234 FEATHERED FRIENDS. 



reduce, and found them excellent eating, save on the 

 rare occasion when I chanced to engage a veteran 

 whose pectorals defied mastication, even after a pro- 

 longed course of stewing. 



At last what an infinite world of meaning is con- 

 densed into those simple words! at last, I saw an 

 advertisement offering a pair that were said to have 

 been hand- reared, for the very modest sum of half-a- 

 crown. I wrote to the address given, and in due course 

 received the birds, which were all and indeed more 

 than all my fancy had painted them, for they were in 

 magnificent condition, but, unfortunately, rather wild. 



I turned them out at once into my aviary, which 

 was a decidedly unwise thing to do, and they presently 

 began to dash themselves about until they made their 

 handsome foreheads bleed by knocking them against 

 the roof, and that although I had immediately run 

 away and left them alone to settle down and recover 

 from their alarm. 



After a while they grew calmer, but not, as I 

 afterwards found out, until they had completely exhausted 

 themselves by their silly and unreasoning antics. 



There was plenty of food scattered about, and 

 presently some one who was on the watch at a dis- 

 tance in a window saw them alight on the ground and 

 drink, their exertions having no doubt made them feel 

 thirsty; then they hurriedly picked up a few grains of 

 corn and directly afterwards recommenced their mad 



