"SQUEE-GEE!" 97 



window, unfortunately without blinds to screen 

 me, was most comical. A big pompous fellow 

 turned his wicked-looking white eye upon me, 

 drew himself into a queer humped-up position, 

 with all his feathers on end, and apparently 

 by a strong effort squeezed out a husky and 

 squeaky, yet loud cry of two notes, which 

 sounded exactly like " Squee-gee ! " 



I was so astounded that I laughed in his face ; 

 at which he repeated it with added emphasis, 

 then turned his back on me, as unworthy of 

 notice away up in my window, and gave his 

 undivided attention to a specially large grain 

 of corn which had been unearthed by a meek- 

 looking neighbor, and appropriated by him, in 

 the most lordly manner. His bearing at the 

 moment was superb and stately in a degree of 

 which only a bird who walks is capable ; one 

 cannot be dignified who is obliged to hop. 



I thought his greeting was a personal one to 

 show contempt which it did emphatically 

 to the human race in general, and to me in 

 particular, but I found later that it was the 

 ordinary blackbird way of being offensive; it 

 was equivalent to "Get out!" or " Shut up!" 

 or some other of the curt and rude expressions 

 in use by bigger folk than blackbirds. 



If a bird alighted too near one of these arro- 

 gant fellows on the ground, he was met with the 



