388 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [12:9— Dec, 1916 



amount of eatables, as to quite lose her poise and come to the floor 

 of the cage in a very, abrupt manner. Can she be a water-bird 

 that she bathes so often ! and what bird is there that takes better 

 care of her plumage than Tee-Dee. 



She is allowed to fly about the house an hour or two every day, 

 she flies well long before she feeds herself. Nothing escapes the 

 glance of her sharp eye or the test of her skillful beak ; you have 

 no need of pins, needles or buttons, little one, they must be hid 

 away, and your messages are far sweeter sung than written, so 

 the pen and ink must be put aside too. O, yes, you may play 

 house with those bright colored strings, if you wish, you have 

 pulled them apart, now see if you can weave them together, 

 there is no doubt but that you will contrive a real home of your 

 own some day. You have scattered the calling-cards about in 

 every direction, please return them to their holder. When play- 

 time is ended she is not always ready to return to the cage and 

 gives the Friend a lively chase, she flits here and goes there, now 

 she stops a moment on the back of the chair! She is almost in 

 hand, there she flies to the top of the chandelier ! See her balance 

 herself over that boquet of white lilies on the mantel! Now 

 she stays a minute on the top of that picture and at length comes 

 to rest on the top of the mirror near the ceiling ! Miss Mary tired 

 out sits down to rest, the truant knows that the play is over and, 

 being ready for a lunch, allows herself to become a captive. 



At the sound of the Victrola and the piano she becomes quiet 

 and listens with rapt attention till the strains of music cease. 

 Her calls are tuneful and she bids fair to become a contralto singer 

 of considerable note. She taps the brass ornaments of the chande- 

 lier with her bill and enjoys the tinkle. The children call it 

 Tee Dee's piano, and she never fails to perform on it every day. 



She pipes back answer to her feathered neighbors in their own 

 strains, they look! they listen! "What bird may this be that 

 knows all of our songs and presumes to sing them too!" As for 

 her own daily needs but few call-notes are necessary, what with 

 a poise of the head to one side, a flirt of the tail up and down and a 

 series of inflections and modulations of her voice no doubt is left 

 in the mind as to what she wants. 



Yes, she is an artist, no doubt of that, for did not Miss Mary 

 come into the sitting-room one day just as Tee Dee was hopping 

 up and down on the colored pictures which covered the sides of a 



