HE APPEARED TO REASON. 69 



Liberty the mocking-bird emphatically en- 

 joyed, and at once recognized a string attached 

 to his door as a device to deprive him of it ; 

 after vainly trying to pick it apart, he betook 

 himself to another cage, and refused to go back 

 to his own. In any strange cage he stood 

 quietly while I walked up to him, and made no 

 attempt to leave his quarters, knowing perfectly 

 well that I did not care to shut the door upon 

 him ; but when at home I could not lift my 

 hands, or make the slightest movement, with- 

 out causing him to dart out of the cage in- 

 stantly. Having contention with his room- 

 mates about the bits of apple put out for all to 

 enjoy, he often carried away a piece to eat at 

 his leisure. From habit he flew first to the top 

 of a cage, that being his favorite perching place ; 

 but he evidently appreciated that, if he dropped 

 the morsel, he should lose it through the wires ; 

 and after looking one side and the other, plainly 

 satisfying himself of this fact, he went to the 

 table with it. I never before saw a bird who 

 did not have to learn the treacherous nature of 

 cage roofs by experience. He appeared to work 

 things out in his mind, to reason, in truth. 

 One cold morning in spring, when the furnace 

 fire was out, a large, brilliant lamp was put by 

 his cage to take off the chill, for he felt changes 

 keenly. He seemed to understand it at once, 



