BIRDS AND THEIR PARLOURS 157 



shaggy, ill-kept plumage began to take on a lovely 

 sparkle of brown, and her faded breast immediately 

 became covered with the loveliest whitish-brown 

 specks like jewelled beads; her beak, legs and feet 

 changed into a healthy glow, and her dull glassy 

 eyes assumed a brilliancy equal to that of rare 

 diamonds. Soon her nervous, frightened attitude 

 toward me changed into one of perfect confidence 

 and aflFection. She wiU even take a piece of apple 

 from my hand, and give the loveliest chirp as though 

 she were expressing gratitude. 



But the definite mark of her long and lonely im- 

 prisonment without even a bathtub is still upon her. 

 When I first got her she had aU her tail feathers 

 broken and destroyed, so I pulled out the little 

 rough stubs that nice new ones could again grow. 

 And soon, to my absolute surprise, a lovely row of 

 new feathers began to appear, but alas, — ^they were 

 not brown as they had once been, but almost pure 

 white. I can only believe that long suflFering has 

 turned her feathers in the same way that it turns 

 one's hair grey. 



I am trying in every way to make the remainder 

 of her hfe happy. And in her cage she has a little 

 mirror before which she spends much time chirping 

 and preening her lovely feathers. Evidently she 

 enjoys "the other bird" in the mirror! At least she 



