76 "TRICKS AND MANNERS" OF A CAT-BIRD. 



ered friends differ in disposition as do his hu- 

 man ones. My cat-bird is a decided character, 

 with more intelligence than any other bird I 

 have observed. The first trait I noticed, and 

 perhaps the strongest, was curiosity. It was ex- 

 tremely interesting to see him make acquaint- 

 ance with my room, the first he had ever been 

 free to investigate. 



Usually, with birds long caged, it is at first 

 hard to induce them to come out. I have been 

 obliged actually to starve them to it, placing 

 food and water outside, and repeating it for 

 many days, before they would come out freely, 

 and not be frightened. Not so with the cat- 

 bird. The moment he found that a certain 

 perch I had just put into his cage led into the 

 room through the open door, he ran out upon 

 it, and stood at the end, surveying his new 

 territory. 



Up and down, and on every side, he looked, 

 excited, as the quick jerks of his expressive tail 

 said plainly, but not in the least alarmed. Then 

 he took wing, flew around and around several 

 times, and at last, as all birds do, came full 

 speed against the window, and fell to the floor. 

 There he stood, panting. I spoke to him, but 

 did not startle him by a movement, and in a 

 few minutes he recovered his breath, and flew 

 again, several times, around the room. 



