'MUSIC HATH CHARMS' 41 



had his tremendous beak well stuffed with bread ; 

 he lowered it nevertheless, but both thought 

 better of the matter, and there was no fight. 



This morning when I opened- the window I 

 saw a robin hc*pping about below, and I called it, 

 as mellifluously as I could ; it hopped towards 

 me, and looked up, and seemed inclined to come ; 

 but a chaffinch at that moment settled on the 

 verandah, and away went the robin at once. It 

 cannot be fear that keeps it away ; for, as I said 

 before, it fears none of them, and can rout the 

 whole company if necessary. 



I think, therefore, it must be some kind of 

 supercilious feeling. Perhaps it has some right to 

 this feeling ; it stands more upright than the 

 other small birds, has a larger and more far- 

 seeing eye, a more -lively motion than most, and 

 a much more varied note and sensitive ear. It is 

 an enthusiastic musician. Last autumn I was 

 made curiously aware of the sensitiveness of its 

 ear. I do not think my voice is particularly 

 enchanting, but I found that while working in 

 my garden, with a robin as my companion not far 

 off, I could make it come to me, or fly close past 

 me, by softly saying, ' Bob, Bob, Bob, pretty little 

 Bob ! ' and so on, for some time ; but I also found 

 that if I was at all hoarse I could make no im- 

 pression. The charm for the robin was gone with 



