uth. It was secured and put back, and the
book held down by a heavy weight; but he found the place at once, and
repeated the naughtiness. The book had to be completely covered up
before the photographs were safe.

After the blue-jay had put on a new suit of feathers he flew with great
ease, and selected for a retreat the top of a door into the passageway
mentioned, which usually stood open. It was not long before his
curiosity was roused to know what was outside the door that so often
swallowed up his friends,--that into the hall. He resolved to find out,
and to that end, when stationed on the elevated perch of his choice,
held himself in readiness, upon the exit of any one, to fly out. He did
not wish to get away; he merely took a turn in the hall, and came back;
and once, when accidentally left in that unfamiliar place, he stayed in
the bath-room, with window wide open, for half an hour before he was
found. He became so expert in flying out of the door that it was a
difficult matter to pass through without his company; we had to train
ourselves in sleight-of-hand to outwit him. There were two ways of
getting the better of him; mere suddenness was of no use,--he was much
quicker than we were. One way was to go to the room on the other side of
the passage, where he was sure to follow, and before he fairly settled
there, to dodge back and shut the door,--a proceeding so unexpected that
he never learned to allow for it. The other way was to go to the
hall-door as if intending to open it; instantly the bird swooped down,
ready to slip out also, but finding the way closed, swept around the
room and alighted somewhere. This was the second to open the door and
step out, for he always paused a moment before flying again.

The only notice the jay ever took of the birds, as said above, was to
tease them, or put them in a flutter; as society he plainly despised
them. They soon learned to regard him as a sort of infernal machine,
liable at any moment to explode; and they were fully justified, for he
was fond of surprising them by unexpectedly flying around the room, tail
spread, feathers rustling, squawking madly in a loud voice. He usually
managed in his career to sweep close over the head of every bird, of
course frightening them off their perches, and thus to put the whole
room into a panic. They took refuge anywhere,--under the bed, behind the
chairs, against the wires, and on the floor,--while the mischief-maker
circled arou