

time and trouble I was obliged to return them to their cage, for

I believe they would otherwise have wrecked the house ! About

three years ago, when I was taking out the spaniels for a walk,

the birds managed to undo the wire fastening of the cage. Rose

(now the Queen of Sheba.—C. D. F.) went round the room

knocking down ornaments, and Solomon got out at the French

window. At that time the drainage was in progress, and at the

opening opposite this house the cutting was thirty feet deep.

Being the most dangerous part of the road, an old watchman

was posted there. My wife asked if he would catch the bird ;


‘ All right, mum,’ he said, and hobbled after Solomon. Shortly

after he cried out, ‘ Ive got him, mum’—then there was a brief

scuffle, accompanied by dreadfully sulphureous language ; then


he groaned aloud, and exclaimed, ‘ By-, lie’s got me ! ’ He


had, too, in the fleshy part of the palm of the hand, and hung

on like a bulldog ; even when we had managed to get him back

into the cage he was still holding on. The man bled like a pig,

and made the carpet in a nice mess.”


However, I felt I was fairly in for it, and as they were



