228 ORIOLE INCOMPATIBILITY. 



minutes, lest slie should enjoy something he could 

 deprive her of. She was of a happy tempera- 

 ment; she contented herself with what was 

 given her. If she could not have pear, she cheer- 

 fully ate bread and milk ; while if my lord could 

 not have pear, he would starve. She had large 

 dark eyes, and soft, delicate colors, with legs and 

 feet the tint of light blue kid ; but her liege 

 lord was in the immature plumage of the second 

 year, with black mask covering his small eyes. 



Hardly were the two orioles let out into the 

 room when they began to investigate the won- 

 ders about them : one flew to the fringe of a 

 window-shade, and hung head down w^hile try- 

 ing with sharp beak to pry open the cords ; the 

 other devoted itself to unraveling the mysteries 

 of books and boxes, very soon learning to open 

 both with the same prying instrument. The 

 slats of the blinds were appropriated as ladders 

 to run up and down, and every few moments 

 one disappeared in some hole, never hesitating 

 to creep through the smallest opening. Madam 

 went up out of sight among the springs of a 

 stuffed chair, while her mate set himself the 

 task of pulling out the stitches of embroidery 

 on a toilet cushion, with perfect success. Hav- 

 ing exhausted this amusement, he looked about 

 for new worlds to conquer, and soon found sun- 

 dry holes in the wall-paper, where I suppose 



