FEEDING THE BIRDS. 291 



tion. Of course the last-named got the best of it, as they 

 always do, their natural pugnacity and aggressiveness* 

 bringing them well to the front, and enabling them tc 

 hold their own against seemingly overwhelming odds. 

 And then would ensue a scene of rare confusion and 

 quarrelling and scolding, each bird doing its best to secure 

 the choicest morsels, and eating with all convenient 

 rapidity in order to obtain as much of the enticing food 

 .as possible before the feast was despatched. But then, 

 perhaps, the snow would be lying several inches deep 

 upon the ground, and this morning refection would be 

 almost the only food that they would be able to procure 

 for the next twenty -four hours. 



All these birds knew to the very minute when their 

 regular feeding-time had arrived, and, if my father 

 happened to be a little late, would tap impatiently and 

 repeatedly at the window, in order to accelerate his 

 movements. Sometimes quite a row of sparrows would 

 be sitting there and pecking at the glass when he 

 arrived with the dish. Then, of course, there would be 

 a general flight as the window was opened, and the con- 

 tents of the dish were spread out. But almost before it 

 could be shut again every bird would be back, and the 

 struggling for place and the strife of tongues would 

 commence. This used to go on every morning until 

 the warm days of spring brought the insects out ; and 

 then the attendance would gradually diminish until 

 hardly a bird arrived at all. 



The titmice were the most unfortunate of all these 

 birds, for their small size enabled any and all of their 

 T 2 



