Little 
Bird Friends. 
( 76 ) 
THE BIRD WORLD. 
Little Bird Friervds. 
A History Related by Miss H. B. Rutt for Young 
Bird Lovers. 
(1 Continued from p. 43.) 
CHAPTER VIII. 
“ CORAL ” AND “ PERT,” 
This is a little pair that 1 must tell 
you about together. They are a very 
-attached couple, but not quite so much 
so as “Toff” and “Opal,” nor as the 
little Waxbills. They are about the 
same size as “David.” “Coral” is 
dressed in a pretty suit of grey, with a 
tint of chestnut-brown on his breast, 
beak, and legs to match. His feathers 
are very small, and very delicately 
marked with a darker shade of grey, 
especially on the head. They look 
more like the scales on some snakes than 
feathers. His chin is white, and the 
only bright colour he has about him is 
a broad band of crimson round his 
throat. It does not reach to the back 
of the neck. It is like a piece of 
ribbon. “ Pert ” is almost exactly like 
him, but rather darker, and she has no 
band of crimson. 
Difference in Faces. 
Their faces, however, are quite 
different. He has rather a vacant, 
foolish expression, while she has the 
prettiest, sweetest little face you can 
imagine. They are very fond of each 
other, but “ Coral ” spoils “ Pert ” 
dreadfully, and it is always she who 
gets her own way. She is what is called 
a “ coquette.” She thinks no end of 
“ Coral ” really, but she pretends she 
doesn’t care a pin for him, and would 
much rather he were not there. This 
is, of course, all nonsense, but it quite 
distresses “ Coral ” sometimes. They 
often sit pressed together like the Wax- 
bills do. 
“Coral's” Funny Little Song. 
He has a very funny little song. 1 
can tell you how to get an idea of it. 
Wet your finger and rub it up and down 
on the window-pane. The song sounds 
quite easy and simple, but “ Coral 
makes a terrible fuss about it. First 
you can see the feathers all over his 
body slowly rising, then the top of his 
head erected like a crest, then he stands 
on tiptoe, and makes his neck as long 
as possible. All this very slowly and 
gradually, and then follows the mild 
little song, soft, and not at all disagree¬ 
able. 
“ Pert,” in her heart of hearts, thinks 
it is sweet, but she pretends that she 
cannot endure it. She stops him by a 
vigorous peck on the head. Then he 
tries again, and she at once leaves his 
side, hops away a short distance, and 
turns her back upon him. He follows 
her, humbly begging her pardon, but 
she snaps at him, and will not be 
friends at once. 
Forgiveness Sweet. 
After a while she forgives him! 
Occasionally, very occasionally, he 
asserts his authority as her husband, 
and when she flounces off in that 
ridiculous way, he takes no notice of 
her at all, finishes his song, then goes 
down for a seed or two, and just 
behaves as if there were no “ Pert ” in 
existence. This is too much for my 
lady, and it is not very long before she 
sidles along the perch to where he sits 
looking at nothing in particular, and 
presses herself against him as hard as 
she can. I see him turn away his head 
to hide a smile, and then he falls to 
kissing and petting her with redoubled 
fervour. 
Their Rush Douse. 
They have appropriated one of the 
arger rush nests, and sit in it some- 
imes. “ Pert ” far too often, as she is 
jetting much too fat and lazy, and her 
ippetite is enormous. “ Coral is 
nuch more lively, and takes violent 
ixercise about the cage while she is 
