274 FEATHERED FRIENDS. 



bayan and commiserating his loneliness, I one day 

 bought a nice matronly Blue Rock Pigeon in Rye Lane 

 and introduced her to him, when he hailed her advent 

 with every demonstration of satisfaction. 



At once the old fellow changed his note "Tis a pity, 

 so it isl" which since his widowhood, or at least since 

 his last children had grown up, he had been in the 

 habit of indulging in from early dawn till after dusk, 

 for another that resembled the words "Ha! hoo! hool 

 ha! hoo! hool" repeated a number of times as he 

 pranced about the aviary with fanned tail, bowing head 

 and drooping wings after my Lady Blue. 



All his blandishments, however, were of no avail : 

 the Pigeon rejected every advance with scorn, and after 

 an interval of bootless courtship he resumed his inter- 

 rupted cry of "'Tis a pity, so it is!" which was cer- 

 tainly a very aggravating one when repeated so con- 

 stantly and in such a mournful key. 



Sometimes he diversified it with another that 

 sounded like "You're a stoopid thing, hoo, hool" and 

 at last the neighbours complained of the annoyance 

 and I had to send the poor old chap away. 



That I am not fanciful in my interpretation of his 

 cry, was proved by a lady asking me one day what 

 sort of Parrot it was in my aviary that was always 

 calling out "What a pity!" and his other expression 

 "You're a stoopid thing!" was equally unmistakable. 



But I have anticipated a little. After a time my Lady 



