ACQUAINTANCE WITH THE BIRD. 249 
for it threatened to run at the bird. I never saw him 
quite so timid before. But he tiptoed around it and 
put in a stroke now and then, till finally he was rising 
high on his legs and driving his beak home fearfully. 
Before “ the finish” I interfered, and he walked only 
a few feet away as I inspected his prey. Then I 
stuck a straw by it and walked around him that he 
might again renew the battle. But although he 
searched diligently he could not find it. I was dis- 
appointed in his powers of location, but I felt more 
charitably toward him after I myself had again 
searched and could not even find the straw I had 
stuck up. I thought that his trill from the apple tree 
had a strain of irony in it. 
A few evenings later, just at dusk, as I was push- 
ing the lawn mower under a maple, he came and 
nestled down into a little basketlike crotch just over 
my hat, and, after watching me a few seconds, put his 
head under his wing and went to sleep. I got a box 
and mounted up with my face not a foot away. I 
could easily have taken him in my hand. Fearing 
that he might be ill I spoke to him. He raised his 
head, looked into my eyes a moment, and again put 
his head under his wing. I crept away from him. 
Next night I stole out and again found him in another 
little crotch near by, sleeping so soundly that he never 
seemed to know that I had looked in upon him, nor 
that toward his little feathered form my heart had 
gone out so warmly. 
Why should not a man love a bird? If the palm 
of one should clasp the pinion of the other there 
