104 IN THE MIDDLE COUNTRY. 



to helping himself to a grain of corn. The 

 moment his eyes fell upon madam of the fluffy 

 hair, he burst out with a loud, rapid woodpecker 

 " chitter," gradually growing higher in key and 

 louder in tone. The blue jay flew down from 

 the nest across the yard, and another came from 

 behind the house ; both perched near and stared 

 at him, and then began to talk in low tones. A 

 robin came hastily over and gazed at the usually 

 silent red-head, and apparently it was to all as 

 strange a performance as it was to me, or possi- 

 bly they recognized that it was a cry of warning 

 against danger. 



After he had us all aroused, the bird suddenly 

 fell to silence, and resumed his ordinary man- 

 ner, but he did not go after corn. I suppose 

 the harangue was addressed to the doll. 



That was the last scene in the first act of the 

 corn feast, for the blackbirds had become so 

 numerous and so noisy that they made morning 

 hideous to the whole household, and I stopped 

 the supplies for several days, till these birds 

 ceased to expect anything, and so came no more, 

 and then I spread a fresh breakfast-table for 

 more interesting guests, whose manners and cus- 

 toms I studied for weeks. 



I was invariably startled wide awake on these 

 mornings by a bird note, and sprang up, to see 

 at one glance that 



