ter. This was Friday. Saturday I con 

 tinued to feed it every hour and oftener 

 if it called, and in the late afternoon the 

 birdling first helped itself to food. That 

 ended my services as nurse. Henceforth 

 I studied the diet and disposition of my 

 bird and sought to keep it healthy and 

 happy. I read that grated carrot was 

 nice food and I took pains to bring in a 

 fresh carrot from the garden every morn 

 ing. Sand I furnished daily, and my 

 Bluebird grew and throve. It soon began 

 to trill a little song, sweet and low but 

 very musical. 



Flies and spiders are its special relish. 

 Fearing a time when I could not get 

 such luxuries for it, I one day scraped a 

 little beefsteak and gave it to the bird. 

 This was even better than the insect 

 dainties. Berries, lettuce, cherries, sweet 

 corn, oatmeal, crackers, and celery vary 

 the bill of fare. 



I do not know the gender of my pet 

 but certain dainty ways make me think 

 of it and speak of it as lady bird. Is the 

 bird happy? Yes, if her daily song and 

 her affection for her friends tell any 

 thing of her frame of mind. She is a 

 source of constant pleasure and study to 

 tfs at home and we delight in trying to 

 interpret her different notes. For in 

 stance a long shrill note sounding much 

 like "Come here, come here," tells us 

 she is lonesome and wants some one to 

 talk to her, sit near her or to take her 

 out for recreation. She has another call 

 for food while her alarm note of "Quit, 

 quit, quit" will bring the whole house 

 hold to her relief. This is invariably 

 her call if the cat approaches her cage, 

 but of the dog she has no fear. Often 

 when out of the cage she will alight on 



his head or back. She knows every mem 

 ber of the family and is perfectly fearless 

 with us. Sometimes I will put my hand 

 into the cage and ask her if she wants to 

 come out. Nearly always she will hop 

 into it and nestle there till out of the 

 cage. Then she is ready for any diver 

 sion and she seems to expect to be enter 

 tained as a visitor, too, manifesting im 

 patience, sometimes scolding if she is 

 not satisfied with the attention given 

 her. She answers readily to her name 

 going from one friend to another as she 

 is called. She will perch on the finger 

 of one and preen her pretty feathers, fly 

 to another and pause long enough to 

 sing her bluebird song, then alighting on 

 my desk, she will make a queer medley 

 of the pens, pencils and so forth. She 

 examines every new thing and if it does 

 not please the little midget's fancy she 

 will charge at it with rumpled feathers 

 and snapping bill. 



She has her playthings too. Tooth 

 picks, a gaily colored marble and a tiny 

 bell are her familiar toys. She is quite 

 vain and will stand many minutes before 

 a glass admiring herself in different 

 poses. She is shy of strangers and will 

 protest loudly if we attempt to take her 

 from the cage when anyone strange to 

 her is in the room. 



Her cage is her home and she objects 

 to a change of quarters. Put her into 

 another cage and she will fret contin 

 uously till put back to her accustomed 

 place. One can scarcely credit the great 

 intelligence in that wee bit of bird-life, 

 but what I have written of my pet is true 

 in every particular and I'll be happy to 

 introduce her to any bird-lover who 

 wishes to make her acquaintance. 



BERTIE M. PHILLIPS. 



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