168 DOWN THE MEADOW. 



SO, althougli I hated to grieve him, I resolved to 

 go somewhat nearer, hoping that he would ap- 

 preciate my harmlessness and soon see that he 

 had nothing to fear from me. Not he ! Having 

 taken it into his obstinate little head that all 

 who approached the sacred spot he guarded 

 were on mischief bent, he refused to discrimi- 

 nate. The moment I approached the gate, the 

 whole width of the meadow from him, he greeted 

 me with shouts and cries, and did not cease for 

 an instant, though I stayed two hours or more. 

 I always went as modestly and inoffensively as 

 possible through the meadow, far from his two 

 trees, seated myself on the edge of the slope at 

 some distance from him, and remained quiet. 

 But he was never reconciled. His first act, as I 

 started down the field, was to fly out to meet 

 me, as if to drive me away. When he reached 

 me, he would hold himself ten or fifteen feet 

 above my head, perfectly motionless excepting a 

 slight movement of the wings, looking as if he 

 meditated an attack; and indeed I did some- 

 times fear that he would treat me as he did the 

 crows. As I came nearer, his mate flew up out 

 of the bushes, and added her demonstrations to 

 his. Their movements in the air were beautiful. 

 One would beat himself up quite higli, and then 

 hover, or apparently rest at that altitude, as if 

 too light to come down, at last floating earth- 



