''THESE ARE YOUR BROTHERS:' 217 



ence, all talking, — giving advice, no doubt, — 

 and many ready to take a hand in any sort of 

 scrimmage. Robins, too, rush in crowds to the 

 assistance of their neighbors. 



Birds show a love of teasing in several ways, 

 the most common being to display contempt for 

 another's song. One of my goldfinches will as- 

 sume the most indifferent air when the other 

 begins to sing ; moving to the farther end of 

 the long perch, puffing himself out, and osten- 

 tatiously getting ready for a nap. The singer 

 never fails to notice the offense at once, and fol- 

 low up his tormentor, singing somewhat louder, 

 till the naughty fellow deliberately puts his 

 head under his feathers as if to sleep, when the 

 voice rises to a positive shriek, and the offended 

 bird stretches himself up tall, and towers above 

 his sleepy comrade as though he would devour 

 him. 



The coolest insult I ever saw is often paid by 

 a goldfinch to a cardinal as big as half a dozen 

 of himself. He insisted upon alighting upon 

 the cardinal's cage to shake himself after bath- 

 ing, and, in spite of hard words from the owner, 

 kept up the custom until sundry nips of his toes 

 convinced the saucy goldfinch that it was not 

 a good place to dry himself. Since then he 

 perches close to the door of his crusty neighbor 

 to sing, edging as near as he can, and singing 



