832 
WILD SCENES AND SONG-BIRDS. 
*I remember to have reared one of these birds from the 
nest ; wbicb, when full grown, became very tame and docile. 
I frequently let him out of his cage to give him a taste of 
liberty ; after fluttering and dusting himself in dry sand and 
earth, and bathing, washing and dressing himself, he would 
proceed to hunt insects, such as beetles, crickets, and other 
shelly tribes ; but, being very fond of wasps, after catching 
them, and knocking them about, to break their wings, he 
would lay them down, then examine if they had a sting, and, 
with his bill, squeeze the abdomen to clear it of the reservoir 
of poison, before he would swallow his prey. When in his 
cage, being very fond of dry crusts of bread, if, upon trial, 
the corners of the crumbs were too hard and sharp for his 
throat, he would throw them up, carry and put them in his 
water dish to soften ; then take them out and swallow them. 
Many other remarkable circumstances might be mentioned 
that would fully demonstrate faculties of mmc?, not only 
innate, but acquired ideas, (derived from necessity in a state 
of domestication,) which we call understanding and knowl- 
edge. We see that this bird could associate those ideas, ar- 
range and apply them, in a rational manner according to cir- 
cumstances. For instance, if he knew that it was the hard 
sharp corners of the crumb of bread that hurt his gullet, and 
prevented him from swallowing it, and that the water would 
soften and render it easy to be swallowed, this knowledge 
must be acquired by observation and experience ; or some 
other bird taught. Here the bird perceived, by the effect, 
the cause, and then took the quickest, the most effectual and 
agreeable method to remove that cause. What could the 
wisest man have done better ? Call it reason or instinct, it 
is the same that a sensible man would have done in this 
case. 
" 'After the same manner this bird reasoned in respect to 
the wasps. He found, by experience and observation, that 
the first he attempted to swallow hurt his throat and gave 
him extreme pain ; and upon examination, observed that the 
