180 HOME LIFE ON AN OSTRICH FARM. 



was a true humourist, and knew that his joke was 

 more telling when made with serious face and grave 

 deportment. 



He would lie " dead," flat on his back, with his blue 

 eyelids drawn up over his eyes ; remaining motionless 

 for any length of time we chose, and waiting for the 

 word of command, when he would scramble to his feet 

 in a great hurry, with a self-satisfied croak at his own 

 cleverness. He would hang by his bill from one of 

 our fingers, which he had swallowed to its point of 

 junction with the hand ; and, with his wings drooping, 

 and his legs hanging straight down in a limp and help- 

 less manner, looking altogether a most strange and 

 grotesque object, would allow us to carry him about 

 wherever we liked. A little string of dark red beads, 

 brought from Jerusalem, would always throw him into 

 a perfect frenzy of real or pretended fright probably 

 the latter ; and if they were put anywhere near him, 

 or, worse still, flung across his back, he at once com- 

 menced a series of startling antics, jumping and hopping 

 about as if possessed, and uttering very uncanny 

 sounds. 



As the time for our return to England drew near, 

 we made up our minds that we could not leave Bobby 

 behind he must be one of the little party of friendly 

 animals which were to accompany us home ; and we 

 were already discussing in what kind of cage or box he 

 should travel, wondering how he would like being en- 

 closed in so small a space, and how he would behave at 

 sea ; friends in England had promised him a welcome, 



