reverting to our expected visitors. At four o'clock I took a cab to
the docks, and on arriving there inquired for the ship, which was
pointed out to me as "the one with the crowd on the quay." On driving
up I discovered why there was a crowd, and the discovery did not
bring comfort with it. On the deck, on one leg, stood the stork.
Whether it was the sea voyage, or the leaving his home, or, that
being a stork of high moral principle, he was grieving at the
persistent swearing of the parrot, I do not know, but I never saw a
more melancholy looking object in my life.

I went down on the deck, and did not like the expression of relief
that came over the captain's face when he found what I had come for.
The transmission of the parrot from the ship to the cab was an easy
matter, as he was in a cage; but the stork was merely tethered by one
leg; and although he did his best, when brought to the foot of the
ladder, in trying to get up, he failed utterly, and had to be half
shoved, half hauled all the way. Even then he persisted in getting
outside of every bar--like this. After a great deal of trouble we got
him to the top. I hurried him into the cab, and telling the man to
drive as quickly as possible, got in with my guests. At first I had
to keep dodging my head about to keep my face away from his bill, as
he turned round; but all of a sudden he broke the little window at
the back of the cab, thrust his head through, and would keep it
there, notwithstanding that I kept pulling him back. Consequently
when we drove up to my house there was a mob of about a thousand
strong around us. I got him in as well as I could, and shut the door.

How can I describe the spending of that evening? How can I get
sufficient power out of the English language to let you know what a
nuisance that bird was to us? How can I tell you of the cool manner
in which he inspected our domestic arrangements, walking slowly from
room to room, and standing on one leg till his curiosity was
satisfied, or how describe the expression of wretchedness that he
threw over his entire person when he was tethered to the banisters,
and found out that, owing to our limited accommodation he was to
remain in the hall all night, or picture the way in which he ate the
snails specially provided for him, verifying to the letter the
naturalist's description of his appetite. How can you who have _not_
had a stork staying with you have any idea of the change that came
over his