OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS. 235 



chirp, to call, and at last to sing. He was 

 still so shy he went down behind his screen 

 to sing, but sing he must and did. Now, too, 

 he began to resent the attentions of his ad- 

 mirer, occasionally giving the poor little toes" 

 a nip, as they clung to the tin band near his 

 seat. He also went out now, and turned an 

 open beak upon his friend. From simply en- 

 during him, he suddenly began offensive opera- 

 tions against him. Poor little lover! an un- 

 grateful peck did not drive him away, but sim- 

 ply made him move a little farther off, and 

 stopped his gentle twittering talk a while. But 

 the tanager grew more and more belligerent. 

 He came out every day, took soaking baths, and 

 returned to his examination of the windows, 

 for the trees were green outside, and plainly he 

 longed to be on them. He stood and looked 

 out, and called, and held his wings up level 

 with his back, fluttering them gently. 



All this time the devotion of the little one 

 never changed, though it was so badly received. 

 When the tanager turned savagely and gave his 

 faithful friend a severe peck, instead of re- 

 serfting it the hurt bird flew to another perch, 

 where he stood a long time, uttering occasion- 

 ally a low, plaintive call, as if of reproach, all 

 his cheerfulness gone, a melancholy sight in- 

 deed. I waited only for warm days to set free 



