20 EEDBEEAST. 



have been amusing, had it not been distressing, to view these 

 beauteous little creatures, who seemed only formed for harmony 

 and love, bristling up with rage, every feather like 'quills 

 upon the fretful porcupine,' eyes on fire, and their tiny heads 

 making circles of defiance before the first collision, which 

 always terminated by our separating the combatants, who 

 retreated severally to their respective districts; so fierce have 

 they been that they have even fought upon our hands.' The 

 broods of the two birds in due season appeared, but were 

 of different dispositions, like their parents, or, rather, differently 

 educated in consequence of the difference in them. The one 

 set came not near at all; the others were brought close to 

 the ladies, but the moment the old bird perceived them 

 approach too near, he would dash among them with a great 

 flutter, and scatter them to a proper distance; he was so 

 much on the alert, that they never succeeded in attracting 

 them, and they disappeared entirely during the summer. Mr. 

 Thompson narrates a similar action on the part of the parent 

 of a young Robin which followed a relative of his through 

 the garden, ate food from his hand, and also gave him its 

 'most sweet company' by perching on his knee or shoulder 

 when he was seated in a garden-chair; this degree of familiarity, 

 however, was not at all approved of by an old bird, most 

 probably the parent, which several times rushed quickly past 

 and drove it away. 



The lady concludes, 'The only source of annoyance our birds 

 had with us, were from the dog and the cat, who occasionally 

 accompanied us in our walks, of the latter they were very 

 much afraid, although she was quite amenable to orders, and 

 did not attempt to molest them, but, strange to say, with 

 the dog they were much better friends, although, in defiance 

 of all correction, he would frequently make a bounce at them, 

 but only in play; Terry seemed to know this, often remaining 

 quietly on my hand, while Rory stood at my side gazing 

 at him, and we were much amused to watch occasionally a 

 kind of race between them as they accompanied us down the 

 avenue to the front gate, a distance of about two hundred 

 and fifty yards, the dog running before us, and the bird flying 

 from tree to tree during the whole way and back again.' 



The Rev. E. I. Moor, in a letter to Mr. Meyer, says, 'A 

 young naval friend of mine, Mr. R. Burroughes, told me that 

 as his ship was once in the Bay of Biscay, at a considerable 

 distance from any land, a common Robin Redbreast was picked 



