200 IN THE MIDDLE COUNTRY. 



my window, but went about his own affairs in 

 the most matter-of-fact way. Yet I cannot 

 agree with the common opinion, which has made 

 his name a synonym for all that is meek and 

 gentle. He has a will of his own, and a " mild 

 but firm " way of securing it. Sometimes, when 

 all were busy at the corn, one of my Quaker- 

 clad guests would take a notion, for what reason 

 I could not discover, that some other dove must 

 not stay, and he would drive him (or her) off. 

 He was not rude or blustering, like the robin, 

 nor did he make offensive remarks, after the 

 manner of a blackbird ; he simply signified his 

 intention of having his neighbor go, and go he 

 did, nolens volens. 



It was droll to see how this " meek and gentle " 

 fellow met blackbird impudence. If one of the 

 sable gentry came down too near a dove, the 

 latter gave a little hop and rustled his feathers, 

 but did not move one step away. For some 

 occult reason the blackbird seemed to respect 

 this mild protest, and did not interfere again. 



Would one suspect so solemn a personage of 

 joking? yet what else could this little scene 

 mean ? A blackbird was on the ground eating, 

 when a dove flew down and hovered over him as 

 though about to alight upon him. It evidently 

 impressed the blackbird exactly as it did me, 

 for he scrambled out from under, very hastily. 



