THE MOCKING-BIRD'S JOKES 305 



and lie down" or in some other way makes sport 

 of the confiding canine. The Mocking-bird also 

 appears to be a bird of much malicious humour ; 

 at any rate Colonel Roosevelt tells of one which 

 made a point of pecking a quiet old dog's tail 

 whenever he dared to raise it above the horizontal ; 

 and I have seen one in the London Zoo which, in 

 the course of a few minutes, mocked the notes 

 of a Bulbul (Pycnonotus) much to that bird's appar- 

 ent annoyance, chased another smaller bird about 

 the aviary till it clung to the wires panting, then 

 left it and proceeded with much stealth to steal a 

 stick from a pair of silly Pigeons which were making 

 a futile attempt to nest on the grass-plot in the 

 centre of the aviary. Among other groups than 

 Passerines, Cockatoos, Lories, and Cranes are remark- 

 able for their playfulness, which seems never to 

 leave them at any age. 



Pigeons, being clumsy and harmless birds, come 

 in for a good deal of attention from practical 

 jokers in feathers ; I have seen a Peregrine Falcon 

 which haunted the Calcutta Museum buildings in 

 winter amusing himself by swooping down on some 

 tame ones and then " throwing up " at the last 

 moment, for he had a truce with his neighbours 

 and did not kill on the premises ; and, at the other 

 extreme, one may often see them in London chased 

 on the wing by the mischievous Sparrow, and 

 putting on great pace and some most active twisting 

 to escape the attack in the rear threatened by the 

 impudent little wretch. I have seen the Sparrow 

 20 



