A Butcher and a Hummer 



first on one side, then on the other, to avoid the 

 sharp bills of the angry feathered folk who had 

 discovered him trying to rob a nest of its young. 



Peter chuckled. " Chatterer is getting just what 

 is due him, I guess," he muttered. "It reminds 

 me of the time I got into a Yellow Jacket's nest. 

 My, but those birds are mad !" 



Chatterer continued to dodge from side to side 

 of the tree while the birds darted down at him, all 

 screaming at the top of their voices. Finally 

 Chatterer saw his chance to run for the old stone 

 wall. Only one bird was quick enough to catch up 

 with him and that one was such a tiny fellow that 

 he seemed hardly bigger than a big insect. It was 

 Hummer the Hummingbird. He followed Chat- 

 terer clear to the old stone wall. A moment later 

 Peter heard a humming noise just over his head 

 and looked up to see Hummer himself alight on a 

 twig, where he squeaked excitedly for a few 

 minutes, for his voice is nothing but a little squeak. 



Often Peter had seen Hummer darting about 

 from flower to flower and holding himself still in 

 mid-air in front of each as he thrust his long bill 

 into the heart of the blossom to get the tiny insects 

 there and the sweet juices he is so fond of. But 

 this was the first time Peter had ever seen him sit- 

 ting still. He was such a mite of a thing that it was 

 hard to realize that he was a bird. His back was 

 [265] 



