THE ROBINS GO A-TRAVELLING 



we were not able to secure a photograph of 

 the birds taking a sun-bath. This was their 

 hour of worship, and their ecstasy no doubt 

 equalled that of the most ardent of Zoroas- 

 trian priests as they ministered at their fire- 

 altars. So absorbed were my little sun-wor- 

 shippers in their devotions that they ap- 

 peared oblivious to everything going on 

 around them. I have often experimented 

 at such times, taking liberties of the nature 

 of finding and examining the little open- 

 ings at the sides of their heads that repre- 

 sented ears, putting my finger in their open 

 beaks, parting their breast-feathers and 

 smoothing their backs, but they were too 

 rapt to notice me. 



Under ordinary circumstances when, by 

 a touch of my finger, I indicated to Chupes 

 some part of his attire that required atten- 

 tion, he would always do a little smoothing 

 with his bill, but at sun-bath time he was far 

 161 



