FRIENDLY RELATIONS. 55 



unfriendliness with his own species. I have 

 already spoken of the amicable association, in 

 the very nesting-tree, of half a dozen of the 

 birds, as reported by a trustworthy and experi- 

 enced observer. On one occasion, somewhat 

 later, I saw an exhibition of a similar friend- 

 liness among four adult shrikes. They were 

 frolicking about another thorn-tree in the same 

 pasture, in the most peaceful manner ; and 

 while I looked, one of them picked up a tidbit 

 from the ground and flew to the nest I was 

 watching, thus proving that the nesting-bird 

 was one of the group. At least twice after- 

 ward, when silently approaching the nest, I 

 found two other shrikes hopping about with the 

 one I was studying, on the ground, almost under 

 the tree. On my appearance the strangers flew, 

 and the nest-owner went up to his mate with an 

 offering. We do not think of calling the robin 

 or bluebird particularly quarrelsome, yet fancy 

 one of these birds allowing another of his spe- 

 cies to come to his home-tree ! Every close ob- 

 server of bird- ways knows that it is apparently 

 the first article in the avian creed to keep every 

 other bird away from the nest. 



And how did the terrible " brigand " treat 

 his neighbors ? The robin, indeed, he drove 

 away, but meadow larks sang and " sputtered " 

 at their pleasure, not only beside him on the 



