A WOODLAND INTIMATE. 35 



gerly, and I could hear him counting, " One, 

 two, three, four," and so on, as she ate 

 mouthful after mouthful. 



Now, then, he wished to examine the 

 contents of the nest, especially as it was the 

 first of its kind that he had ever seen out- 

 of-doors. But the owner was set upon not 

 giving him the opportunity. He stroked 

 her head, brushed her wings, and, as my 

 note-book puts it, " poked her generally ; " 

 and still she kept her place. Finally, as he 

 stood on one side of her and I on the other, 

 we pushed the branch down, down, till she 

 was fairly under our noses. Then she 

 stepped off ; but even now, it was only to 

 alight on the very next twig, and face us 

 calmly ! and we had barely started away 

 before we saw her again on* duty. Brave 

 bird ! My friend was exceedingly pleased, 

 and I not less so ; though the fact of her 

 making no difference between us was some- 

 thing of a shock to my self-conceit, en- 

 deavor as I might to believe that she had 

 welcomed him, if not in my stead, yet at 

 least as my friend. What an odd pair we 

 must have looked in her eyes ! Possibly she 

 had heard of the new movement for the pro- 



