Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1885-03-06
Police Notes.


Police Notes.
While Sergeant Lent Bishop with his wife
were at the fremens ball on Wednesday
night, a thief entered his house through a
pantry window and stole from bureau
drawer about $40 A quantity of silver and
some jewelry, which the thief had placed on
a napkin with the evident purpose of re-
moving, was left behind. Sergeant Bishops
father was sleeping on the third floor and did
not hear any noise during the night This
is not surprising, as the old gentleman is
quite deaf
Ida Cook and Mary Jackson were arrested
last evening for a breach of the peace ON
Lizzie Sullivan. The parties are all colored,
and from some trouble which commenced at
pulling scrape ensued.
Edward J. Barry arrested last evening
for breach of the peace on Crown street He
is charged with assaulting a student.
Tricks of a Cat-Bfrd
lOlive Thorne Miller. in Harper's Magazine for
March,
Though burdened with an undeserved and
offensive name, and having somehow become
an object of suspicion and dislike to many
persons, the cat-bird-Mimus carolinensis-
is one OF the most intelligent and interesting
of our native birds. No bird makes closer
observation or more correctly estimates ones
attitude toward him. As | sit motionless in
his nook he will circle around me, hopping
from bnsh to bush at distance of ten OF
twelve feet, looking at me from every side,
and at last slip behind low shrub and come
out boldly upon the grass with an unconcern-
ed air, entirely different from that with
which he had kept me under surveillance for
the last ten minutes.
The cat-bird has inquiring mind; moth
ing escapes his eye, and everything is of in
terest to him Far from being satisfied to
accept anything as mysterious" he wishes
and intends to know the why and the where
fore of everything new or strange. After one
has won his confidence, to induce him to
show himself on the grass it is only necessa-
ry to place there something new-a bit of pa
per, small fruit, or anything unusual From
behind his screen of leaves he sees it, is at
once seized with intense curiosity, and if not
afraid he will almost instantly come down to
inspect it. This he does by trying to stab it
with his sharp, black bill, jumping off the
ground and bouncing on it, when it happens
to be hard, till one fears he will break his
bill. A bit of apple treated by him is full of
minute stabs gashes like dagger thrusts
His manner, however, is not one of vulgar
curiosity, but always of philosophical inqui-
~ into the nature of substances, and his look
is as grave and thoughtful as though he were
studying some of the problems of human or
bird life.
He has also q sense of humor. I had the
fortune to see from my own window in the
city an amusing exhibition of this quality.
Hearing the sweet song of a cat-bird l seized
an opera glass and looked over the neighbor~
ing yards till I found him perched on the
roof of pigeon-house, singing with great
energy. Several pigeons were also on the
roof, and seemed interested in the stranger
entertaining them, stupidly-in pigeon fash
ion-walking about and looking at him, turn
ing their heads from side to side in their
mincing way. Suddenly, in the midst of
burst of song, the minstrel darted like a flash
among them, evidently for pure fun, for he
did not touch one of them, and returned in
stantly to his song. Wild panic, however,
seized the pigeons, and although he was a
mere atom among them, they few every way,
and would have shrieked with terror had
they been able.
Then the sparrows began to observe him.
They gathered near, in n cherry tree and a
lilac bush, chattering and scolding, and plain
ly questioning the right of the stranger to in
trude upon their grounds. After awhile one
of them few rapidly past the apparently un-
concerned cat-bird who interpolated one
scolding note without pausing in his song
This insult not being resented, the sparrow
grew holder, returned and alighted on the
roof near him. Wishing to finish his song
the cat-bird merely scolded little, and put
himself in an attitude of ''going for him, ="
when the sparrow considered it prudent to
retire.
For few minutes there was great chatter
ing in the cherry tree, and the sparrows, hay
ing made up their minds that he could do
nothing but scold, plainly resolved to mob
him in true sparrow fashion. One led the
way by flying down to the roof about two
feet from the singer, all bristled up ready for
fight. This was too much; the song ceased,
and with fearful war cry the singer fairly
flung himself after that sparrow, who disap-
peared in panic, and the whole party of
mobbers with him. They very evidently APP
preciated their mistake, and saw that the
stranger was willing well able to take
care of himself, for neither sparrow nor pig
con came near him again, and when he re-
turned to his perch, light as a feather and
unruf1ed as a summer morning, he finished
his song at his leisure, and had the roof to
himself as long as he chose to stay.