I am called the Nonpareil because there is no other bird equal to me. I have many names. Some call me the “Painted Finch” or “Painted Bunting.” Others call me “The Pope,” because I wear a purple hood. I live in a cage, eat seeds, and am very fond of flies and spiders. Sometimes they let me out of the cage and I fly about the room and catch flies. I like to catch them while they are flying. When I am tired I stop and sing. There is a vase of flowers in front of the mirror. I fly to this vase where I can see myself in the glass. Then I sing as loud as I can. They like to hear me sing. I take a bath every day and how I do make the water fly! I used to live in the woods where there were many birds like me. We built our nests in bushes, hedges, and low trees. How happy we were. My cage is pretty but I wish I could go back to my home in the woods. See page 15. SWEET warblers of the sunny hours, Forever on the wing, They come like pleasant memories In the green and quiet places, And when their holy anthems Amid the morning’s fragrant dew, How sweetly sounds each mellow note |