122 '« UPON THE TREE-TOP.'' 



undertook the housekeeping. She frequently 

 perched on another tree, and dressed her feath- 

 ers a half-hour at a time ; and greatly she 

 needed to, poor soul ! for a more ragged, neg- 

 lected-looking bird I never saw. The feath- 

 ers were quite off the back of her head, giving 

 her a curious outline, as though a bit of her 

 neck had been chopped out, which peculiarity 

 was of use later, since it enabled me to identify 

 her half a mile from her home. Her manner to 

 her mate at this time said plainly, " I 've done 

 my work, now it 's your turn," and he gladly 

 accepted the charge. He was obviously tired 

 of idleness and waiting, and he devoted him- 

 self with his whole soul to his babies. Many 

 times a day he ascended the winding stairs and 

 stood on the landing leaning over, head down 

 in the nursery and tail standing straight up in 

 the air, making him look like a black stick from 

 where I sat. For a day or two he took nearly 

 the whole charge, then she began to help, and 

 before many days both were engaged every mo- 

 ment, the hardest working pair imaginable, con- 

 stantly seeking food and carrying it to the little 

 ones, or putting the crowded house in order. 

 He was as faithful and cheerful a drudge as the 

 mother herself, for which he must have the 

 more credit, since he nearly stood on his head 

 in doing anything about the nest. Tt required, 



