CURIOSITIES OF WILD LIFE. 75 



all was quiet, back flew the redbreast in a hurry 

 to her home, and received a very unpleasant 

 shock. Directly she set foot on the edge of her 

 nest, the young thrushes shot up their heads and 

 opened their mouths wide in request of food. 

 This startled the robin into precipitate flight and 

 the liberal use of very uncomplimentary avian 

 language. She scolded for several minutes whilst 

 maturely considering the situation from a safe 

 distance, and then timidly ventured to indulge in 

 a second inspection of the strange phenomenon, 

 with a precisely similar result. 



After a good deal more reflection, and many 

 angry exclamations, she returned a third time, 

 and boldly stood her ground until the chicks, 

 weary of begging in vain, gradually subsided into 

 the cavit}^ of the little nest. Then she hopped 

 in, and attempted to brood them. This was 

 immediately the signal for a fresh outburst of 

 dumb demand on the part of the young birds, and, 

 vigorously shooting up their heads, the robin 

 slipped awkwardly between them. Quickly con- 

 vinced that there was nothing to eat being given 

 away, the callow impostors settled down and were 

 covered by their duty-accepting foster-parent, 



By-and-by, along came cock robin with a 

 supply of food. I was anxious to ascertain 

 something of his powers of perception, but his 

 mate did not gratify me. She sat tight on the 



