BIRDS' NESTS. 87 



one would be hard-hearted who took pleasure in 

 watching animals thus destroying one another ; 

 but we must not forget that it is more natural 

 for a cat to catch birds than to purr by the 

 fire-side and lap milk, and that she is no more 

 conscious of inflicting pain when she pounces 

 on a bird, than a chaffinch is when he picks 

 up a grain of wheat/' 



" But, papa, I am afraid that our cat will 

 have some of the birds that are building in 

 the garden ; for yesterday morning, as I was 

 sitting under the walnut-tree learning my 

 lesson, all at once I heard the loud cry of a 

 blackbird, in the place where we found the 

 nest afterwards. He did not fly away though, 

 as he did when we frightened hiin, but flew 

 about from bush to bush, as if he were very 

 angry, and in a minute all the birds in the 

 neighbourhood seemed to come and join in 

 the screaming. I think there must have 

 been a dozen at least. They did not mind 

 me a bit, for some of them came close to me. 



