Year: 1876

u, - ,.E.*.S..~ $3.50 49, i


stood on the:orderof their going but
theydid, at.least Dick did, for he in
sisted upon using the bath first, and
his wife had to wait patiently until
his i0rdship. had finished. This was
part7s Of Dicks domestic discipline.
When they were both thoroughly wet
and draggled. and everything within a
radius, Of two. yards, was in the same
condition, their next move was to hop
on to the fender. and flutter and look
pensively into the fire.; and two more
melancholy looking. ragged. wretches
you never saw. hen they began to
dry, then they began to dress; and in a
few minutes Richard was himself again,
and so was his Ydfes -,


Starlings liaSe their own natural
song, and q strange noise they make,
too. Their great faculty. however,
is the gift Of imitation, which they
have in wonderful degree of perfec.
tion. The first thing that Dick learned
to initiate was the rumbling of carts
and carriages on the street, and very
proud he was Of the accomplishment.
Then he learned to pronounce his own
name, with the prefix "pretty," which
he never omitted, and to which he was
justly entitled. Except when sitting
on their pearch singing or piping,
these two little pets were never tired
of engineering about their cage and
everything was minutely examined.
They were perfect adopts at boring
holes; by inserting the bill closed and
opening it like a pair of scissors, 10
the thing was done. Dick rule Of
conduct was that he, himself, should
have the first of everything, and be al
lowed to examine first into everything,
to have the highest pearch and all the
tidbits ina word, to rule, king and
priest, in his own cage. I don't sup.
pose he hated his wife, but he kept
her in state Of inglorious subjection
to his royal will and pleasure. ''Heze.
kiah'' was the name he gave his wife;
don't know why, but I am sure no
one taught him this, for he first used
the name himself. and. then it was
only to correct his pronunciation.


Sometimes Dick would sit himself
down to. sing song, and presently his
wife would join in with a few simple
notes of melody, upon which Dick
would stop singing instantly and look
around at her with indignation. "Hez-
ekiah! Hezek1al! = he would say.
which being interpreted clearly meant,
''Hezekiah, my dear, how can you so
far forget yourself as to presume to
interrupt your lord and master with
that cracked and quaveriug voice of
y0urs!' Then he would commence
anew, and Hezekiah, being so good ma
tured, would soon forget her scolding,
and join in again. This was too much
for Dick 8 temper, and Hezekiah was
accordingly chased round and round
| the cage and soundly thrashed. His
conduct altogether as Il husband, I am
| sorry to say, was far from satisfactory.
| I have said he always retained the
! highest perch for himself but some.
times he would turn one eye down.
ward, and seeing Hezekiah sitting 80
costly and contentedly on her humble
perch, would at once conclude that her
seat was more comfortable than his,
so down he would hop and send her of
ut once.


It was Dicks orders that Hezekish
| should only eat ut meal.times that
meant at all times when he chose to
feed, after he was done. But I sup.
pose his poor wife was often hungry
in the interim, for she would watcl,
until she got Dick fairly in the middle
Of a song, and quite oblivious of sur.
rounding circumstances, then. she
| would hop down and snatch meal on
the sly. But dire was the punishment
I for the deceit if Dick found her out.
Sometimes I think she used to long for
a little love and affection, and at such
times she would jump up on the percl,
beside her husband, and with a fond
cry sidle close to him.


"Hezekiah Hezekish - he would
exclaim; and if he didn't take that
hint, she? was soon knocked to the bot.
tom Of the cage. In fact, Dick Was
a domestic tylant, but in all other res.
poets a dear, affectionate little pet.


| One morning Dick got out of his
cage by undoing the fastening, and
flew through the open window; deter.
mined to see what the world was made
like, leaving Hezekiah to mourn. 1t
was before o'clock OH i summer 8
morning that he escaped and I saw
no more of him until, coming out of
church that day, the people were
greatly astonished to see 4 bird fly
down from the steeple and light upon
my shoulder. He retained his perch
all the way home. He got 50 well up
to opening the fastening of his cage.
door that had to get 4 small spring
paddock. which defied him, although
he studied it. for months, and finally
gave it up, as being one Of those things
which no fellow could understand.


Dick soon began to talk, and before
long had quite a large vocabulary of
words, which he was never tired
using.' As he grew" very tame, he was
tallowed to live either out Of his cage
or in It all day long as he pleased. Of.
ten he would be out in the garden all
alone for hours together, running
abouESEatehing flies, or sitting up on q
tree repeating his lessons to himself,


both verbal aid musical. The cat and


her kittens were especially .favorites,
although he used to play with the dogs
as we'll, and often 60 to sleep on their


backs. He took his lessons with great


regularity, was an arduous student,
and soon learned to pipe Duncan


Gray" and the ''Sprig Of Shillelah'


without q single wrong note. I used


to whistle these tunes over to him,


and it was quite amusing to mark hie


air of rapt attention as he crouched
down to listen. When had finished;
ho did not ak Onca hooin %os +r,, tl,r