INSULT OF A ROBIN. 215 



of the impertinent visitor, almost touching it as 

 he passed. The woodpecker kept his ground in 

 spite of this demonstration, and I learned how 

 a bird accustomed to rest, and even to work, 

 hanging to the trunk of a tree, would manage 

 to pluck and eat fruit from a bush. He first 

 sidled along the top of the board fence, looking 

 down, till he had selected his berry. Then he 

 half dropped, half flew, into the bushes, and 

 sometimes seized the ripe morsel instantly, with- 

 out alighting, but generally hung, back down, 

 on a stalk which bent and swayed with his weight, 

 while he deliberately gathered the fruit. He 

 then returned to the fence, laid his prize down, 

 and pecked it apart, making three or four bites 

 of it. After some practice he learned to swal- 

 low a berry whole, though it often required 

 three or four attempts, and seemed almost more 

 than he could manage. When he had accom- 

 plished this feat, he sat with his head drawn 

 down into his shoulders, as though he found 

 himself uncomfortably stuffed. Having eaten 

 two or three raspberries, our distinguished vis- 

 itor always picked another, with which he flew 

 away, — doubtless for the babies growing up in 

 some dead tree across the lane. 



The little difficulty with the robin was easily 

 settled by the stranger. Somewhat later in that 

 first day, he took his revenge for the insulting 



