228 EATING BEHIND A SCREEN. 



make him altogether happy I put a screen 

 around one corner of his cage, behind which 

 were his dishes, and after that it was very droll 

 to see him crouch behind that and eat, every 

 moment or two stretching up to glance over the 

 top and see if I had moved. If I stirred as 

 though about to leave my chair, he at once 

 whisked to the upper perch as if he had been 

 caught in a crime. 



The first I noticed of the goldfinch's friendli- 

 ness to him was after he had lived with us five 

 or six months. 



This small bird, in a room of larger ones, 

 was somewhat driven about. I do not mean 

 hurt, but if any one wanted a certain perch he 

 did not hesitate to take it, -even if it were 

 already occupied by so little a fellow. He soon 

 learned that near the tanager he was not often 

 molested, and he began first to frequent the 

 perch that ran out of the cage — the doorstep 

 in fact. Finding that he was not disturbed, he 

 soon moved his quarters just inside the door. 

 Most birds quickly resent the intrusion of an- 

 other into their cage, but the tanager never did. 

 So long as he was left alone on his favorite 

 upper perches, he did not care who went in 

 below. This being the case, after a while the 

 goldfinch ventured upon the middle perch. 

 Still he was not noticed ; but presuming on the 



