BIRDS AT THE WINDOW 209 



idle while we are taking a lesson in natural 

 history ? I do not know how many times I 

 have broken off (seeing a bird's shadow in 

 the room, or hearing a tap on the pane) while 

 writing these few paragraphs. 



Once, indeed, I saw something like actual 

 belligerency. Two birds reached the bag at 

 the same instant, and neither was inclined to 

 withdraw. They came together, bill to bill, 

 each with a volley of those fine, spitfire notes 

 of which I spoke just now, and in the course 

 of the set-to, which was over almost before it 

 began, one of them struck beak-first against 

 the window, as if he were coming through. 

 Then both flew to the elm branches, fifteen 

 feet away, and in a moment more one of them 

 came back and took a turn at feeding. I 

 am not going to take in the bag for fear of 

 the immoral effects of excessive competition. 

 Competition among customers is the 

 life of trade. I am glad to see my table so 

 popular. 



The nuthatches, of which we have at least 

 two, male and female, as I know by the dif- 

 ferent color of their crowns, have not yet dis- 

 covered the nuts, but come regularly to the 



