42 HOMING ^VITH THE BIRDS 



little birds and undertook to raise them myself. 

 When they were full grown I gave one of them to a 

 friend, who seemed extremely eager to have it. 

 The one that I kept had his living room in a big 

 brass house, which was very attractive and of 

 which he seemed to be extremely proud. The 

 greater part of the day his door was open so he did 

 as he pleased about remaining in his house. He 

 was the bird I had in mind when I wrote previously 

 that "with one exception" the brown thrasher was 

 the best loved of all the birds I ever raised by hand. 

 There is only one adjective that will adequately 

 describe my oriole, and that is the much abused 

 "charming." I always gave any bird I reared 

 or accepted from a friend exquisite care. Their 

 cages shone, their perches were clean, their baths 

 were spotless, their food was freshly prepared every 

 morning, they were given only as much as they 

 would consume at a feeding, and the remainder 

 was kept in the refrigerator until later in the day. 

 All of my birds were larger and of richer plumage 

 than those of their species in freedom. 



My oriole had black parts of jetty blackness; 

 his yellow plumage was a clear warm orange yellow; 

 his eyes were like black diamonds; while, from 

 having been brought up by hand and associated 

 with me and daily receiving almost hourly atten- 

 tion, he had developed practically a reasoning, 

 intelligent brain. He loved to fly around the 

 room and perch on my head or shoulder. He liked 



