68 TAKING NOTES. 



too much liberty and too many interests about 

 him ; whatever the reason, I thanked him for 

 it, and heartily enjoyed the study of his man- 

 ners. 



The bird was perhaps the most intelligent 

 one I ever watched, the cat-bird being his only 

 rival in that regard. Fear was unknown to 

 him, and from the moment of his arrival he 

 was interested in everything that took place 

 around him ; looking at each bird in succession ; 

 making close study of every member of the 

 family ; noticing the sounds of the street, in- 

 cluding the sparrow broils on the porch-roof ; 

 in fact, extremely wide-awake and observing. 

 To the goldfinch's song he gave attention, 

 standing motionless except for a slight nervous 

 jerk of one wing, looking and listening as in- 

 tently as though studying the notes for future 

 use. The freedom of the birds in the room sur- 

 prised him, as he showed plainly by the eager 

 glances with which he followed every movement 

 and marked each act. Upon joining the party 

 of the free, he took note of pictures in a news- 

 paper, distinguishing objects in the cut, which 

 he tried to pick up, as a small wheel and a bar. 

 In colors he had a choice, and his selection was 

 red ; from a vase of roses of many hues he 

 never failed to draw out the red one to pull it 

 to pieces on the floor. 



