ASNAPPER. 77 



suggested the name of the Assyrian king, the 

 " noble Asnapper," and this, familiarly con- 

 tracted to " Snap " for every-day use, became the 

 recognised title of our new pet. 



Asnapper lived quietly enough during the day 

 in a large cage well covered from the light, but 

 towards evening, when he had enjoyed his second 

 repast of raw meat, he began to wake up and 

 long for exercise. He was allowed his liberty in 

 the house, and made full use of this privilege by 

 going about from room to room, either running 

 along the floor like a grey rabbit, or taking short 

 flights with his noiseless wings. He would gravely 

 pursue his way up the stairs a step at a time, and 

 seemed to enjoy watching cattle in the fields whilst 

 sitting motionless on a window-sill. 



o 



Until the bird could feed himself it would have 

 been no kindness to let him go out of doors and 

 starve, so I resolved to make the creature's life as 

 happy as possible, whilst I had thus a good oppor- 

 tunity of learning the habits of an interesting 

 species of bird. I could not help being somewhat 

 afraid of his formidable curved beak, which looked 

 as if it could inflict a severe wound, but I soon 



