THE BIRD OF THE MORNING. 7 



some ; and to be sure he does defend his home 

 with vigor, driving away any bird which ven- 

 tures to alight on his special maple-tree, some- 

 times with a loud cry of defiance, and again 

 without a sound, but fairly flinging himself 

 after the intruder so furiously that not even the 

 king-bird — noted as a tyrant over much larger 

 birds — can withstand him. But jealous as he 

 is of his own, he is equally ready to assist a 

 neighbor in trouble. One day while I was 

 studying him a great uproar arose in the or- 

 chard. Robin voices were heard in loud cries, 

 and instantly those near the house took wing 

 for the scene of distress. With my glass I 

 could see many robins flying about one spot, 

 and diving one after another into the grass, 

 where there was a great commotion and cries 

 of some other creature, — I thought a hen. The 

 robins were furious, and the fight grew very 

 warm, while every now and then a small object 

 was tossed into the air. 



Hurrying down to the scene of the warfare, 

 I found that the creature in the grass was a 

 hen-turkey with one chick. She was wild with 

 rage, shaking and tossing up what looked like 

 another young turkey, and the robins, evidently 

 taking the side of the victim, were delivering 

 sharp pecks and scolding vigorously. Securing 

 with some difficulty the object of her fury, 1 



