142 TRANSIENT GUESTS IN THE BIRD-ROOM. 



away to the floor, I Called in help, and, with 

 hastily snatched towels and shawls to impede 

 her movements, we finally captured her in a 

 towel and returned her to her quarters, in 

 which all this time her mate sat quietly, so 

 greatly interested in the flurry of excitement in 

 the room that he never discovered the open 

 door. This was fortunate for me, since there 

 was not help enough in the house to catch two 

 so lively fellows. That escapade settled the 

 fate of the marmosets ; as prisoners only could 

 they stay among birds, and prisoners I did not 

 care for. 



A beautiful Mexican thrush was for some 

 little time a resident in the bird-room, and I 

 must admit that his beauty won him the place. 

 He was dressed entirely in soft golden browns, 

 dark on the back, lighter below, with fine hair 

 lines on the chin, and bill of greenish olive 

 with lighter tip. His eyes were brownish red, 

 inclosed in circles the color of his breast. 



This bird was a thrush in all his manners, 

 deliberate in movement, never in a panic, al- 

 ways calm, whatever happened, and afraid of 

 neither birds nor people. If suddenly startled, 

 he remained in exactly the attitude in which 

 he had been surprised, as if instantly frozen, 

 and thus he stood with perfect patience till 

 his curiosity was satisfied. Sometimes this was 



