WOOD AND WASTE 195 



pearing shortly afterwards, the lot finally 

 perched on the railings. There for some 

 little time ''No. 5" watched the others 

 feeding, and at last quietly flew on to my 

 daughter's head, hopping after a while on 

 to my wife's arm, and then on to her 

 shoulder, but still refusing the bread offered, 

 and always attempting to pluck the finger 

 ti^DS. So trustful, however, was the bird 

 that even on this, his first close connection 

 with us, when his mates scattered in one of 

 their sudden panics, he quietly remained. 



For long this bird had been about the 

 pjace, and had evidently noted that we were 

 entirely to be confided in, and that his 

 friends were obtaining food. These facts he 

 must have pondered over for months, while 

 "Pidgy," "Kulm," "Uncle Harry," and, 

 later, "No. 4" Vv^re filling their crops and 

 making themselves very much at home with 

 us. It was not, however, for another six 

 or seven weeks after the date mentioned 

 that he actually took bread from our 

 hands. That amount of time was still ap- 

 parently necessary to work out the bread 

 and finger tips problem. "No. 5" has for 



