276



Miss R. Arderson,



“ Dick,” how, if I do not notice him, he will put on a most

pathetic limp, and then, when he is perched on my wrist, he will

almost go to sleep in my arms with his head under my coat

collar, fluffing out his feathers and crooning with joy all the time.

Or, if in a lively mood, he will play at hide and seek on the

aviary shelves, always giving a jump and a little cry of pleasure

when he is “found.” He will let me handle him as I will, and

never makes the least attempt to bite, even letting me take any¬

thing out of his beak or pick him up bodily. As I say, I could

write you pages about the charms of “ Dick,” but this story is

about the Barnard’s. Mrs. Barnard was a very beautiful bird,

but she had a great failing common to her sex, in human beings

as well as in birds—an intense love of admiration. She carried

this to such an excess that, if any fresh inmate was introduced

into the aviary, she at once put on all her charms and graces to

captivate the new comer.


Seeing “ Dick” is so handsome it is little wonder she set

her heart on making him her slave. She put on a bold air and

soon could do what she liked with him, for “Dick” is most

«asy going until his jealousy is aroused, and the?i woe betide the

offender. In the days when I kept him in the same aviary as my

other Masked Parrakeet “Jack,” I could never take much notice

of the latter, “Dick” would be sure to attack him, though

strange to say he would never try to bite me, but would rather be

especially affectionate, as if he tried to tell me it was all done out

of affection for me. It was a great pity, for I am sure these

Masks are a true pair. I have them still, but they live in

separate aviaries.


If one had not felt so sorry for “ Barnie ” it really would

have been amusing to watch Mrs. Barnard and “ Dick.” I have

even seen her come up to him as he was eating his biscuit and

take it from him, and all the protest “ Dick” would make would

be merely a mild grunt of disapproval, though if the offender had

been any other bird it would probably have been promptly

punished.


Matters went on like this for some time without anything

serious happening, and then at last the climax came. I suppose

poor “ Barnie” must have felt he could stand it no longer, for it



