238 Bird - Lore 
gambols of a young dog, as he tumbles over himself and fairly ties himself in 
a knot, in his joy at being called to accompany his master on a walk or hunt. 
Well, just add wings to my dog and you have this bird. Once, in circling around 
me, he dropped down upon my head and remained for a moment. I must 
admit that I was much surprised, for never in my life before had I been greeted 
in this manner from one of the Wild Ones in his own domain. My companion 
laughed, and said that he certainly must be the ghost of some long-departed 
Indian brave, who had again started on the war-path. 
I think TI should be within the limits of truth in saying that these peculiar 
“LONELY TOM” 
actions were repeated for over a mile of the journey, as he persisted in keep- 
ing pace with our wagon. Finally we stopped, and I, rising in my seat, took 
off my hat and, as he circled in the air, tried to entrap him. Several times 
I failed, while he, seemingly undaunted, came back again and again, until at 
last I succeeded, and, placing him in a chicken-coop which I improvised into 
a cage, our short comradeship began. Arriving home, I made him more com- 
fortable quarters and gave him a sunny spot in my window. 
He may have been a pet,—lost, strayed or stolen,—but, be that as it may, 
he took to his new home from the first. By the end of the first week he was 
willing to flit from points in the room, uttering at times a peculiar human 
croak that led me to believe he had tried in former days of captivity to talk. 
I have since found that birds of the Jay and Magpie families can learn to talk 
or imitate speech, some of them equaling the best Parrots. In this con- 
