"TRICKS AND MANNERS" OF A CAT-BIRD. 77 



As soon as he became accustomed to using 

 his wings, and learned, as he did at about the 

 second attempt, that there was a solid reason 

 why he could not fly to the trees he could see 

 so plainly outside the window, he proceeded to 

 study the peculiarities of the new world he 

 found himself in. He ran and hopped all over 

 the floor, into every corner ; tried in vain to dig 

 into it, and to pick up the small stripes on it. 

 (The floor was covered with matting.) That 

 being thoroughly explored, the lines of junc- 

 tion of the breadths and the heads of the tacks, 

 the dark mysteries of far under the bed and the 

 queer retreat behind the desk, he turned his 

 attention to the ceiling. Around and around 

 he flew slowly, hovering just under it, and 

 touching it every moment with his bill, till that 

 was fully understood to be far other than the 

 blue sky, and not penetrable. Once having 

 made up his mind about anything, it was never 

 noticed again. 



The windows next came under observation, 

 and these proved to be a long problem. He 

 would walk back and forth on the top of the 

 lower sash, touching the glass constantly with 

 his bill, or stand and gaze at the pigeons and 

 sparrows and other objects outside ; taking the 

 liveliest interest in their doings, and now and 

 then gently tapping, as if he could not under- 



