THE DOLL A BOGY. 103 



mourning, or wood-doves, who dropped to the 

 grass, serene as a summer morning, walking 

 around in their small red boots, with mincing 

 steps and fussy little bows. Blue jays, too, 

 came in plenty, selected each his grain and flew 

 away with it. Robins, seeing all the excitement, 

 came over from their regular hunting-ground, 

 but never finding anything so attractive as 

 worms, they soon left. 



The corn feast wound up with a droll excite- 

 ment. One day a child from the house took her 

 doll out in the grass to play, set it up against 

 a tree trunk, and left it there. It had long 

 light hair which stood out around the head, and 

 it did look rather uncanny, but it was amusing 

 to see the consternation it caused. Blue jays 

 came to trees near by, and talked in low tones 

 to each other ; then one after another swooped 

 down toward it ; then they all squawked at it, 

 and finding this of no avail, they left in a body. 



The robins approached cautiously, two of 

 them, calling constantly, u he ! he! he! " One 

 was determined not to be afraid, and came 

 nearer and nearer, till within about a foot of the 

 strange object and behind it, when suddenly he 

 started as though shot, jumped back, and both 

 flew in a panic. 



Soon after this a red-headed woodpecker 

 alighted on the trunk of the elm, preparatory 



