156 A RUFFIAN IN FEATHERS. 



stood quiet, evidently aware that her lord and 

 master would settle the matter. That choleric 

 individual made one or two attempts to aid the 

 youngster, seizing him by his wide-open mouth, 

 and pulling so violently that I thought he would 

 dismember him. All was of no avail. Neigh- 

 bors crowded nearer ; the tree was loaded with 

 interested spectators, and the father grew more 

 and more irritated, till at last he seemed sud- 

 denly seized with an irresistible frenzy. With 

 the harshest " chur-r-r " of which he was capa- 

 ble, he pounced upon that unfortunate infant, 

 seizing him by the throat, burying his bill in 

 his breast, shaking him as a dog would shake a 

 rat, and in less than thirty seconds dragged him 

 from his hold and dropped him to the ground, 



— a dead bird. 



I was horrified, and so were the other spec- 

 tators. Once during the operation the mother 

 had tried to interfere, and was told unmistak- 

 ably to " mind her own business." Several 

 times the male audience attempted to take pirt, 



— whether for or against the victim I could 

 only guess, — but were as summarily disposed 

 of. That little incarnate fury was the tyrant 

 of the moment, and worked his own wicked 

 will to the end. 



As soon as the tragedy ended every bird dis- 

 appeared, and the tree was completely deserted, 



