138 THE CHRONICLES OF A GARDEN. 



have I seen birds and their nests guarded by one who 

 h~>ved them well. I remember a favourite garden walk 

 being given up one spring, because a pair of wood-pigeons 

 had built in a large sycamore near the middle of the path ; 

 and another summer, the front door was left open all 

 day, because a pair of swallows had built their nest, so 

 that the bell- wire ran through it, and no one could ring 

 the bell without disturbing them. The swallows never 

 returned ; but the wood-pigeons came back year after year, 

 and both the old birds and their young ones became so 

 tame that we no longer needed to avoid passing under their 

 tree, but used to see them pacing about the garden almost 

 like tame pigeons. The chaffinch seems more inclined to 

 form what may be called a personal friendship for some 

 one individual in its free state than even the redbreast ; 

 the latter, especially in autumn, is familiar with almost any 

 one, but the chaffinch is not, and those I have known that 

 thus singled out, as it were, one friend, would not come at 

 the call of any one else. What a little tyrant to his gentle 

 master was one that I recall, flying to meet him no doubt 

 whenever he appeared in the garden, but scolding in a 

 loud shrill key if crumbs of bread were not immediately 

 forthcoming ; and after his young ones were hatched, it 

 was alleged that " Shilfa " preferred bread and milk to dry 

 crumbs, and most certainly he often scolded on, refusing 

 the bread, till the moistened crumbs were brought, when 

 he would fill his beak and be off to his ga2)ing family. 

 For several summers I have known these birds, (I know not 

 if the same individuals,) establish thus a right to have 



