A WINTER BIRD-STUDY. 49 



go into his cage when on the floor, he refused 

 to fly up to it, though not more than one foot 

 higher. I had to accustom him gradually, in 

 this way : the first day or two I placed the 

 cage upon one book; he hesitated, delayed, 

 stayed out for hours, till hunger forced him to 

 venture the little hop that reached the perch 

 running out from his door. When used to that 

 height, I inserted two books, and he repeated 

 the performance. Thus gradually, and in the 

 course of weeks, I induced him to fly as high 

 as a common table to reach his door, but to this 

 day he will starve before he will enter his cage 

 when standing on top of a low bookcase, 

 though he will fly to the top of it, or to the 

 cornices over the windows, with ease. Also he 

 never enters his door except from the right 

 side ; however it is placed, or wherever he may 

 be when he starts for home, from the right 

 alone will he go in. When in haste, he can fly 

 across the room and into his door unerringly ; 

 but if at leisure, he describes a circle around 

 the cage or the table it is on, approaches the 

 door on the proper side, flies to the perch, and 

 runs in. 



The most amusing manifestation of my 

 thrush's disapproval of change was his recep- 

 tion of a picture I pinned upon the wall. It 

 was a highly-colored chromo about a foot 



4 



