196 A KNOWING FELLOW. 



upon it in the shape of bits of gum-drops, a 

 favorite delicacy ; but he plainly saw that I 

 wanted him to go to it, and in the face of the 

 fact that I had heretofore tried to keep him off 

 the papers and magazines lying there, he de- 

 cided that it was suspicious. He flew so as 

 almost to touch the stick, and hovered before it 

 to snatch off the candy placed there ; but alight 

 on it he would not, and did not, though I kept 

 it in place a week. 



In many ways this bird was wise; he knew 

 exactly where to deliver his blows to effect 

 what he desired. A cage- door being fastened 

 with fine wire, he never wasted a stroke upon 

 the door, but gave telling blows directly upon 

 the wire. A rubber band was looped about 

 a rod for him to play with, in the expectation 

 that he would pull on it and make sport ; but he 

 disappointed us all by hammering at the loop, 

 until he loosened it and easily pulled it off. 

 Again it was tied on with strong linen thread ; 

 he turned his whole attention to the knot of the 

 latter, till it yielded and was disposed of also. 



Dear as was this bird, he was a more than 

 usually troublesome pet. My desk became his 

 favorite playground, and havoc indeed he made 

 with the things upon it ; snatching an^ running 

 off with paper, pen, or any small object, destroy- 

 ing boxes and injuring books. Finally, in self- 



