LIII. A Disgusted Blackbird 



I KNOW it was a low-down thing to do, but I 

 did it with the best of intentions though I 

 am afraid the blackbirds will never under- 

 stand. They will probably think that after 

 the good work they did in eating white grubs, cut- 

 worms and other pests while I was preparing the 

 corn ground, I should have treated them differently. 

 But it was just because they did so much good 

 work that I treated them so badly. I was so grate- 

 ful to them that I did not want to treat them in 

 the usual way when the corn came up. In past years 

 it was the custom to loaf around with a double- 

 barrelled shot-gun about the time the corn was com- 

 ing through the ground, but this year the black- 

 birds were unusually plentiful, and as the season 

 was late they probably had many broods of young 

 to feed. Anyway they came to the corn field in 

 flocks and followed the plough, disc and harrow, 

 picking up every worm and bug that came in sight. 

 They demonstrated the fact that they are true 



205 



