and he showed
that he understood her wishes by ceasing for a while; but as the habit
grew, and he was not so easily silenced, she more and more deserted his
side, and after two or three weeks I heard occasionally a gentle
remonstrance from her. I do not believe a really harsh tone can come
from a bluebird throat. One day they were taking their usual midday nap
on the same perch, when a thrush across the window began his low song.
That started the bluebird, and he added his chatter, which awakened his
mate. She endured it for about five seconds, and then she suddenly
stretched the wing nearest him so far that he was obliged to move away,
when she instantly hopped down herself.

The two bluebirds differed in intelligence. The female was quicker to
take an idea, but the male sooner conquered his fear. The first time I
offered meal-worms to them she was so lively as to secure more than her
share; but he learned in a day or two that worms were to be had outside,
especially on my desk, when he at once flew over to me and demanded
them, in the funniest little defiant way, looking at me most
significantly, and wiping his bill ostentatiously, then jerking himself
with great show of impatience. Words could not be plainer. Neither of
them had difficulty in telling me their food-dish was empty; they stood
on the edge and looked at me, then scraped the bill several times,
making much noise about it, then looked at me again. I knew in a moment,
the first time, what they wanted. When the male found out that another
bird alighted on a stick I held out to him, and was carried off upon it,
he seemed to be seized with curiosity, and the next time I offered it he
jumped upon it beside the other, and allowed himself to be lifted to the
desk. At one time, in flying around, he caught his feet in the coarse
net curtains I hung before the windows to keep strange birds from trying
to fly out. I went at once to him and took him off. He scolded,
fluttered, and pecked, and, when I had released him, flew directly
against another curtain and caught again. I went over to him, and this
time he understood that I was helping him; he neither struggled nor
pecked, and flew quietly when I set him free.

The bluebird never showed any curiosity about the room or the world
outside the windows, but sat on his door perch for hours, with a sharp
eye to the worm supply. The appearance of the cup that held them was a
signal for him to come down and beg for them, b