MORE ABOUT MY FEATHERED FRIENDS. 85 



air, which, together with the quick glancing, mischievous 

 expression of the eye, gave a peculiar character to his 

 countenance, and marked him as a bold, daring, yet sly, 

 unscrupulous fellow, caring for nobody but his own 

 audacious self. 



I was so much amused by the sauciness of the pair of 

 North- Westers, visitors from the far-off fur country of 

 the Hudson Bay territories, or the northern parts of the 

 Rocky Mountains, that I said to our host, " I wish these 

 droll birds would pay our clearing a visit." 



Mr. Stewart laughed, and said, " I'll send them up. 

 Look out for them." 



And, strange to say, the day after our return home, as 

 if the cunning fellows had heard and understood what 

 had passed, there they were hopping about at the back 

 door, wagging their tails and picking among the newly 

 swept snow and debris in their usual free and easy style. 



Of course every attention was paid to our visitors in 

 giving them food. They made many trips to the stable 

 and barnyard, and having fully satisfied their curiosity 

 and acquired a knowledge of the establishment, they 

 came to the garden and there amused themselves with a 

 piece of rag they had discovered somewhere about the 

 premises, of which they made a fine plaything. They 

 tore it into shreds, and carrying them to the garden 

 fence, hung them on the pickets, turning and twisting 

 them, tossing them to and fro, eyeing them from every 

 point of view/ with head on one side and their bright 

 7 



