The Black Swans 



The cat-birds like it too, and we like 

 them. They are so trim, so neat, so 

 "tailor-made," as Billy says; and 

 friendly always. They reproduce them- 

 selves in two short weeks, and in ten 

 days more the mother lights upon a 

 twig above the nest where they were 

 born and fed and clucking to the tiny 

 chicks with fluttering wings she tells 

 her wee ones of a great adventure now 

 at hand; and one by one they struggle 

 out and take their places in the big new 

 world. And who shall say that place 

 of theirs is unimportant? It may seem 

 so to us, but who are we? That is 

 their question. And from their stand- 

 point what is it we do to justify our 

 own existence? One thing at least it 

 seems the cat-bird, in common with 

 the robin, gives us credit for. Wherever 

 we build our own nests, the robber 

 birds say the blue-jays or the crows 

 do not come close. Our eaves and 

 porches look good therefore to Cock 

 Robin, and a cat-bird dearly loves 



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