140 THE TRIBES ON MY FRONTIER. 



belongs to the butler. When he calls it, it flies to him and 

 settles on his head ; and when I call it, imitating the 

 butler's voice as well as I can, it winks at me and says 

 "Walker." I think mynas share with crows the second 

 place after the green parrot. They have not its solid 



faculties, but they are 



as 'cute as Yankees. 



It is a question whether 



tftp^/ ^'^j ^ e king-crow equals 



dSp Sfetewl these in intellect, but 



j^B^^^^H^w he leaves the whole 



^ < fjp^ bird tribe far behind 



in originality and 



force of character. Wherever he may be, he takes the first 

 place as a matter of course. His jovial spirits and easy 

 mastery of the situation are equally irresistible. He does 

 not come into the house, the telegraph wire suits him 

 better. Perched on it, he can see what is going on, and 

 keep all the other inhabitants of the compound in order. 

 He drops, beak foremost, on the back of the kite, levies 

 the tribute of a feather from the passing crow, and jeers 

 the blue jay as it goes rolling by, like a ship in a heavy 

 swell, with a lazy flapping of its rainbow-coloured wings. 



