100 IN THE MIDDLE COUNTRY. 



affair to one of the blackbirds. He took it into 

 his beak, dropped both head and tail, and gave 

 his mind to the cracking of the sweet morsel. 

 At this time he particularly disliked to be dis- 

 turbed, and the only time I saw one rude to a 

 youngster was when struggling with this diffi- 

 culty. While feeding the nestlings, they broke 

 the kernels into bits, picked up all the pieces, 

 filling the beak the whole length, and then flew 

 off with them. 



But they were not always allowed to keep the 

 whole kernel. They were generally attended 

 while on the ground by a little party of thieves, 

 ready and waiting to snatch any morsel that 

 was dropped. These were, of course, the Eng- 

 lish sparrows. They could not break corn, but 

 they liked it for all that, so they used their wits 

 to secure it, and of sharpness these street birds 

 have no lack. The moment a blackbird alighted 

 on the grass, a sparrow or two came down beside 

 him, and lingered around, watching eagerly. 

 Whenever a crumb dropped, one rushed in and 

 snatched it, and instantly flew from the wrath 

 to come. 



The sparrows had not been at this long be- 

 fore some of the wise blackbirds saw through 

 it, and resented it with proper spirit. One 

 of them would turn savagely after the spar- 

 row who followed him, and the knowing rascal 



