IMPERTINENCE OF A VIREO. 31 



his threatening manner, the nearest youngster 

 looked at him, and began to flutter his wings, to 

 call, and to move toward him, as if expecting to 

 be fed. This was too much even for a sparrow; 

 he departed. 



Another curious visitor was a red-eyed vireo, 

 who, being received in the same innocent and 

 childlike way, also took his leave. But this 

 bird appeared to feel insulted, and in a few 

 minutes stole back, and took revenge in a most 

 peculiar way; he hovered under the twig on 

 which the three were sitting, their dumpy tails 

 hanging down in a row, and actually twitched 

 the feathers of those tails ! Even that did not 

 frighten the little ones; they leaned far over 

 and stared at their assailant, but nothing more. 

 I looked carefully to see if the vireo had a nest 

 on that tree, so strange a thing it seemed for a 

 bird to do. The tree was quite tall, with few 

 branches, an oak grown in a close grove, and I 

 am sure there was no vireo nest on it; so that it 

 was an absolutely gratuitous insult. 



In addition to supplying the constantly grow- 

 ing appetites of the family, the male kingbird 

 did not forget to keep a sharp lookout for in- 

 truders; for, until the youngsters could take 

 care of themselves, he was bound to protect 

 them. One day a young robin alighted nearer 

 to the little group than he considered altogether 



