24 ON BOSTON COMMON. 



walked back and forth underneath ; between 

 whiles he sailed about, on the watch for his 

 prey. On one of these last occasions a little 

 company of swallows came along, and one of 

 them immediately went out of his way to swoop 

 down upon the hawk, and deal him a dab. 

 Then, as he rejoined his companions, I heard 

 him give a little chuckle, as though he said, 

 " There ! did you see me peck at him ? You 

 don't think I am afraid of such a fellow as that, 

 do you ? " To speak in Thoreau's manner, I 

 rejoiced in the incident as a fresh illustration of 

 the ascendency of spirit over matter. 



One is always glad to find a familiar bird 

 playing a new rdle^ and especially in such a 

 spot as the Common, where, at the best, one 

 can hope to see so very little. It may be as- 

 sumed, therefore, that I felt peculiarly grateful 

 to a white-bellied nuthatch, when I discovered 

 him hopping about on the ground — on Monu- 

 ment Hill ; a piece of humility such as I had 

 never before detected any nuthatch in the prac- 

 tice of. Indeed, this fellow looked so unlike 

 himself, moving briskly through the grass with 

 long, awkward leaps, that at first sight I failed 

 to recognize him. He was occupied with turn- 

 ing over the dry leaves, one after another, — 

 hunting for cocoons, or things of that sort, I 

 suppose. Twice he found what he was in search 



