EOBINS SUBDUED. 37 



night. Blackbirds and cuckoos flew over; ori- 

 oles, both orchard and Baltimore, sang and for- 

 aged among the trees ; song-sparrows and chip- 

 pies trilled from the fence at one side : bluebird 

 and thrasher searched the ground, and paid in 

 music for the privilege; pewees and kingbirds 

 made war upon insects ; and from afar came 

 the notes of redwing and meadow-lark. Others 

 there were, casual visitors, and of course it did 

 not escape the squawks and squabbles of the 

 English sparrow, 



" Irritant, iterant, maddening bird." 



The robins, who one sometimes wishes, with 

 Lanier's owl, "had more to think and less to 

 say," were not so self-assertive as they usually 

 are; in fact, they were quite subdued. They 

 came and went freely, but they never questioned 

 my actions, as they are sure to do where they 

 lead society. Now and then one perched on the 

 fence and regarded me, with flick of wing and 

 tail that meant a good deal, but he expressed no 

 opinion. With kingbirds on one side, pewees 

 on the other, and the great crested fly-catcher 

 a daily caller, this was eminently a fly-catcher 

 grove, and the robin plainly felt that he was not 

 responsible for its good order. Indeed, after 

 fly-catcher households were set up, he had his 

 hands full to maintain his right to be there 

 at all. 



