SHARP EYES 29 



an account of it in his newspaper; it is too good 

 not to be true : A male bird brought to his box a 

 large, fine goose feather, which is a great find for a 

 sparrow and much coveted. After he had deposited 

 his prize and chattered his gratulations over it, he 

 went away in quest of his mate. His next-door 

 neighbor, a female bird, seeing her chance, quickly 

 slipped in and seized the feather ; and here the wit 

 of the bird came out, for instead of carrying it into 

 her own box she flew with it to a near tree and hid 

 it in a fork of the branches, then went home, and 

 when her neighbor returned with his mate was inno- 

 cently employed about her own affairs. The proud 

 male, finding his feather gone, came out of his box 

 in a high state of excitement, and, with wrath in 

 his manner and accusation on his tongue, rushed into 

 the cote of the female. Not finding his goods and 

 chattels there as he had expected, he stormed around 

 a while, abusing everybody in general and his neigh- 

 bor in particular, and then went away as if to repair 

 the loss. As soon as he was out of sight, the shrewd 

 thief went and brought the feather home and lined 

 her own domicile with it. 



I was much amused one summer day in seeing a 

 bluebird feeding her young one in the shaded street 

 of a large town. She had captured a cicada or har- 

 vest-fly, and, after bruising it a while on the ground, 

 flew with it to a tree and placed it in the beak of 

 the young bird. It was a large morsel, and the 

 mother seemed to have doubts of her chick's ability 

 to dispose of it, for she stood near and watched its 



