ons when he had food to spare, he would drop it
out of the cage and whistle long and loud for them. When the dogs had
assembled to his satisfaction he would suddenly scream in the fiercest
accents, "Get out, dogs!" and when they had scattered in alarm his
enjoyment of it was demonstrative. This parrot's vocabulary, however,
was not the most refined, his master having equipped him with certain
piratical idioms.

According to authority, the parrot owner will find the health of his pet
improved and its happiness promoted by giving it, every now and then, a
small log or branch on which the mosses and lichens are still growing.
Meat, fish, and other similar articles of diet are given with evil
effects.

It is impossible for anyone who has only seen these birds in a cage or
small inclosure to conceive what must be the gorgeous appearance of a
flock, either in full flight, and performing their various evolutions,
under a vertical sun, or sporting among the superb foliage of a tropical
forest which, without these, and other brilliant tenants, would present
only a solitude of luxuriant vegetation.

[Illustration: KING PARROT.]

THE AMERICAN ROBIN.

The Bird of the Morning.

Yes, my dear readers, I am the bird of the morning. Very few of you rise
early enough to hear my first song. By the time you are awake our little
ones have had their breakfast, Mrs. Robin and I have had our morning
bath and we are all ready to greet you with our morning song.

I wonder if any of you have seen our nest and can tell the color of the
eggs that Mrs. Robin lays. Some time I will let you peep into the nest
and see them, but of course you will not touch them.

I wonder, too, if you know any of my cousins--the Mocking bird, the
Cat-bird or the Brown Thrush--I think I shall ask them to have their
pictures taken soon and talk to you about our gay times.

Did you ever see one of my cousins on the ground? I don't believe you
can tell how I move about. Some of you may say I run, and some of you
may say I hop, and others of you may say I do both. Well, I'll tell you
how to find out. Just watch me and see. My little friends up north won't
be able to see me though until next month, as I do not dare leave the
warm south until Jack Frost leaves the ground so I can find worms to
eat.

I shall be about the first bird to visit you next month and I want you
to watch for me. When I do come it will be to stay a long time, for I
shall be th