ut his little mate never
dared trust herself on the desk, though when I threw a worm on the floor
she invariably secured it. So fond was she of this delicacy that she
once played a saucy trick upon a scarlet tanager. Having received a
worm, he went into the first open door he saw,--which happened to be the
bluebird's,--to find a place to manipulate the morsel, which he never
swallowed whole. Madam stood on the perch just above the entrance, and
as he came in she leaned over and snatched it out of his mouth,
swallowed it, wiped her bill, and turned to him, ready for another. His
stare of blank amazement was amusing to see, but he quickly made up his
mind that it was not a safe place to eat, and when I gave him another he
went to the roof of the same cage. She instantly mounted the top perch,
put up her bill and seized the worm; but he held on, dragged it away,
and then retired to his own cage with it. She positively could not
resist this temptation, and even from her own cherished spouse she would
sometimes snatch the desired tidbit.

The bluebirds' method of bathing differed from any I have noticed. They
put the head under water, and held it there, while spattering vigorously
with wings and tail. On leaving the bath the female fanned herself dry,
holding tightly to the perch and beating her wings with violence, while
dancing back and forth the whole length of the perch, in a bewitching
manner. Her mate fanned himself also, adding a very pretty lateral shake
of the wings, and raising the feathers on the crown and throat till he
looked twice as big as usual. But he was very fond of sunning himself
dry, in the attitude already spoken of. That position, by the way, was a
not unusual one with him; he often hopped the length of three feet
before a blind which stood against the wall, his legs bent, head nearly
touching the floor, and tail thrust almost straight up. A droll figure
he made. After hopping to the end of the blind, he would dash around
behind it, as if he expected or hoped to find something.

After moulting, the birds feathered out beautifully, and their spirits
rose in proportion. They delighted in flight, making long, sweeping
circles around the room, again and again, without stopping. A few weeks
later, as spring approached, they grew somewhat belligerent towards the
other inhabitants of the place; driving every bird away from their cage,
even following them to their chosen resting-places, insisting on their
ri