THE EOBIN SPEAKS HER MIND. 11 



est tree, where she kept up the taunting "he! 

 he ! he ! " a long time, seemingly with deliberate 

 intention to insult or enrage her pursuers, but 

 without success ; for unless she came to their tree, 

 the kingbirds paid her not the slightest atten- 

 tion. 



The last time the robin tried to be on friendly 

 terms with her neighbor, I noticed her stand- 

 ing near him on the picket fence under his tree. 

 There were not more than three pickets between 

 them, and she was expostulating earnestly, with 

 flirting tail and jerking wings, and with loud 

 "tut ! tut's," and "he ! he's ! " she managed to 

 be very eloquent. Had he driven her from his 

 nest? and was she complaining? I could only 

 guess. The kingbird did not reply to her, but 

 when she flew he followed, and she did not cease 

 telling him what she thought of him as she flew, 

 till out of sight. 



Strangest of all was the fact that, during the 

 whole of this scene, her mate stood on the fence 

 within a dozen feet, and looked on! Did he 

 think her capable of managing her own affairs ? 

 Did he prefer to be on good terms with his pep- 

 pery neighbor? or was it because with her it 

 would be a war of words, while if he entered the 

 arena it must be a fight? as we sometimes see, 

 when a man goes home fighting drunk, every 

 man of the neighborhood keeps out of sight, 



