PRESERVED FROM CAGES. 55 



come and scold ; in vain did I try to push 

 him along. He simply knew his own will, and 

 meant to have it ; the world might be strange, 

 but he was not in the least interested. He 

 rested in that spot fifteen or twenty minutes 

 more, while I stood guard as before, and pre- 

 served him from cages of both negroes and 

 whites. At last he did manage to squeeze 

 through the fence, and, much relieved, I left him 

 to the old birds, one of whom was down in the 

 lot beyond the garden, no doubt following up 

 his ambitious first-born. 



Whoever, meanwhile, was left in the nest had 

 a poor chance of food, and one was already cry- 

 ing. It was not until six o'clock that the birds 

 seemed to remember the nestling ; then it was 

 well fed, and left again. Nothing would be 

 easier than to follow the wandering youngsters, 

 see how they got on and how soon they were 

 able to fly, but this so disturbed the parents I 

 had not the heart to do it ; and besides I feared 

 they would starve the infants, for one was never 

 fed while I was near. Doubtless their experi- 

 ence of the human race forbade their confiding: 

 in the kindly intentions of any one. It was well 

 that only two of the young appeared in one day, 

 for keeping track of them was so serious a mat- 

 ter that two parents could scarcely manage it. 



Number three differed from both of his el- 



