THE BIRD OF SOCIETY. 107 



(scream) chack! (scream)." The thrush went 

 calmly on with his occupation, seeing which 

 the blackbird slightly raised the wing nearest 

 the enemy and quivered it with excitement, 

 while repeating the salutation above. Finding 

 the thrush not in the least disturbed by this 

 demonstration he resorted to more severe meas- 

 ures, and gave a violent peck between the wires 

 (touching nothing, however). This settled the 

 matter, but the queer thing about it was the 

 fact that both birds would pause in their hos- 

 tilities every few seconds and look over to 

 where I sat. I feigned not to see them, and 

 then they resumed their demonstrations, acting 

 exactly like two quarrelsome children who look 

 to see if they are observed. It showed an in- 

 telligent acknowledgment of my position as 

 law-maker, and a recognition of the possibility 

 of my being displeased, besides a guilty con- 

 sciousness of wrong doing. 



The blackbird's use of his wings is exceed- 

 ingly expressive. On one occasion, wishing to 

 carry him to another house, I placed him in the 

 basket I keep for the purpose, comfortably 

 fitted with perch and food dishes. In this 

 conveyance he remained an hour, and when I 

 took him out he was in a new cage in a room 

 he had never seen. He noticed the strangeness 

 of his surroundings, examined every part of the 



