, flew off in a
northerly direction. The six parent birds, who were with their young
ones at the cabin, appeared for some time very uneasy, flying round and
round and screaming wildly; at last they soared in the air with loud
shrieks, and flew away after the main body, which was still in sight--
their love for their young overpowered by their instinctive habits. I
was not sorry when they were gone, as I wanted to have my new family all
to myself. I went down to the rocks and caught a fish, which was large
enough to supply them for three or four days. I fed them with the
inside of the fish, and they ate it very heartily. For several days
they appeared very uneasy; but gradually they settled, and not only
appeared to know me, but to welcome my coming, which was to me a source
of great pleasure.

I now neglected my flowers for the birds, which were the more animated
of the two; and I sat down for hours on the platform with my six
companions, who I must own were not over-lively and intelligent, but
they were alive, and had eyes. They seldom roused up, unless I brought
them fish, of which they had a supply four times a day, and then they
would stand on their legs and open their beaks far apart, each waiting
for its share. They were a great happiness to me, and I watched their
gradual increase of plumage and of size, which was very rapid. I gave
them all names out of my natural history book. One was Lion, then
Tiger, Panther, Bear, Horse, and Jackass (at the time that I named them,
the last would have been very appropriate to them all); and as I always
called them by their names as I fed them, I soon found, to my great joy,
that they knew them well enough. This delighted me. I read my books to
them by way of amusement; I sang my songs to them; I talked to them; I
would even narrate the various histories out of the Bible to them, such
as that of Joseph and his brethren, etcetera; and the stolid air with
which the communications were received made me almost imagine they were
listened to.

After a time, I took the line off the legs of two of them, with the
precaution of first cutting their wings, and these two became much more
lively, following me into the cabin, and generally staying there during
the night. As I found that no attempt was made to escape, I let them
all loose, after having cut their wings, and they all behaved equally
well with the two first to which I had given their liberty.

The perfect obedienc