BIRDS OF PREY 155 



when at liberty, and he has a most evil temper when 

 in confinement. It is most annoying to find that 

 he will perch on your finger one moment a clean, 

 compact, bright-looking bird and the next he will 

 fall backwards, a frantic yelling heap of feathers, 

 hanging and flapping by the jesses on his legs. 



My two had a particular weakness for doing 

 mischief. The last escapade on the part of the 

 female caused me to give them their liberty. My 

 near neighbour cultivated flowers ; he had some very 

 choice ones and a splendid show of them ; his little 

 conservatory was a mass of blooms. One unlucky 

 morning, when I was making some little alterations 

 in her jesses, she dashed off and away, out of sight 

 like a flash. Before I could guess where she had got 

 to, we heard a voice calling most earnestly to us to 

 come and catch something. The door of my neigh- 

 bour's little paradise was open, the morning being 

 warm, and the feathered evil had dashed in. Before 

 I could reach the place she had done a great amount 

 of damage, for finding herself in close quarters she 

 had dashed about and cut with her strong wings in 

 all directions fuchsias, geraniums, carnations, and 

 lilies, completely ruining them for the season. Words 

 are inadequate to express the look on the face of 

 their injured owner. ' Catch her, will you, as quick 



