NOTES ON THE HABITS OF SOME CAGED BIRDS. 223 



feeding from our hands. He was determined he would not, but 

 we kept on trying, and the first time he flew on he as promptly 

 flew off, the contact with the flesh of the finger seemed to give 

 him a shock. 



Another bird, Eedpoll B, was greatly excited when he saw 

 the " General " pull up his bucket. He was in a different com- 

 partment of the cage, and he forced himself through the wires 

 and made his way to the bucket, which he examined with 

 curiosity, and even tried to pull up. Eedpoll B was in other 

 respects a timid bird with us, though fierce and cruel at times 

 to his own species. 



Eedpoll C was a favourite, and took life very easily; he 

 seldom or never fought ; he would dare a great deal for a 

 favourite seed, but it would be arrived at by artifice and not 

 force. He was delightfully and consistently tame, the tamest 

 bird we had had with the exception of Canary A. He was very 

 clever, much too clever to pull up a box for inger (thistle) seed 

 when he had only to fly on to the bars of his cage and attract 

 his master's or his mistress's notice. Or if he was out, he would 

 fly on the shoulder or the hand, knowing his reward. Sometimes 

 he would not return into the cage, and then it was a matter of 

 starving him "in." He tried every trick he knew so as to obtain 

 food without going into the cage for it ; he would fly on to the 

 head or the shoulder of his master or mistress, he would go to 

 the closed box in which the seed was kept, and then back to the 

 hand, and repeat these blandishments for many times, showing 

 remarkable perseverance, till at last, unable to endure further, 

 he walked into the cage with an air of discontent, and suffered 

 the door to be closed on him. Even then he was not always 

 conquered, as occasionally he would endeavour to snatch a 

 morsel, and directly a movement was made flew out again. 



Eedpoll C cherished an admiring affection for the "General," 

 which I am sorry to say was not reciprocated ; he liked to sleep 

 near him, and though driven away many times, would still 

 return, waiting till Eedpoll A was too sleepy to object, and 

 usually his efforts were crowned with success. The " General " 

 very seldom really hurt Eedpoll C, as the latter was quick in 

 movement, and ready to take the hint of the other's threatening 

 beak. 



