3 8 FEATHERED FRIENDS. 



are a number of fruit trees ; among these, and especially 

 on one of them, the gardener spied a pair of Coal Tits 

 busily at work one day, and immediately thirsted for 

 their blood, but was powerless to act without permis- 

 sion from the master, which after a time was obtained 

 and the poor Tits were shot. 



That year there was a plague of caterpillars in the 

 garden and the only tree that had any fruit on it was the 

 one to which the poor Tits had paid such attention that 

 the gardener had declared it was ruined and had better 

 be cut down ! 



I might multiply examples, but what is the use? 

 An ounce of observation with one's eyes open is worth 

 a hundredweight of cut and dried precept in a book; 

 let the horticulturist watch and draw his own conclusions 

 instead of blindly following in the footsteps of the 

 prejudiced and unlearned, 



The scientific name, of this species is Pants ater. 



