108 KNOWING BIRDS THROUGH STORIES 



by her doings which he never could understand or ap- 

 prove. Toward evening Betty insisted on coming into 

 the dooryard, and poor Bob was distressed beyond meas- 

 ure. Every instinct and every bit of training he had ever 

 received told him she was going to certain death and she 

 seemed wholly unconscious of the fact. "When mother 

 threw out a handful of feed, poor Bob flew to the orchard, 

 but true to the habits of his race, no sooner had he 

 alighted than he ran back, keeping well under cover, to 

 see what happened to Betty. When finally he peeped 

 through the garden fence and saw her contentedly sitting on 

 mother's shoulder, his surprize was beyond description. 

 He began fluttering and flopping much as a mother dove 

 would have done had some one disturbed her nest, and 

 when he had attracted Betty's attention, he rose with a 

 tremendous whirr and flew toward the meadow. Betty 

 paid not the least attention and when night came roosted 

 on the porch as usual. 



Day after day Bob fussed and fretted in his endeavors 

 to persuade Betty that she was not safe, but when at last 

 she made her nest in the house he overcame his fears suffi- 

 ciently to sit on the railing of the porch, provided no one 

 came near. When the little quails were hatched and 

 Betty led them proudly into the front yard he alighted by 

 her side with every demonstration of joy, but when mother 

 threw a finely minced hard-boiled egg to the brood, he 

 rose with a whirr which frightened the poor little fellows 

 almost out of their wits. It was interesting to see how 

 those babes, which but an hour ago had hatched, at this first 

 call of danger scattered like the leaves of autumn, each hid- 

 ing in the best manner possible. Betty began calling in her 

 gentle soothing voice and presently one little fellow after 



