THE LANGUAGE OF BIRDS. 
79 
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 in- 
sects, 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 sharp and hard 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 mind; not only innate, but acquired, ideas, 
(derived, from necessity, in a state of domestication,) 
which we call understanding and knowledge. We 
see that this bird could associate those ideas, arrange, 
and apply them, in a rational manner, according to 
circumstances. 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 
