THE GREAT-CREST. 227 



ground, for he quickly returned there when I 

 put him on a low branch; and when a robin 

 makes up his mind, arguments are useless. 

 The same robin bullied the red-headed wood- 

 pecker, and flew at the kingbird when he 

 brought his young family up to taste the rasp- 

 berries. 



One visitor there was, however, to the fence 

 and the locusts whom Master Robin did not mo- 

 lest. When a prolonged, incisive "pu-eep" in 

 the martial and inspiring tone of the great- 

 crested fly-catcher broke the silence, I observed 

 that the robin always had plenty of his own 

 business to attend to. I admire this beautiful 

 bird, perhaps because he is the inveterate en- 

 emy of the house sparrow, and almost the only 

 one who actually keeps that little bully in his 

 proper place. There is to me something pleas- 

 ing in the bearing of the great-crest, who, 

 though of few inches, carries himself in a man- 

 ner worthy of an eagle. Even the play of a 

 pair of them on the tops of the tallest dead trees 

 in the woods, though merry enough with loud 

 joyful cries, has a certain dignity and circum- 

 spection about it uncommon in so small a bird. 



A pair of great -crests were frequent visitors 

 to the fence, where they were usually very quiet. 

 But one day as the male flew over from the 

 woods, his call was answered by a loud-voiced 



