Preening my Feathers 47 



" To see her stretch one would think her 

 tiny body was as full of sleep as that of a 

 giant. First, one leg goes sprawling out as 

 far as she can reach, and, with a spasmodic 

 little kick, she brings it back into position, 

 to push out the other. Then each wing in 

 succession is stretched out, and sometimes, 

 whether purposely or not I do not know, she 

 lets the feathers comb through her claw. 



But the most interesting of her " stretch- 

 ings " comes when I put her on the window- 

 sill and something goes on outside that she 

 becomes interested in and wishes to see. 

 She stretches up her little legs until it ap- 

 pears as if she were on stilts, and then, elongat- 

 ing her neck to more than twice its ordinary 

 length, she veritably appears to be a tall bird 

 with a long neck. Her excitement at such 

 times is intense. She prances and cranes, 

 and looks first out of one eye and then out 

 of the other, hops back and forth, dances up 

 and down, and generally shows a tremendous 

 interest for so small a body." 



