DKOLLEKIES OF THE WOODS. 183 



rather meekly reasoning to himself, the while, that the poor 

 birds should be consoled that so benevolent a friend as he 

 had rescued them from the wily snake, or other hard-hearted 

 foes. Jay, indeed, is particularly famous for his tender heart ; 

 for suddenly discovering that all kind of provender is get 

 ting scarce, he is seized with harrowing apprehensions lest 

 the young of his neighbor, Grosbeak, should suffer from 

 hunger, or the poor, dear parents overwork themselves in 

 finding supplies for their hungry mouths, and to prevent such 

 lingering suffering, he glides slyly to the nest, and, with the 

 stern heroism of the Eoman Brutus, subduing all natural 

 weakness in the sense of official duty, devours the young to 

 save them from the dreadful pangs of hunger. This severe 

 duty is, of course, performed by this self-denying Lictor of 

 the people, in the absence of the parents Grosbeak. Not, 

 that he fears them not he ! He let the male Grosbeak give 

 him an awful thrashing the other day, to be sure, because he 

 had been caught by him in that neighborhood; but, then, it 

 was more in pity than in anger, that he had submitted with 

 philosophy, for he well knew that the benighted bird did not 

 appreciate the benevolent purpose which had brought him 

 there ; and, then in coming in his absence, he had spared 

 him the pain of witnessing what this most unpleasant duty 

 cost his official dignity. The executioner should never show 

 a weakness ! 



So jealous is he, too, of his sole prerogative of supervision 

 over the interests and welfare of his neighbors indeed, of the 

 whole community for no one can be better imagined as 

 saying : 



" No pent up Utica contracts our powers, 

 The whole boundless universe (of eggs and fleclgings) is ours," 



that he is forever on the look-out for all interloping strag- 

 glers who may chance to have given way to the same weak- 

 ness of appetite. Every Eaccoon that shows his inquisitive 

 nose, is assailed with vehement clamors and furious snap- 



