82 BIEDS 



mistle-thrushes often build their nests in the most ex- 

 posed situations, and passion is often as blind as it is 

 devoted. Indeed, the most remarkable feature of the cat 

 and blackbird incidents is not the attitude of the birds 

 but the cats. They cannot stand up against conviction, 

 and it is the same in human affairs, though we usually 

 martyr it in our dislike and fear. 



