ALEXANDER THE COPPERSMITH 245 



every day we hear the coppersmith "toiling at his 

 green forge." 



The fact that the bird will not sing when the weather 

 is cold bears out the theory that its note is merely an 

 expression of happiness. When the temperature is 

 low the coppersmith is miserable, so refuses to sing. 

 Nature may be cruel in many respects. She is un- 

 doubtedly a hard task-mistress, for she ruthlessly de- 

 stroys all the unfit. She is not a philanthropist ; she 

 provides her children with neither hospitals nor alms- 

 houses, for she has no halt or maimed or blind to look 

 after. Her creatures perish the moment they become 

 weakened by disease. Is this cruelty, or is it the truest 

 kindness ? Is it better to prolong a sick animal's misery, 

 or to destroy the suffering creature ? 



The drastic procedure of Dame Nature is certainly 

 fraught with good results. All her creatures enjoy 

 perfect health, health such as is vouchsafed to few 

 civilized men. Birds and beasts in their natural state 

 are therefore perfectly happy, and the songs which fill 

 the welkin are the expression of this happiness. 



The coppersmith is not a difficult bird to see ; he is 

 not of a retiring disposition, nor does he attempt to 

 avoid publicity. He likes to sit upon the topmost 

 bough of a lofty tree ; as often as not he selects a 

 branch devoid of leaves, and there pours forth his 

 eternal Tank, tonk t tonk> wagging his head from side to 

 side by way of beating time. The result of this head- 

 wagging is that the bird's note seems to come from a 

 direction other than it really does, and, on this account, 

 it is difficult to " spot " the bird, in spite of its loud note 

 and conspicuous perch. 



