AND OTHER BIRDS 135 



fed to the nestlings beginning as a masticated 

 poultice, and ending as a granulated dribble. 

 The artist at his work will always endeavour to 

 give the whole process an air of reality the 

 woodland touch allowing the little fellows to 

 climb from his boots upwards over his stockings 

 and tweeds. I always hoped that rough Harris 

 cloth might be a substitute for ironwood bark. 



Each Parrakeet in turn was manipulated on 

 to the wrist and fed on the moistened paste, 

 absorbing it with ceaseless little noises of delight 

 and gratitude, and these always rising to a per- 

 fect storm of happy gurgling notes when the 

 dribble was reached. At Tutira, owing to bad 

 weather, the birds were for a day or two confined 

 to my writing room, and as was their custom in 

 strange quarters, the curtain pole and curtains 

 were at once inspected. These articles of 

 furniture always attracted immediate attention, 

 and up and down the drapery the little creatures 

 would climb, peering into the folds and clinging 

 to the cloth. 



Polished woodwork, on the other hand, was 

 abhorrent to them, and especially tables, upon 

 which they moved very gingerly like beginners 

 on skates, and with wide-spread legs. Indeed 

 after a while the birds rarely alighted on the 

 table, or, if an exception was made, did so 

 cautiously, and with wings half open so as 

 to preclude the possibility of sliding on their 

 shiny toes. 



I may mention that from the day the trio came 

 into my possession, they had been, for ulterior 

 purposes, most thoroughly broken to the cage 

 and made to look upon it as the place where pips, 

 bits of apples, and all sorts of small delicacies 

 were to be expected. Sometimes the door would 



