WHICH WAS THE MOTHER BIRD? 191 



the lazuli, ordinarily the most nervous noisy bird 

 when her young are disturbed, sat around silently, 

 or flew away without remark. I became so im- 

 pressed by the wren-tit side of the case that I 

 quite forgot the lazuli note and markings. 



Just as I thought I had come to a decision in 

 the case, a male lazuli flew in, lighting atilt of 

 an acacia stalk opposite the wren-tit. But when 

 he saw me he craned his neck and flew off in a 

 hurry — no father, surely, scared away at the first 

 glimpse of me ! However, I was not clear in my 

 mincl, and sat down to puzzle the matter out. 



At this juncture Madame Lazuli came with 

 food ; the young bird turned toward her for it, 

 and behold ! she took to her wings with all she 

 had brought. I had hardly time to congratulate 

 myself on this new piece of testimony, when back 

 came the lazuli with her bill full ! 



In my perplexity I moved so near the little one 

 that, without meaning to, I forced the old birds 

 to show their true colors. The situation was too 

 dangerous to admit of further subterfuge. Both 

 Madame Lazuli and her handsome blue mate — 

 whom I discovered at a safe distance up on a high 

 branch out of reach — flew down and clashed 

 about, twitching their tails from side to side as 

 they cried " quit," in nervous tones ; altogether 

 acting so much like anxious parents that I had to 

 relinquish my theory that the little bird belonged 

 to the wren-tit. Like the mother whom Solomon 



