124 BIRD NOTES 



Society's Magazine.' I, for my part, have seen it 

 several times, and feel no doubt. If Tit-willow 

 comes, and finds that there is but one piece of 

 bacon left, he will fly to the little wife sitting on 

 the rose bush close by, and urge her to come and 

 take it ; and the way he does this is very curious. 

 The beak supplies the place, it appears, of both 

 fingers and lips ; he darts it towards the food, and 

 then towards her. If she still lingers, he goes 

 behind her, and darts his bill at her again, but I 

 think without touching her ; I have even seen him 

 apply his bill to the place where the ear is, or 

 should be, but I heard no sound. This was done 

 when she seemed exceedingly unwilling to go; 

 she was, I think, afraid of a robin that she saw 

 about to come, and that he did not see ; for as 

 soon as the robin had gone, she came imme- 

 diately. 



Birds are much more human than any one 

 knows who does not watch, as I do, a few tame 

 ones at home. Their gesture-language is so clear 

 to me now that I fancy I can understand what 

 they are feeling, and what they are thinking so 

 far as it is thinking, as easily as if they could 

 speak. I can see the balance between the in- 

 stincts of fear and hunger gradually shift in the 

 case of new-comers ; and watch the gradual in- 

 crease of cordiality, or at all events of tolerance, 



