^°Sy^^J Biu'CK, A Mouth -vtth the C;o/</jhiches. 243 



every morning before l)reakfast, expecting each clay to find my 

 birdlings flown, but it was not until the sixteenth day that the 

 event occurred for which I had been waiting. 



On this morning 1 was more grieved than surprised to Hnd only 

 two little birds left in the nest. I spent the entire morning in the 

 orchard, waiting to see the remaining birdlings take fiight. It 

 seemed to be the policy of the parents to induce them to come 

 out for something to eat, for they were not once fed during this 

 time. I offered them morsels of egg, but they paid little heed to 

 me. They were restless, and I saw that the old home and old 

 friends had lost all charm for them. Suddenly while I watched, 

 one of the two birdlings scrambled onto the edge of the nest, 

 balanced himself for a moment, and then flew straight into the 

 nearest apple tree. From this vantage ground he looked down 

 into the tiny pear tree home that had once seemed all the world to 

 him, and called back to his little brother that he had found a 

 larger and greener world than that. The baby in the nest seemed 

 half inclined to follow him, but at each attempt after much flutter- 

 ing of the wings he would slip back into the old place. Presently 

 the mother came with a morsel of food for the brave little bird in 

 the tree, but no attention was paid to the pleading cry of his lazy 

 brother, and very soon the venturesome young one found the use 

 of his wings so pleasant and the food she offered him so tempting 

 that he followed her across the orchard into the fields beyond. 



On my afternoon visit the poor little coward was still in the 

 nest, apparently very hungry and teasing incessantly. He may 

 have thought that he was forgotten, — and I confess that I had 

 fears of this myself, — when late in the afternoon, brighter than a 

 gleam of sunshine, doubtless, to the waiting bird, came the father 

 to the nest. Only this encouragement was needed, the little fellow 

 was not to be left alone again ; in a moment he was standing on 

 a tiny twig above the nest, there \vas another moment of balanc- 

 ing and indecision, and then taking heart he too flew across to 

 the friendly apple tree. He was rewarded by the instant appear- 

 ance of his mother who had doubtless waited for this evidence of 

 courage on the part of her youngest darling. She first gave him 

 a hearty meal, and then flew from tree to tree towards the fields 

 beyond. My birdling followed her in pretty, undulating, Gold- 

 finch fashion, and I was left alone in the orchard. 



