208 THE CLERK OF THE WOODS 



a burst of little, hurried, sweet-sounding, 

 angry notes always the same, or so nearly 

 the same that my ear is unable to detect the 

 difference. 



Generally these manoeuvres are success- 

 ful ; but now and then the feeder is so per- 

 sistently greedy that I am tempted to assert 

 a landlord's prerogative and tell him to be- 

 gone. Only once have I ever seen two birds 

 clinging to the bag together, although so far 

 as I can make out, there is nothing to hinder 

 their doing so; and even then they were 

 not eating, but waiting to see which should 

 give place to the other. 



All in all, it is a very pleasing show. It is 

 good to see the innocent creatures so happy. 

 Nobody could look at them, their black eyes 

 shining, their black bills striking into the 

 meats, all their motions so expressive of eager 

 enjoyment, without feeling glad on their ac- 

 count. And with all the rest, it may be said 

 that an ease-loving man, with a meddlesome 

 New England conscience, is not always sorry 

 to have a decent, or better than decent, ex- 

 cuse for dropping work once in a while to 

 look out of the window. Who says we are 



