8o FEATHERED FRIENDS. 



in my case). I had turned the Bicudo out, as I have 

 related, and the aviary in which I placed his cage with 

 its door open, was a large one, some seventy feet long 

 or thereabouts. It was divided into two parts. I might 

 almost say three, for the first part had a small brick 

 house attached to it, entrance to which was effected 

 from the flight by an aperture similar to those in use 

 in dovecotes, and there my birds were accustomed for 

 the most part to roost; it was lighted by a window that 

 was made to open and shut from the outside and the 

 glass was protected by a piece of wire netting placed 

 inside. 



The Bicudo, as I have said, was greatly delighted, 

 and I lefc him for the night with a very comfortable 

 feeling as to his future well-being, but next morning 

 when I went down to feed my birds, the brave Brazilian 

 Bullfinch was not anywhere to be seen. I searched for 

 him high and low, in the open portion of the aviary 

 and in the covered- in part, but without finding any 

 trace of him, and just as I was giving up the quest in 

 despair and deciding that he must, unperceived by me, 

 have darted out over my head as I entered, I heard his 

 well-known "cheep", and on looking round perceived 

 the truant clinging to the wires of the partition that 

 divided the aviary. But he was on the other side of 

 itl How in the world had he managed to get there? 



An inspection of the partition revealed a weak place in 

 it, where some of the binding wire had given way and, 



