SHAKEN OUT OF THE NEST. 71 



" Saturday I was in fortune, as I met in the 

 vicinity the boy who drives the village cows. 

 Two heads only were visible over the edge. 

 But the boy, with a boy's genius for investiga- 

 tion, brought a fence rail, put it under the 

 branch, and shook them up a little. They only 

 huddled closer. At my suggestion he gave a 

 more vigorous shake, and a baby climbed from 

 the nest, a foot or two above, then flew as well 

 as anybody clear up into the top of the tree. 

 Such a pretty baby ! breast white as snow, 

 lovely black crescent through the eyes, and the 

 dearest little tail imaginable, half an inch long, 

 and flirted up and down continually. 



" The other bird — for there were but two — 

 ran up the twigs for two feet, but quickly re- 

 turned to the nest, and would not leave it again, 

 though we could see its wondering eyes look 

 out and peer at us. Both were gone the next 

 day (twelve days old). And thus endeth the 

 butcher episode." 



Now also must end — for a time — my study 

 of this interesting bird. But I shall not forget 

 it, and I shall seek occasion to study it again 

 and again, till I have proved, if I find it true, 

 that the shrike deserves better of us than the 

 character we have given him ; that he is not 

 nearly " so black as he is painted." 



