THE ROBIN TAKES A HINT. 51 



timore oriole. His mate is more soberly clad in 

 olive-brown and golden -yellow ; neither of them 

 is still for an instant, diving and flitting about 

 on a tree like specks of animated sunlight. 



At my pleasant post of observation I spent 

 hours of every day, stealing in soon after break- 

 fast, quietly, so as not to arouse the suspicions of 

 a robin who lived in the neighborhood; for un- 

 fortunate is the student whose ways are not ac- 

 ceptable to one of this noisy family. I found, 

 however, when my patience gave out, that the 

 robin will take a hint. On throwing a pebble 

 through the branches near him, as a suggestion 

 that his attentions were not welcome, he flew to 

 a tree a little farther off, and resumed his offen- 

 sive remarks; another pebble convinced him 

 that the distance might be profitably increased, 

 and thus I drove him away; at about the fourth 

 pebble he took a final departure. 



Here, then, I saw the small housekeeping go 

 on. I always found the little dame in posses- 

 sion, and generally the lord and master gleaning 

 food in redstart fashion; flitting around a 

 branch, darting behind a leaf, over and under a 

 twig, tail spread to keep his balance during these 

 jerky movements, his bright oriole colors flash- 

 ing as he dashed through a patch of sunlight, — 

 a beautiful object, but a perfectly silent one. 

 When his happiness demanded expression he 



