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218 In a very short time the Rosella was sufficiently advanced to be put in possession of a cage, which he did not take to very kindly; when I let him loose in the morning he would show his pleasure by dancing up and down upon my hand, twittering his little song close to my face, and fluttering his wings with the most evident delight.

On account of his fondness for society, and his love of seeing all that went on, his cage was usually hung in the most frequented of our verandahs, where no sooner did he see Rosa passing backwards and forwards with preparations for laying the cloth for dinner, than he would begin jumping on and off his perch to attest his approval of her punctuality, knowing that when the first course was disposed of, it would be her duty to bring him in upon a tray, together with the dishes of the second. He then hopped upon the table with a bold expectation of welcome, which, together with his bright red breast, often recalled to us an English robin; and, if the bill of fare comprised a dish of pancakes, he would pounce upon them with more eagerness than on any other dainty, picking at the crisp edges, and now and then giving little rapid chirps, as if to notify that he approved of the cookery but could not afford time to say much. However pancakes are one thing and freedom is another, and all my bird's affection for his favourite food could not enable him to resist the blandishments of his wild neighbours, when he once obtained the chance of getting away. His wing had at first been kept clipped, but I fancied that the sight of the scissors, when the feathers were to be cut, made the little creature frightened and unhappy, so that I had lately