THE BIRD OF TEE STREET. 189 



During his efforts, the mother was watching 

 the progress of events from a neighboring tree. 

 Occasionally, when one of the babies alighted 

 on her side of the evergreen, she flew at it, 

 and it changed position. It was clear that the 

 youngsters knew what was expected of them, 

 but did not choose to accept their fate. 



Sometimes the mother alighted on a low 

 branch, and went up the tree in a spiral course, 

 driving all the family before her ; but when the 

 branches began to be uncomfortably small near 

 the top, or they thought they had gone high 

 enough, they coolly took wing and all alighted 

 below the mother, so that she was forced to be- 

 gin at the beginning again. 



In general the young were perfectly silent, 

 and all the noise came from the parents, but 

 once or twice a baby cock-sparrow showed 

 some of the spirit of his papa by " answering 

 back; " upon which that personage fell upon the 

 saucy one, who vanished through the branches, 

 one hardly knew how, showing plainly that he 

 knew when an attack was serious. 



At length, toward the end of the day, the 

 father of the family perched on a tree overlook- 

 ing the disputed homestead and began to shake 

 himself out and put his ruffled plumage in 

 order. Obviously he felt that his labors were 

 over and he could rest; and certainly not a 



