UNDER THE APPLE-TREES 



whicli are preyed upon that show excessive caution 

 and fear. One can well understand how the constant 

 danger of being eaten does not contribute to the 

 ease and composure of any creature, and why these 

 which are so beset are in a state of what we call ner- 

 vousness most of the time. Behold the small ro- 

 dents — rats, mice, squirrels, rabbits, woodchucks, 

 and the like; they act as if they felt the eyes of the 

 mink or the weasel or the cat or the hawk upon 

 them all the time. 



Among the birds some are much more nervous 

 and "panicky" than others. The woodpeckers are 

 less so than the thrushes and finches; the jays less 

 than the starlings and the game-birds. The seed- 

 eaters and fruit-eaters are probably preyed upon 

 much more than the purely insectivorous birds, 

 because doubtless their flesh is sweeter. 



Birds of prey have few enemies apart from man. 

 Among the land animals we ourselves prefer the 

 flesh of the vegetable-eaters, and the carnivora do 

 the same. We aU want to get as near to the vege- 

 table as we can, even in our meat-eating. 



The birds, even the prettiest of them, are little 

 savages. In watching from my window the feeding 

 white-throats and song sparrows, I cannot help no- 

 ticing how ungenerously they behave toward one 

 another — apparently not one of them willing to 

 share the feast with another. Each seems to think 

 the food his or her special discovery and that the 



100 



