He also caught the air and rhythm of certain songs, e. g., Kommt a Vogel angeflogen, Du, du, liegst mir im Herzen, machst mir viel Serzen, and used to sing to himself continually when he was on a walk. Now that he is four years old, on the contrary, he hardly ever sings.
25th Month.—Beetles have a great interest for him. He brings a dead beetle into the parlor, and cries, "Run now!" His astonishment is great that the creature does not run.
If he sees something disagreeable (e. g., he saw the other day an organ-grinder with a monkey), he covers his face with his hands weeping aloud and crying, Monkey go away. So, too, when he sees strangers.
The Latin names of flowers and insects are easily retained by him. They are not taught him, he simply hears them daily.
26th and 27th Months.—Of his childish language he has retained only the term mammut, for berries. Milk, which he used to call mima, is now called milch (cf., pp. 140, 157).
The child's use of the personal pronoun is strange. During my absence an aunt of his took my place, and she addressed him for the first time with the word "Du" (thou), and spoke of herself as "I," whereas I always called myself "Mama." The consequence was that the boy for a long time used "thou" as the first person, "I" as the second person, with logical consistency. He hands me bread, saying, I am hungry, or, when I am to go with him, I come too. Referring to himself, he says, You want flowers; you will play with Niania. All other persons are addressed with "I" instead of "you."
He tells his uncle, There's an awfully pretty gentian in the yard. He gets the nurse occasionally to repeat the Latin names, because they are difficult for her, and his correction of her is very comical.
28th Month.—He speaks long sentences. Papa, come drink coffee, please do. Papa, I drive (for "you drive") to town, to Reval, and bring some parrots (Bellensittiche).
He often changes the form of words for fun, e. g., guten Porgen (for guten Morgen). On going out, he says, with a knowing air, "Splendid weather, the sun shines so warm." He alters songs also, putting in different expressions: e. g., instead of Lieber Vogel fliege weiter, nimm a Kuss und a Gruss, Adolph sings, Lieber Vogel fliege weiter in die Wolken hinein (dear bird, fly farther, into the clouds, instead of take a kiss and a greeting). It is a proof of logical thinking that he asks, at sight of the moon, The moon is in the sky, has it wings?
I had been sick; when I was better and was caressing him again, he said, Mama is well, the dear Jesus has made mama well with sealing-wax. "With sealing-wax?" I asked, in astonishment. Yes, from the writing-desk. He had often seen his toys, when they had been broken, "made well", as he called it, by being stuck together with sealing-wax.