148 THE HISTORY OF 



then exo.ted " fancy " for beautiful birds ; and I thought 1 

 had never seen a tip-top fowl before. 



As I gazed and wondered, this bird observed me coquet- 

 tishly, and, raising herself slightly a tip-toe, she flapped her 

 bright wings ludicrously, opened her pretty mouth, and sent' 

 forth a crow so clear and sharp, and so utterly defiant and 

 plucky, that I laughed outright in her face. I did. I 

 couldn't help it. 



She noticed my merriment, and instantly flap went those 

 glittering wings again, and another shout — a very shriek 

 of a crow, a termagant yell of a crow — rang forth pierc- 

 ingly from the lungs of my sable but beautiful inamorata. 



This second crow was full of fire, and daring, and chal- 

 lenge, and percussion. It seemed to say, as plainly as words 

 could have uttered it, "Who are you? What you after ? 

 Would n't you like to cage vne up — s-a-y 7 " 



I laughed again, wondered more, stared, and shouted 

 " Bravo ! Milady, you are a rum 'un, to be sure ! " And 

 again she hopped up and crowed bravely, sharply, mali- 

 ciously, wildly, njiarvellously. 



I was puzzled. I had heard of such animals before. I 

 had read in the newspapers about Woman's Rights con- 

 ventions. I had seen it stated that hens occasionally were 

 found that "crowed like acock." But I had never seen 

 one before. This was an extraordinary bird, evidently. 



There it went again ! That same shrill, crashing, chal- 



