Birds by Land and Sea 



that I recognized that that round black eye had been 

 fixed intently upon me as I approached, unaware of 

 the bird's presence. There he stands, drawn up 

 taut and trim to the height of his small martial 

 figure, action in every line of him. He cedes the 

 position to you at the last moment as if under 

 protest, but probably falls to with a song at once to 

 show you that he thinks no more of you. His 

 popularity with man is generally set down to his 

 trustfulness, but it would perhaps be more in 

 keeping with the bird's well-known character 

 in other respects to attribute it to his bold- 

 ness. There is defiance in his eye and attitude, 

 and the bird is boldly curious. If 1 set up my 

 camera and retire to photograph a bird on the nest, 

 not infrequently a robin springs on to the legs and 

 takes stock of the apparatus ; or if I hide myself in 

 the loneliest wood in expectation of a " snap," a 

 robin is sure to find me out and hold forth on the 

 questionable character of my occupation. In short, 

 he is a notable patron of human inventions, and one 

 cannot leave a spade in the ground but he will 

 perch on the handle. Approach his nest, however, 

 and the bird springs on to some perch before you, 

 bobbing wrathfully, whilst his full black eye blazes 

 with defiance. I have seen a robin perfectly be- 

 wilder a cat which had unintentionally strayed near 

 its nest ; darting and chattering about its ears, so 

 that with the motion and the din the cat ran this 

 way and that, apparently under the impression that 



