BIRDS IN THE CALENDAR 
few cage birds are ever so bold as to perch 
on the gardener's spade on the look-out for 
the worms as he turns them up from the 
damp soil. The robin might, in fact, furnish 
the text of a lay -sermon on the fruits of 
kindness to animals, and those dialectical 
people who ask whether we are kind to the 
robin because it trusts us, or whether, on 
the other hand, it trusts us because we are 
kind to it, ask a foolish question that raises 
a wholly unnecessary confusion between 
cause and effect. It is a question that those, 
at any rate, who have seen the bird in coun- 
tries where it is treated differently will have 
no difficulty whatever hi answering. Broadly 
speaking, the redbreast has the best time of 
it in northern lands. This tolerance has not, 
as has been suggested, any connection with 
Protestantism, for such a distinction would 
exclude the greater part of Ireland, where, 
as it happens, the bird is as safe from per- 
secution as in Britain, since the superstitious 
peasants firmly believe that anyone killing 
a " spiddog " will be punished by a lump 
growing on the palm of his hand. The un- 
toward fate of the robin in Latin countries 
138 
