A HERMIT'S WILD FRIENDS 



to the whole affair. It proved that bird na- 

 ture and human nature are much alike. 



A little miss, who had come from the city 

 with her parents, was much interested when 

 I told her that the birds were Mr. Chewink's 

 babies. She looked on while the babies clam- 

 ored for food, and when Mr. Chewink knocked 

 one of the little ones over in his rough, im- 

 patient way, the sympathetic miss cried out: 

 " Oh, mamma, how cross he is ! He is just like 

 papa when the baby cries." 



After awhile Mr. Chewink changed his tac- 

 tics. I think he had grumbled to his wife, 

 and had threatened to let the hawks get the 

 little beggars, so she told him how to induce 

 them to pick up their food. Mr. Chewink 

 took the hint, and dropped food before each 

 bird, and probably said, " Help yourself or 

 starve." The poor things did get right down 

 hungry before they found out that they could 

 feed themselves. Another feature of bird life 

 was brought to my attention two days before 

 the second brood was hatched out. Mr. Che- 

 wink enticed the young birds away to a bird 

 180 



