THE TROOPIAL. 1.37 



there, and dwells in undisturbed splendor and ease until captured, and civilized in 

 our drawing-rooms and parlors. He soon becomes very tame, and devoted to his 

 master or mistress, and is a friend to anybody who is friendly with him : this is 

 due to his fondness for high living, and any one who is kind enough to present him 

 with a sweet banana or orange will have his name put down on Troopial's visiting- 

 list. It is too true that he is somewhat of a glutton : his love of sweetmeats is his 

 great folly, and is the chief cause of his ailments. He is, however, a remarkably 

 healthy bird, and lives to a ripe old age ; cases being known where a specimen has 

 lived twenty years in confinement. Troopials are very easily cared for ; since their 

 appetites are unlimited, and they are quite capable of eating any thing on a modern 

 bill of fare. In taking care of them, vary the food as much as possible. Let the 

 prepared Mocking-bird food, mixed with grated carrot, form the principal diet : 

 this should be varied at times with fruits of all kinds. He is particularly fond of 

 bananas and oranges, which should be ripe. These may be supplemented by 

 grapes, cherries, apples, pears, or. in fact, fruit of any kind, which is sweet and 

 ripe ; and occasionally a few meal-worms, spiders, or grasshoppers should be given 

 them, as they are insectivorous in their wild state. Occasional favors in this line 

 of dainties will cause this feathered epicure to cut a new antic, or perform a new 

 trick, with a readiness which well repays the slight trouble of extra feeding. 

 Where insects cannot be had, a few morsels of scraped raw beef will be found 

 beneficial. It must be borne in mind, that the principal cause of the Troopial's 

 diseases comes from overfeeding, which is only counteracted by giving a variety of 

 fruits and insects. 



One of his chief delights is the daily plunge : he is a very clean bird, and in 

 many instances will bathe his water away before finding out that he has forgotten to 

 take a drink. He should be given a bath daily, and an abundance of fresh gravel 

 should be kept in the cage. It is a good idea to keep a few small-sized pebbles in 

 the bottom of the cage ; as he is a very inquisitive fellow, and will turn them over 

 and play with them with as much ardor as a child at work dissecting a sawdust- 

 stuffed baby : these serve to amuse him, and keep his attention from the feast. It 

 is much better 'to allow the Troopial the run of the house or a room than to restrain 

 him in a narrow cage : to be sure, he may do some little mischief by giving the 

 pussy a sly poke in the ribs with his sharp beak, or displace some small article of 

 value in his efforts to discover something new to eat ; but, beyond this, his freedom 

 is harmless. He is not easily frightened, and the approach of a stranger does not 

 disturb him : he is not like the best baby in the house in respect to showing off 

 before company, but will display his accomplishments with as much good-nature 

 before a crowd as if he were simply amusing his master. He is very fond of walk- 

 ing along the ground, and his peculiar rolling motion resembles an old sea-dog 

 ashore after a three-years' cruise. As Troopial rolls along the floor, he closely 

 inspects every thing which happens in his way, and will carefully turn over and pry 

 into it, and hop along until something else attracts his attention. A Troopial should 

 always be kept in a cage by himself ; as, if kept in a cage with other soft-food birds, 

 he would be apt to divide the food served up into two parts, the rich and the poor, 

 with more than even chances of reserving the rich food for himself. Mr. Troopial 

 is a good-natured and very sociable fellow, but unselfishness is not one of his virtues. 



