218 More Tales of the Birds 



Society for the Prevention of the Extinction of 

 Birds, who, living in a London suburb, had 

 come to believe that in the course of a few years 

 the whole race of birds would be exterminated 

 in this country through the greed and cruelty of 

 that inferior animal Man. This enthusiast was 

 now bidden to come in a month's time, eat his 

 fill of fruit, and bask in one garden where birds 

 still built and sang and fed in unmolested freedom. 

 Nor did the blackbirds watch the ripening 

 treasure unmindful of the future ; they, and the 

 thrushes, and the starlings, while they did their 

 duty towards the grubs and caterpillars, looked 

 forward to a plentiful reward, and told their 

 young of new treats and wonders that were yet 

 in store for them. 



And now a spell of fine sunny weather began 

 to bring out a blush on the cherries and goose- 

 berries and red currants ; the roses burst into 

 bloom ; and the Poet and his wife were busy 

 tending and weeding the garden they had learnt 

 to love so well. In the warm afternoons he sat 

 out reading, or walked up and down the path 

 through the allotments listening to the birds and 



