ght to every perch in the room. Then, too, began signs of courtship
between the lovely pair. The first thing I noticed was at worm-feeding
time. One day I had given each of them their portion. The female
swallowed hers instantly, and I turned to another cage, when I heard a
low, coaxing cry many times repeated. I looked around. The male stood on
the upper perch, still holding his worm, which he usually dispatched as
quickly as his mate did hers; and she was on a lower perch, looking up
at him, mouth open, wings fluttering, asking for it. While I looked, he
hopped down beside her, she opened her mouth wide, and he fed her as if
she were a nestling. He was more amiable than a wild bluebird I once
saw, who had brought up a long earthworm, and was beating it on top of
a post preparatory to swallowing it, when his little spouse--who was
sitting at the time--came to the fence rail below him, and asked in the
same way for a bit. So far from sharing it with her, this greedy bird
simply took a fresh hold of his prize, flew to a tree, and gobbled it
down with difficulty himself. Not so my generous captive. The next day
he complied with her request again, and after that it was he who did the
tender coaxing, begging her to accept the slight offering of his love.
Soon, too, she grew coquettish in manner, often turned a cold shoulder
to him, opened her mouth at him, and scolded in the sweetest and softest
voice; and one night, after they had settled on their perch, I heard
gentle talk, and saw a little peck or two on her part. He did the
talking, and she delivered the playful peck or push as reply. Now, too,
in his desire to manifest his affection, he could not always wait for
worms, but picked dainty bits from the food-dish, and tendered them in
the same pretty way. She always accepted, though often she went at once
to the food-dish and ate for herself; for with all this sentiment and
love-making her appetite did not fail. Once she was outside and he
inside the cage, when he began to call and offer her something out of
his mouth. She did not wish to go in, so she flew to a perch that ran
through the cage, and stood close to the wires, while he went to the
same perch inside, and fed her through the wires.

About this time, too, the bluebird talk nearly ceased, and instead of it
the lovely song of three notes was heard all day, and a little change
they made in it--throwing in a "grace note" between the second and
third--greatly added t