AN OWVS HEAD HOLIDAY. 273 



past me from behind, and, with none of that 

 poising over the entrance such as is commonly 

 seen when a swift goes down a chimney, went 

 straight into the trunk. In half a minute or 

 less he reappeared without a sound, and was 

 out of sight in a second. Then I picked up my 

 rubber coat, and with a blessing on the wren 

 and the tanager, and a malediction on the mos- 

 quitoes (so unjust does self-interest make us), 

 started homeward. 



Conservatives and radicals ! Even the swifts, 

 it seems, are divided into these two classes. 

 *' Hollow trees were good enough for our fa- 

 thers ; who are we that we should assume to 

 know more than all the generations before us ? 

 To change is not of necessity to make progress. 

 Let those who will, take up with smoky chim- 

 neys ; for our part we prefer the old way." 



Thus far the conservatives ; but now comes 

 the party of modern ideas. " All that is very 

 well," say they. " Our ancestors were worthy 

 folk enough ; they did the best they could in 

 their time. But the world moves, and wise 

 birds will move with it. Why should we make 

 a fetish out of some dead forefather's example ? 

 We are alive now. To refuse to take advan- 

 tage of increased light and improved condi- 

 tions may look like filial piety in the eyes of 

 some : to us such conduct appears nothing better 



18 



