A WINTER BIRD-STUDY. 57 



fused the worms, and was wild for the meat, 

 which he will eat ravenously, till his crop stands 

 out, and he really cannot swallow another mor- 

 sel. 



This bird's passion for strings is troublesome, 

 since they always mat into a lump and must be 

 thrown up ; but worst of all is a fatal propen- 

 sity for eating the hairs which, in spite of utmost 

 care, he will now and then pick up on the floor. 

 The first trouble is to get them down. He will 

 swallow one end, and then be nearly mad with 

 annoyance from the piece left hanging, shak- 

 ing his head, rubbing his bill, and becoming 

 greatly excited, but the notion of giving up the 

 object never occurs to him. If it hangs down 

 several inches I can often secure the end in 

 my fingers, when a struggle at once ensues, he 

 holding on to his end, and I to mine, till I win, 

 which I alwa} T s do, of course. On one occasion 

 he swallowed the two ends of a hair, leaving a 

 loop around his lower bill. It seemed as if he 

 would be crazy, but I could not help him with- 

 out catching him, which I never do unless im- 

 portant, for I don't wish my birds to associate 

 any unpleasant experience with me. After he 

 has collected in his internal reservoir as many 

 threads, strings, hairs and so forth as he can 

 hold, there comes a time when he mopes on his 

 perch, sometimes for a day, unable to eat, hun- 



