Mr. Nuttall, who domesticated one of these birds, gives us the
following account: "His taciturnity, and disinclination to
familiarities, were striking traits. His restless, quick, and
side-glancing eye enabled him to follow the motions of his insect prey,
and to know the precise moment of attack. The snapping of his bill, as
he darted after them, was like the shutting of a watch-case. He readily
caught morsels of food in his bill. Berries he swallowed whole. Large
grasshoppers and beetles he pounded and broke on the floor. Some very
cold nights, he had the sagacity to retire under the shelter of a
depending bed-quilt. He was pleased with the light of lamps, and would
eat freely at any hour of the night."