"GENERAL BEM." 
277 
daily offering of small spiders and worms witli gestures of 
evident pleasure. These were always presented to him en- 
veloped in white paper, which, he carefully opened and se- 
cured then his prey before it could escape, even although 
it was sometimes a difficult task to keep his vigilant eye 
upon so many apparentl}^ escapading — when I was called to 
the field, and appointing me a station, I was expected to give 
the alarm when one attempted to get away on my side, which 
he immediately killed and dropped, and then darted after 
those on the outskirts of the field of action. 
At last, one day, Mr. Webber brought for my sister a 
wood thrush, which was very wild and savage, and was, be- 
sides, extremely ugly, but had the reputation of being a good 
singer, which made us forgive his sullen temper and hope to 
win him back to more gentle ways, when he should see tha"" 
we would be his friends and that he should be almost free ; 
besides. Gen. Bern was evidently much inclined to make his 
acquaintance, and took the first occasion to pay him a visit 
in his cage-house. This the stranger did not fancy, and drove 
him out. Bem resented this, by turning on the threshold 
and pouring forth a torrent of screams and mewings which 
came near distracting the poor thrush, who darted at him 
and chased him to the bed, under which Bem darted, and 
was secure for the present. But from that time there were 
no more overtures of friendship — they were sworn enemies ; 
the thrush, from detestation of the impudent fellow who in- 
vaded his residence, and finally appropriated it, to the entire 
desertion of his own, which, by-tlie-bye, was much larger, and 
with which the thrush eventually consoled himself, and Bern 
continued to occupy, because it amused him to pester the ill- 
natured fellow which he had set down the thrush to be. Many 
were the quaint scenes which now daily occurred. If Bem de- 
sired to take a bathe, the thrush would endeavor to push him 
out; but Bem was not to be ousted in that style if he could pre- 
vent it, and commonl}^ sent the poor thrush away in consterna- 
tion, his musical ear stunned by such direful din as threatened 
