A SUNDAY OUT 99 



at dinner-time, he flew up close to me and was 

 glad of some crumbs, but, as he was eating them, 

 one of its two young ones came hopping up to 

 share the food. Immediately the old one flew at 

 it and drove it away, and it did not return. And 

 no doubt the reason why the old one so seldom 

 comes now is that it would be setting a bad 

 example to the young ones, who have to be taught 

 to fear human treachery. The old ones are right, 

 no doubt, but I am sorry. 



June 22, 1885. 



The garden is full of young birds; to-day a 

 family of blackcaps took possession of it for a 

 little while. I saw them here a short time ago 

 when they were younger, but I never had a visit 

 from blackcaps en famille before. They were very 

 shy- 

 Yesterday the garden was indeed possessed. I 

 never saw anything like it. I think the birds 

 knew that it was Sunday, and that there would 

 be no shopboys or other comers. A hen black- 

 bird brought three of her children such a noisy 

 crew and dug a large hole for them in my central 

 rose-bed. She pecked and scratched and flung 

 the earth about just as a mother hen does for her 

 chicks, and the young blackbirds pecked away at 

 what she turned up just as young chickens do. 

 Only it was all done with much more noise and 



H 2 



