A SCRAGGY YOUNGSTER. 7 



freshed infant stretched his wings and legs, 

 changed his place a little, and settled into com- 

 fortable quiet after his lunch. 



The urchin in the enemy's tree was not the 

 most unfortunate of the nestlings. One already- 

 lay dead on the ground under the nest where it 

 had fallen, and another came down during the 

 day, though happily without injury. This one 

 was not very bright, or perhaps his baby wits 

 were dazed by his sudden descent. He made 

 no objection to staying in my hand as long as I 

 liked to look at him, and when I placed him on 

 a low branch, as a hint that it was safer there, 

 he declined to accept my advice, but flew off 

 and came to the ground again. He was a 

 scraggy looking, rusty black little fellow, the 

 most unattractive young bird I ever saw. 

 Shortly after this he clambered up on a pile of 

 brush about a foot high, without so much as a 

 leaf to screen him, and there he stayed all day, 

 motionless, being fed at long intervals ; and 

 there I left him at night, never expecting to see 

 him again. But in the morning he appeared on 

 a low shrub on the lawn, and about nine o'clock 

 he took courage to launch himself on wing. He 

 flew very low across the street, and dropped 

 into the tall grass at the foot of a lilac bush. 

 Why the parents considered that less safe than 

 the open lawn I could not see, but they evi- 



