246 THE HERMIT THRUSH. 



continually making inadvertent incursions in the neighborhood of his enemy, as if for the 

 purpose of throwing him off his guard. At last, Bern was on the other side of the room. 

 The Thrush had been eyeing a dainty morsel which Bern liad dropped about two feet 

 from him. He looked, Bern was too much engaged to notice him, he could easily venture 

 — he would — he did. Bern, whose keen eye had seen all, darted like lightning, and before 

 the ITirush could turn about and seize again the contested treasure, Bem had alighted on 

 the centre of the bed — the only place in the room where the Thrush would not follow him 

 — and there quietly tore the grape to j^ieces and left it. 



" But, alas ! we had to send our brave, sagacious Bem home again. We were to make a 

 long journey to the South, and he must stay behind. Ah, the j^oor fellow knew as well as we, 

 that we were bidding him adieu. He pecked our lingers in great distress, and bit our lips till 

 the blood came, in the energy of his farewell — while he uttered such sad, low cries as made us 

 mourn for many a day in the remembrance. 



"During our absence we wrote frequently inquiring of Bem, and many an injunction to 

 him, to live and die, if need be, the same bi'ave general we had knowii Mm. We never expected 

 to see him again ; but, after a year of wandering, we did return to our old home. At once we 

 went to see the general, little dreaming that we should be remembered. What was our sur- 

 prise then, when we called ' Bem ! Bem ! General Bem ! ' to see our dear friend and pet dart 

 down to us from his hiding-place, and most evidently recognize us — his eye sparkling, his 

 scalp-feathers raised, his wings drooping, and that same low cry which had haunted lis so long 

 greeting us again. Our happiness was real ; and when we offered him the white paper, he 

 instantly darted upon it, and tore it asunder to get the well-remembered treasure he had always 

 found within. 



"Again Bem went home with us — this time to fill our henrts with affection by his quaint 

 impish ways and gentle waywardness. Now he became a privileged character ; my paint-box 

 "was his especial admiration — he treated it with great veneration, having discovered that birds 

 grew oirt of the little square pebbles, as he doubtless considered them, until one day he per- 

 ceived I objected to his lifting from its case a black-looking, ill-shaped piece of paint, that I 

 was even decidedly opposed to his meddling Avith it ; from that moment that particular piece 

 became a treasure — its value so great to him, that, hide where I might, it had ever an invisible 

 glitter, which to his eyes was blighter tlian any gem ; he would find and hide it from me, and 

 thus I had at least once every day to search the room over for this indisj)ensable color. 



" No matter that I threatened him, he coolly dressed his feathers and commenced so dreamy 

 a song as to soothe my rage at once. He became my constant companion ; he bathed with me 

 in the morning, he took his dinner with me from my ]ilate, and perched at night close to my 

 head. He sat on my shoulder or head when I worked, and seemed to express his opinion in 

 regard to my progress in bird-making with quite a connoisseuring air. He grew to be pro- 

 foundly jealous of all other birds ; and if I talked to a fine mocking-bird, whose cage hung in 

 my room, he would become so enraged, and finally depressed, that I became alarmed — I feared 

 he would die. 



"One day I had given this bird some water ; my hand was in the cage, the mocking-bird 

 was pecking at my fingers, when with a loud and vicious scream General Bem dashed from the 

 floor uji into the cage, and commenced a violent assault on the inmate. The struggle was but 

 for a moment ; he dashed out and I shut the cage-door, while Bem, mounted on the bed -post, 

 sent forth such yells of fury as I never heard from birds' lungs before. I could not pacify him 

 for a long time — several hours ; he hid in the shade of the furniture, and would not be induced 

 to come out. The next day the mocker was flying about the room, Bem assailed him, and the 

 fight became so desperate that I was obliged to send the mocking-bird away, wliile my poor 

 Bern was seized with convulsions, and I thought him dead after a few moments. But his time 

 had not yet come ; he lived to pass through many such scenes of painful suffering." 



Like the Brown Thrasher, the Hermit Thrush is also a native of America, and is gener- 

 ally found in the countries adjoining to the Mississippi during the winter, making a partial 

 migration to Kentiicky, Indiana, and Tennessee, during the summer. 



