20 THE FACE OF THE FIELDS 



to seek refuge among the branches. Meanwhile 

 the terrified chipmunk had recovered his nerve 

 and sat quietly watching the sudden turn of affairs 

 from a near-by stump. 



I climbed into the cupola of the barn this morn- 

 ing, as I frequently do throughout the winter, and 

 brought down a dazed junco that was beating his 

 life out up there against the window-panes. He 

 lay on his back in my open hand, either feign- 

 ing death or really powerless with fear. His eyes 

 were closed, his whole tiny body throbbing con- 

 vulsively with his throbbing heart Taking him 

 to the door, I turned him over and gave him a 

 gentle toss. Instantly his wings flashed, they zig- 

 zagged him for a yard or two, then bore him 

 swiftly around the corner of the house and 

 dropped him in the midst of his fellows, where 

 they were feeding upon the lawn. He shaped 

 himself up a little and fell to picking with the 

 others. 



From a state of collapse the laws of his being 

 had brought the bird into normal behavior as 

 quickly and completely as the collapsed rubber 

 ball is rounded by the laws of its being. The 

 memory of the fright seems to have been an im- 



