RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. 139 



loudness of song. When he was scolded, 

 he would retire to the upper perch of his 

 cage, bristle out his feathers and utter the 

 words "poor Dick! poor Dick!" so pite- 

 ously that he was immediately forgiven 

 for his amusing fault. The talents of this 

 singular bird did not rest here. He imi- 

 tated everything which struck his ear. 

 The crowing of a cock was equal, though 

 in a minor key, to that of the tame "Ban- 

 tam," who strutted about in the neigh- 

 bouring yard; and the close imitation of 

 the mournful "coo" of the Pigeons, who 

 sat upon the adjacent roofs, was strikingly 

 accurate and beautiful. 



Another of these birds, which I after- 

 wards possessed, owned an almost equal 

 degree of power, but was poisoned, before 

 he perfected his education, by a fellow 

 lodger in the house where I resided, who 

 complained that his early song prevented 

 him from sleeping. 



Birds of this kind are frequently kept 

 by the fanciers, to whom they are brought 



