BOYHOOD AND BIRDS. 75 



body, pounced upon one in the most savage fashion, and 

 would have killed it in an instant, but that the old hen rush- 

 ed to the rescue, with a blow that sent the young robber sev- 

 eral feet distant. The indignant mother followed up the at- 

 tack, and I was about to interfere when, to my surprise, the 

 young wretch, with all his feathers bristling, like a little 

 hedge -hog, threw himself upon his back and awaited the on- 

 set with open mouth and fierce eyes. The hen struck at 

 him with her beak, and quick as lightning he clutched her 

 head with his claws, and the astonished hen ran squalling 

 off, shaking her head in agony to get rid of this new sort of 

 head-gear. When she had shaken him off, she ran away in a 

 great fright, and he strutted around with a most conscious air. 



"Well!" muttered I, "this is getting to be something 

 of a joke my new variety seems to have more of the hawk 

 than the song bird in it. I never heard of mocking birds 

 killing young chickens or whipping old hens before ! 

 Eather a war-like variety of song bird, this new one of mine ! 

 I must look over my books and see something about that 

 lizard story." 



That lizard story had always haunted me though I had 

 not been able to summon courage to look it up. Just at 

 this moment my sister, who had witnessed the little scene 

 above, and heard a part of my muttered soliloquy, from a 

 window close at hand burst into a ringing laugh, and as I 

 looked up, disappeared. In a moment she came bounding 

 down the steps to meet me, with a small book in her hand, 

 which I recognized with a forboding thrill, before she reached 

 me. It was a small school edition of selections from orni- 

 thology, with wood-cut illustrations. She held her hand on 

 the page to cover something, while she read as well as she 

 could for laughter, Wilson's version of the lizard story, and 

 when she got through removed her hand suddenly from the 

 cut, and though it was remarkably rudely done, I instantly 

 recognized in my new variety "THE BUTCHER BIRD!" 

 Exeunt omnes screaming with laughter. 



