22O More Tales of the Birds 



breakfast ; for that, as the Poet observed, is the 

 real time to eat strawberries, "and the flavour 

 is twice as good if you pick them yourself in the 

 beds." So in the fresh of the morning they all 

 three went into the garden, and the Poet pointed 

 out with pride the various places where the birds 

 had built. 



" We've had half a dozen blackbirds' nests 

 that we know of," he said, "and probably there 

 are others that we never found. See there 

 there's a nice crop of blackbirds for a single 

 season ! " 



Out of the strawberry beds, hustling and 

 chuckling, there arose a whole school of youthful 

 blackbirds, who had been having their first 

 lessons in the art of sucking ripe fruit. The 

 elders set off first, and the young ones followed 

 unwillingly, one or two bolder spirits even yet 

 dallying in the further corner of the bed. 



The Member hardly seemed enthusiastic ; he 

 had been invited from London to eat straw- 

 berries, not to see the birds eat them. The Poet 

 half divined his thoughts : " Plenty for all," he 

 cried; "we share and share alike here." 



