168 WILES OF BIRDS TO PRESERVE 



a pod of marrowfats with great dexterity ; but 

 this, we believe, is the extent of its criminality. 

 Yet for this venial indulgence do we proscribe it, 

 rank it with vermin, and set a price upon its head, 

 giving four-pence for the dozen, probably the an- 

 cient payment when the groat was a coin. How- 

 ever powerful the stimulus was then, we yet find it 

 a sufficient inducement to our idle bat-fowling boys 

 to bring baskets of poor toms' heads to our church- 

 warden's door. 



The wiles and stratagems of every creature are 

 deserving of attention, because they are, for the 

 most part, the impulse of the weak and feeble, 

 instinctive ^ efforts to preserve their own existence, 

 or more generally to secure or defend that of their 

 offspring. Few are able to effect these objects by 

 bodily power; but all creatures probably exert a 

 faculty of some kind, to ward off injury from 

 their young, though not observed by, or manifested 

 to us. .This poor little blue tomtit, which has 

 neither beak, claws, nor any portion of strength to 

 defend itself from the weakest assailant, will never- 

 theless make trial by menace to scare the intruder 

 from its nest. It builds almost universally in the 

 hole of a wall, or a tree ; and its size enables it 

 to creep through so small a crevice, that it is pretty 

 well secured from all annoyances, but those of 

 birdnesting boys ; and these little plunderers the 

 sitting bird endeavours to scare away, by hissing 



