9o 



SQUABS FOR PROFIT 



to see every night that every bird was inside the pen 

 by nightfall. When any did not of themselves go in- 

 side, we caught them and put them where they ought 

 to be. It will not do to expect the birds to go in 

 themselves, for sometimes they will not and sometimes 

 a bird playing the boss will station himelf at the en- 

 trance and prevent all the other birds going in. We 

 have known birds to act this way possibly in a spirit 

 of mischief. 



Once we saw two such birds, one on the inside and 

 the other on the outside of the exit holes, by running 



FIG. 35 — YOUNG BIRDS IN THE MATING YABD. 



along the boards effectually fight off all desiring to 

 enter until one bird put a stop to the bossing. He 

 seemed to act with almost human intelligence. He 

 flew quietly to the farther end of the pen, and putting 

 himself at full speed flew directly at the boss, and giv- 

 ing him a sound cuff, knocked him off the board, went 

 immediately inside and repeated the trick with the 

 other offender. Then he came out and made the cir- 

 cuit of the fly, as much as to say, "you can all come in 

 now, the bosses have quit business." 



