THE BIRD INSULTED. 223 



brigade " and presented to the chronicler. These 

 boys, whose help was indispensable to the col- 

 lector, were a study in themselves. They were 

 familiar with the habits, songs, and food of every 

 bird in the woods, as well as expert in imitating 

 the note of each one, and by this means drawing 

 him to the fatal limed twigs. The interesting 

 birds of the mountains, the sifEeur, the trem- 

 bleur, and others, they attracted by a peculiar 

 hissing noise. 



The bird brought to Mr. Ober had been 

 caught by bird-lime and was unhurt, but greatly 

 mortified and insulted by his treatment. He 

 seemed at first dazed, and utterly silent. But 

 after a while he gave utterance to a cry of 

 distress, which he repeated at intervals on that 

 first morning, particularly when people came too 

 near him. Before night he evidently realized 

 the uselessness of protests, and became silent. 

 He never for a moment displayed the wild ter- 

 ror and panic seen in most birds when first 

 caught. 



The next morning he ate berries and drank 

 fresh water calmly and without fear; but for 

 several days he did not utter a sound. One 

 of the peculiarities of these birds is their fear- 

 lessness in the presence of man, or perhaps 

 more correctly their intelligence, which prevents 

 them, as it does our native thrushes, from be- 



