148 STRANGE USE OF THE FJ^ET. 



His feet were always " used to save his head " 

 (contrary to our grandmothers' teachings). 

 When he made the usual attempt to fly through 

 the window on his first outing in the room, he 

 went feet first against it, and thus saved him- 

 self a bumped head. His movements were ab- 

 rupt in the extreme, and always so unexpected 

 that he frequently threw the whole feathered 

 family into a panic, apparently without the 

 least intention of doing so. Standing beside the 

 cage of another bird, he would wheel quickly 

 and face the other way, absolutely nothing 

 more, but doing this in a manner so startling 

 that the occupant of the cage scolded roundly. 

 He specially delighted in clambering all over 

 the cage of a goldfinch, acting as if he should 

 tear it in pieces, and greatly annoying the small 

 bird. He often flew up the side of the window 

 casing, as though climbing it like a ladder, his 

 feet touching it now and then ; and he did the 

 same on the curtains of coarse net. Again he 

 flew across the room before the three windows, 

 turning to each one in turn, planted his feet 

 squarely on the linen shade, as on the wall 

 above mentioned, and without a pause passed 

 to the end of the room, and touched it with his 

 feet in the same strange way. Often when 

 standing for the moment perfectly still before 

 a window, he suddenly flew up, put both feet in 



