24 on BORron common. 
walked back and forth underneath; between 
whiles he sailed about, on the watch for his 
prey. On one of these last occasions a little 
company of swallows came along, and one of 
them immediately went out of his way to swoop 
down upon the hawk, and deal him a dab. 
Then, as he rejoined his companions, I heard 
him give a little chuckle, as though he said, 
“There! did you see me peck at him? You 
don’t think I am afraid of such a fellow as that, 
do you?” ‘To speak in Thoreau’s manner, I 
rejoiced in the incident as a fresh illustration of 
the ascendency of spirit over matter. 
One is always glad to find a familiar bird 
playing a new réle, and especially in such a 
spot as the Common, where, at the best, one 
can hope to see so very little. It may be as- 
sumed, therefore, that I felt peculiarly grateful 
to a white-bellied nuthatch, when I discovered 
him hopping about on the ground — on Monu- 
ment Hill; a piece of humility such as I had 
never before detected any nuthatch in the prac- 
tice of. Indeed, this fellow looked so unlike 
himself, moving briskly through the grass with 
long, awkward leaps, that at first sight I failed 
to recognize him. He was occupied with turn- 
ing over the dry leaves, one after another, — 
hunting for cocoons, or things of that sort, I 
suppose. Twice he found what he was in search 
