132 THE BULLFINCH. 



his cage, his open beak and threatening attitude 

 plainly proved that he considered them unwel- 

 come intruders. 



When his kind mistress died, he was taken 

 by her daughter, Mrs. F. to her distant resi- 

 dence in the west of England, to which we have 

 before alluded. He soon selected Mrs. F. and 

 her youngest daughter Mary for his peculiar fa- 

 vourites : to the other members of the family 

 he seemed, for some time, perfectly indiiferent. 

 Mary scarcely knew, at first, how to manage with 

 all her pets. Her little dog, and her demure tor- 

 toiseshell cat, (a most accomplished bird-catcher,) 

 had long been established as inmates of the par- 

 lour, and would not patiently brook the indignity 

 of being discarded for a new friend. But how 

 could the feathered favourite be permitted to 

 have the free range of the apartment, while his 

 natural enemies were in the room ? This dif- 

 ficulty, however, was soon overcome ; for it was 

 not long before they became so well acquainted, 

 as to take little notice of each other ; and the cat 

 and bird have been accidentally left together, 

 without any disastrous consequences. 



It is impossible for those who never saw this 

 interesting bird, to imagine the discriminating 

 fondness he displayed for those who were the 

 objects of his affection. The reasons which 



