226 FROM MY [V'INDOW. 



to all whom it might concern that he had some- 

 thing on his mind. It was plain that he was a 

 person of cares ; indeed, his whole bearing was 

 that of one with no nonsense about him, with 

 serious duties to perform. I wonder if these 

 birds are ever playful I Even the babies are 

 dignified and seK-contained. Phoebes in a frolic 

 would be a rare sight. Of the two nests whose 

 owners I had to study, one was on a low beam 

 in the cow-barn, where a person might look in ; 

 the other under the eaves of a farm-building 

 close by. 



The special policeman of the group and its 

 environs was a robin, who lived in a two-story 

 nest under the eaves of the hay -barn. This 

 bird, after the manner of his family, constituted 

 himself regulator and dictator. He lived in 

 peace with the ordinary residents, but took it 

 upon himself to see that no stranger showed his 

 head near the spot. He chased the crow black- 

 bird who happened to fly over on business of his 

 own, and by calls for help brought the whole 

 robin population about the ears of the intruder. 

 He also headed the mob of redbreasts that de- 

 scended one morning upon a meek -looking half- 

 grown kitten, who chanced to cast its innocent 

 eyes upon a robin baby under the trees on an- 

 other side of the house. The youngster could 

 fly with ease, but he preferred to stay on the 



