SMALL BIRD TALK 515 



launched himself from his observation perch, like 

 a bolt from a cross-bow. 



Up ! Up ! he goes until he reaches a point above 

 the unprotected back of the invader; then down 

 he dashes on to the broad, unprotected back of the 

 mouser. 



The kinglet's little wife did her share in making 

 the neighborhood unpleasant for marauders of all 

 sorts and it was amusing to see how the robin up 

 by the roadside, the flicker in the hollow tree, the 

 song-sparrow from the copse, the catbird from the 

 swamp blueberry bush by the spring, and the che- 

 wink whose home is in the underbrush of the burnt 

 district, all counted and relied upon the kinglets 1 

 ability to discomfort their enemies. 



THE POETIC LITTLE FIELD SPARROW 



who had built its nest among the wild flowers near 

 the edge of the "tote" road, trusted to its unob- 

 trusive plumage for concealment and to the power 

 and energy of the king to drive the enemy away, but 

 after the hawk had disappeared the little sparrow 

 would mount upon a tree and burst into a glad song 

 of rejoicing, and this is what it sang: "Gee-o! 

 Gee-o! Gee! free; free; free; free; free;" the first 

 four words louder, prolonged, and in a higher key 

 than the remaining words, gliding quickly to a 

 lower pitch, gradually becoming softer and more 

 gentle until the last self-assuring "free" is reached 

 and is evidently not intended for the public ear, for 

 it can only be detected at a short distance, but his 



