106 NEWS FROM THE BIRDS. 



A small girl in the neighborliood was the 

 object of Polly's special dislike, and whenever 

 she came into the house the bird would re- 

 peat, in scornful tones, " Don't like her ! don't 

 like her!" ' 



A serious mishap overtook Polly one day — 

 one that might have proved fatal. She had a 

 sort of rack about live feet high, on which she 

 spent a large part of her time. On the day 

 of which I speak the rack was placed out in 

 the summer kitchen, where her mistress was at 

 work. Under the floor there was a cistern, 

 Avhich was reached by a trapdoor, and this 

 door happened to be oj^en. In some way Polly's 

 rack was thrown over, hurling her into the 

 cistern, where she paddled about on the cold 

 water, crying at the top of her voice. At the 

 same time her mistress, almost beside herself 

 with fright, and entirely helpless, rushed about 

 the house calling, '^ Polly's in the cistern ! 

 Polly's in the cistern ! Oh ! oh ! " 



I was, fortunately, not far off, and hearing 

 the alarm, rushed into the kitchen, and thrust- 

 ing the water pail into the cistern with a pole 

 used for that purpose, succeeded at length in 

 getting it under the poor bird, so that she 

 could seize the rim with her claws. How 

 she laughed when she was lifted out ! The 



