USING THE LADDER. 123 



he at once pounced upon, and used as if he had 

 practiced on one all his life. 



I shut the cage-door at the upper end to keep 

 him out of his neighbor's house, while the 

 owner, an American wood-thrush, stood upon 

 the roof, looking ruefully at this appropriation 

 of his private property. Upon reaching the 

 closed door the traveler jumped across to an- 

 other cage nearly a foot away. This was a 

 small affair occupied by an English goldfinch, 

 who was then at home and not pleased by the 

 call, as he at once made known. Golden-wing, 

 however, perhaps with the idea of returning 

 past insults" from the saucy little finch, jerked 

 himself all around the cage, inserting his long 

 bill as though trying to reach something inside. 



Having wearied of annoying the enemy, he 

 sprang back to the ladder, descended by the 

 table and trunk to the floor as he had gone up, 

 without a moment's hesitation as to the way, 

 which proved him to possess iinusual intelli- 

 gence. He did not take the trouble to climb 

 down, but put his two feet together and jumped 

 heavily like a child, a very odd movement for 

 a bird. It was his constant habit in the cage 

 to jump from the perch to the floor, and from 

 one that was two inches above the tray he often 

 stepped down backwards, which I never before 

 saw a bird do. 



