" BLUEY ' 81 



that seemed tame and tractable, and carried him 

 home that very day. The parents did not appear 

 to notice the theft, for the kidnapped bird uttered 

 no sound as we carried him off. 



From the very beginning he bore promise of 

 having a somewhat unusual disposition ; tame, 

 confiding, affectionate and full of little tricks that 

 were an endless source of pleasure to us all. 

 Knowing what his colour would be in the near 

 future, though at present he was spotted with tints 

 of bluish gray, we by common consent bestowed 

 the name of " Bluey " on our pet, and it was not 

 long before he feathered himself to suit his name. 



Of course all young birds require feeding by 

 hand until after they reach their full size, and 

 Bluey was no exception to the rule, but, unlike 

 other fledglings, he was by no means content to 

 sit on his perch and be fed in the regular way. 

 He demanded far more attention and, if you 

 please, must needs have a person's finger upon 

 which to stand, while he received mouthful after 

 mouthful of mashed potato and egg. The quantity 

 he ate was out of all proportion to his diminutive 

 size ; in less than two days he would consume an 

 amount of food about equal to his own bulk. As 

 he grew older less food would satisfy him, but still 

 his appetite remained most excellent. 



Looked at from the standpoint of an orthodox 

 cage bird, Bluey, during the first few months, 

 could not be considered a success ; in fact, he 

 objected thoroughly to being confined to a cage, 

 and fought continually ; this, however, was our 

 own fault, as we allowed him so much freedom 



W.L.C. o 



