238 FRIENDS WORTH KNOWING. 
with a fierceness not to be resisted. But when the cat-bird 
found he was not pursued beyond the shade of the tree, he 
perched upon a neighboring post, and by hissing, strutting 
up and down, and every provoking gesture known to birds, 
challenged the oriole, who paid no attention to his empty 
braggadocio. Next Mrs. Oriole did something distasteful 
to her lord, and received prompt chastisement. A confi- 
dent kingbird dashed up, and was beautifully whipped in 
half a minute. Vireos, pewits, warblers were attracted to 
the scene, but kept at a safe distance. There was no ap- 
peasing the anxiety of the parents until I left, and probably 
they spent the whole afternoon in recovering their equa- 
nimity. 
The study of the expressions and dialects of animals and 
birds under such circumstances is extremely entertaining 
and instructive. Though you should happen upon a Balti- 
more’s nest when the female is sitting, and the male is out 
of sight, the female will sit quietly until the very last mo- 
ment; and Mr. Ridgway mentions an instance where the 
female even entered her nest while he was severing it from 
the branch, and remained there until carried into the house. 
The young birds, before they can fly, Dr. Brewer says, climb 
to the edge of the nest, and are liable in sudden tempests 
to be thrown ont. If uninjured they are good climbers, 
