" THESE ARE YOUR BROTHERS" 221 



the whole is eaten. Even the gentle thrush 

 so dislikes seeing others possessed of plantain 

 leaves that he will snatch away from another's 

 cage any leaf that he can reach from the out- 

 side. He is very dexterous, too, flying up and 

 seizing the protruding stem without alighting. 



Birds are as prone as children to imitate 

 what they see others do. I have noticed them 

 particularly in the matter of bathing. I have 

 one bird that never really bathed till he learned 

 by seeing another. He simply " washed his 

 face," and then passed half an hour arranging 

 his feathers. But when a companion was put 

 into his cage who greatly enjoyed the bath, 

 going in all over and splashing violently, he 

 stood and watched the proceeding with great 

 interest, came to the perch nearest the bathing 

 dish, looked on earnestly, and seemed to be 

 amazed. Two or three days this went on, his 

 interest in the thing not diminishing; and at 

 last, after circling many times around the pan 

 in an undecided way, dreading yet wishing to 

 make the plunge, he finally got up his courage 

 and jumped into the middle, it was a shallow 

 pan with, one inch of water. Even then he 

 hesitated, looked over to me, and called out 

 gayly as though to say, " See what I 've done ! " 

 I answered, and in a few moments he dipped 

 his head and began to spatter. It was evi- 



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