MY WOODLAND INTIMATES 



and he flew noiselessly away, probably with the 

 intention of resuming his nap in quieter regions. 



I heard a rustle among the vines then : let us see 

 what it means. Ah, it is a member of the very 

 vigilance committee in question; a catbird with 

 whom we are on terms of great intimacy. He 

 is one of a friendly band which follows us from 

 tree to tree, but none of his companions carry 

 their fearlessness to quite such lengths as does 

 this bright-eyed little fellow. There is no re- 

 monstrance, you see, although my hand is now 

 within two or three inches of his pretty, gray 

 coat. Is not such confidence delightful ! 



You probably wonder what induces him to lin- 

 ger around the summer-home when all the other 

 members of his family have departed. Has he 

 missed his train, or his party rather, and is he 

 too exclusive to attach himself to any other com- 

 pany, even though its members may not belong to 

 his own particular set ? 



We flatter ourselves that affection for his hu- 

 man friends is one of the influences at work in 

 the matter of his prolonged stay; yet we must 

 acknowledge that this consideration is only a 

 secondary one, and that a deep-rooted regard for 

 the material benefits accruing to him from the 



[So] 



