22 THE JONATHAN PAPERS 



fluttering blindly about the room, sinking ex 

 hausted in inaccessible corners. They were as 

 foolish as June bugs, fifty times bigger, and 

 harder to catch. Moreover, when caught, 

 they were not pretty; their eyes were in the 

 top of their heads, like a snake s, their expres 

 sion was low and cunning. They were almost 

 as bad as bats! Worst of all, the young birds 

 had an untidy habit of tumbling out of the 

 nests down into the fireplaces, whether there 

 was a fire or not. Now, I have no conscien 

 tious objection to roasting birds, but I prefer 

 to choose my birds, and to kill them first. 



One morning I had gathered and carried 

 out of doors eight foolish, frightened, hud 

 dling things, and one dead young one from 

 the sitting-room embers, and I returned to 

 find Jonathan kneeling on the guest-room 

 hearth, one arm thrust far up the chimney. 

 &quot; What are you doing, Jonathan?&quot; The next 

 moment there was the familiar rush of wings, 

 which finally subsided behind the fresh pil 

 lows of the bed. Jonathan sprang up. &quot;Wait! 

 I ll get it!&quot; He carefully drew away the pil 

 low, his hand was almost on the poor little 

 quivering wretch, when it made another 



