452 • The Wilson Bulletin— No. 93 



This same day he picked up ants' eggs from the floor, like- 

 wise an ant, and showed an automatic tendency to pick up 

 everything. 



Each time he picked up an egg I said " good," and he made 

 a Httle squeal of delight. It seemed as if he waited for me 

 to say "good" each time before taking another egg. When 

 he picked up anything his manner was most ludicrous. First 

 he opened his beak far too wide, then he twisted his mandi- 

 bles awry while he examined the morsel first with one eye, 

 and then with the other, while he kept up an excited twit- 

 ter, just as young birds do when the parents carry food to 

 the nest. The little squeals of delight, coupled with the acts 

 of the baby Thrush seemed to say nothing less than '' Do you 

 see what a brave boy am I ? " 



As time went on, he ate larger and larger numbers of ants' 

 eggs. One day when I was out, he picked up thirty ants' 

 eggs from the windowsill ; on my return he flew into my bas- 

 ket, selected a grasshopper and ate it. He cared less for 

 earth worms as he grew older. 



During the outings that the Thrush and I frequently took, 

 he bathed in the brook and nibbled off bits of grass and 

 plants. He occasionally picked up an earthworm. When he 

 heard a noise or a strange sound, he laid his feathers very 

 flat, and strained up his neck to listen. At such times he 

 looked very small and wild. His sunbaths were always short. 

 He preferred the shade after a minute. 



The Thrush was constantly doing interesting things. One 

 evening he begged for a high perch. I tacked a second lilac 

 branch over a door and he was satisfied. 



On another occasion he pecked at the handle of the little 

 silver spoon in his cup of water. It gave a ringing sound. 

 He repeated it several times. I think that he went to the 

 cup for water as some tame Thrushes that I had later used 

 to peck at the cup when they wanted water, and at the paper 

 containing steak when they wanted steak. 



While he was with me, a terrifiic thunderstorm, accom- 

 panied by rain and hail, seemed to come from three directions 



