FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138  
139   >>  
uders, flying at them with cries of rage. Also, if his wishes chanced to interfere with the notions of another bird,--as they did on one or two occasions that I noticed,--he showed no lack of spirit in carrying them out. Once that I remember, he chose to perch on the top of a certain cage next a window, where he had not before cared to go. The particular spot that he occupied was the regular stand of another bird, one also accustomed to having his own way, and quite willing to fight for it,--a Brazilian cardinal. The cardinal, of course, disputed the point with the clarin, but the latter retained his position as long as he desired, running at the enemy with a cry if he ventured to alight near. In general, his tastes were so different from others that he seldom came into collision with them. [Sidenote: _NOT DARING TO LAUGH._] When, on the approach of spring, some of his room-mates grew belligerent, and there arose occasional jarring between them, my bird showed his dislike of contention and coarse ways by declining to come out of his cage at all. Although the door stood open all day, and he was kept busy driving away visitors, he insisted on remaining a hermit till the restless birds were liberated, when he instantly resumed his usual habits, and came out as before. His sensitiveness was exhibited in another way,--mortification if an accident befell him. For example, when, by loss of feathers in moulting, he was unable to fly well, and fell to the floor instead of reaching the perch he aimed at, he stood as if stunned, motionless where he happened to drop, as if life were no longer worth living. Once he fell in this way upon a table beside a newspaper. As he landed, his feet slid on the polished surface, and he slipped partly under the loose paper, so that only his head appeared above it. There he stood for five minutes looking at me, and bearing a droll resemblance to a bird's head on a newspaper. He was not more than four feet from me, and was obviously deeply chagrined, and in doubt whether he would better ever try to recover himself; and I positively did not dare to laugh, lest I hurt him more. The first time the clarin fell to the floor, I ventured to offer him the end of a perch which I held. Not in the least startled, he looked at it, then at me, then accepted the civility by stepping upon it, and holding there while I lifted and carried him to the door of the cage. This soon came to be the regular thing, an
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138  
139   >>  



Top keywords:
regular
 

newspaper

 

ventured

 

clarin

 

cardinal

 
showed
 
happened
 

motionless

 
longer
 

stunned


stepping

 

reaching

 
civility
 

landed

 
accepted
 

living

 
holding
 
accident
 

befell

 

mortification


exhibited

 

habits

 

sensitiveness

 

carried

 

lifted

 

unable

 

feathers

 

moulting

 

surface

 

deeply


chagrined

 
resemblance
 

looked

 

startled

 

recover

 
slipped
 

partly

 
positively
 

appeared

 
bearing

minutes
 

polished

 
accustomed
 
occupied
 

Brazilian

 

position

 
desired
 

running

 
retained
 

disputed