HINTS BY THE WAY. 85 



mands. As I rode around the tree, one of them 

 looked at me sharply and proceeded to take 

 measures to protect his brood. When one of 

 the children told me where he was, his parent 

 promptly flew over and shouted in his ear, " Be 

 quiet ! " with such a ring of command that an un- 

 broken hush followed. Moreover, when one child, 

 probably a greedy one, teased for food, its par- 

 ent ran down the branch to drive it off ; and in 

 some way best known to themselves the old birds 

 hushed up the boisterous young ones and spirited 

 them out of my sight. But all these things were 

 in line with good family government and the best 

 interests of the children, and were more than 

 atoned for by the soft gentle notes the old birds 

 used when they were leading around their 

 cherished brood out of harm's way. 



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