WOOD AND WASTE 191 



lighted to notice a fourth bird on the 

 pear tree top, "because, you see. Daddy, it 

 might be * Uncle Harry's' mummie coming 

 to see if we are good to him." On one 

 or two occasions there was also a fifth bird 

 about the place. But it was not until the 

 beginning of May that either of the two wild 

 birds showed any signs of wishing to make 

 our more intimate acquaintance. About 

 then one of them, whom we christened 

 ''No. 4," began more and more frequently, 

 sometimes two days running and again 

 sometimes not for five or six days, to come 

 doT\^i with the others. At first he was 

 content to watch them from his pear tree 

 perch, but at last approached still nearer 

 to the scene of their feasts, and settled on 

 the verandah roof. Still later he took the 

 great step of joining the tame birds on 

 the lawn, where on that particular day 

 they were being fed. At first he would not 

 attempt the bread thrown near him. On 

 the other hand, he appeared to think that 

 not to eat when the others were feeding, 

 might, in the strange company in which he 

 found himself, perhaps be considered a 



