let out of her cage; she had flown to a window in a panic and when her owner had picked her up she had bitten deeply, drawing blood. Olive had been bought as a present to provide some company for the lady, shortly after the death of her husband about four years ago. The lady informed me before leaving that she had never wanted a Cockatiel and had neither the time nor the patience to keep one and that she would have much preferred a large parrot. I was then asked which of my two birds was my favourite, to which I replied that I could not possibly choose between them. Despite her lack of care, Olive had a sunny disposition and settled well when placed with my parrots in the dining room.


18 BIRD SCENE


A little later, I went out shopping for food and returned home within an hour. To my dismay, I discovered that in my absence Olive had torn a claw which she had caught in a tiny, drilled hole within a metallic toy. She was clearly distressed and bleeding profusely. This was a freak accident, as the toy had been in place for some considerable time. I caught her up, applied some veterinary antibacterial powder to the wound to stem the bleeding and placed her cage, which I had covered, into a quiet room so that she could calm down. I checked on her regularly and after a little while the bleeding had stopped and the bird became relaxed. On returning her to the dining room, Billie asked her, ‘Are


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