STORY OF SOME MOCKING-BIRDS. 327 



and it was the arriving of the female that I knew was most to be dreaded — for if the 

 sharp instinct of the mother did not detect the fraud, I felt that it would succeed. 



In my elation at my success so far, I had explained my object to my sister, who, as 

 she did not understand about the making away with the young blue-birds, was now 

 infinitely delighted at the probable success of the scheme, and I could scarcely keep 

 within bounds her dancing impatience to see what the mother would do, hear what the 

 mother would say ! Here she comes ! and in a business-like and straightforward way 

 glided directly into the hole. We held our breaths, and stood on tiptoe. Out she darts 

 with a low cry — still holding the insect in her mouth. Our hearts sunk — she has 

 discovered all, and refuses to adopt the strangers ! She flew to her mate, and seemed to 

 communicate some sad intelligence to him. He was busily engaged in trimming his 

 feathers, and merely straightened himself up for a moment, and then, with an air of the 

 coolest indifference, proceeded with his occupation. The poor female seemed to be sadly 

 distressed and puzzled ; she flew around the nest, uttering a low, mournful cry — then 

 returned to her philosophical mate for sympathy, which he seemed to be too busy with 

 his feathers to spare just now. Then she would dart into the hole, stay a moment, and out 

 again with the insect still in her mouth. Then she would circle round and round on the wing, 

 as if searching for the cause of the disturbance, the nature of which she evidently did not 

 clearly understand. So she continued to act, until the male, having arranged his feathers 

 to his liking, flew off, with a pleasant call to her, in search of more food. This seemed to 

 decide her uncertainty, for darting now into the nest, she immediately fed the worm to 

 one of those lusty young fellows that had grown so wonderfully since she last went out, 

 and then came forth chirping, and apparently reconciled, and followed her mate. 



' There ! it succeeds ! it succeeds ! They are safe now ; these birds are more industrious 

 than the Mocking-birds, and will feed them better ! good ! good !' 



' Your fairy spell has succeeded, brother, sure enough !' and she clapped her hands and 

 danced for joy ; and I am not sure that I did not join her most obstreperously, for I never 

 was more delighted in my life at the success of any little scheme. 



I knew the birds were safe if the female ever fed them once. So it proved ; for never 

 did I see little fellows grow with greater lustihood than they. Daily we watched them ; 

 and in ten days or two weeks were greatly amused to see the industrious old birds 

 perseveringly labouring to fill gaping throats that were nearly large enough to swallow 

 them bodily whole. I now narrowed the hole with wire, so that the blue-birds could get 

 in and the Mocking-birds could not get out, for they were quite double the size of their 

 foster-parents. 



When they were full fledged we took them to the house, and placed them in an aviary 

 I had prepared for them, in a recess which contained a large window and looked out upon 

 the gardens. In two days I found, to my great astonishment, the old blue-birds 

 endeavouring to feed them through the wires. They had found them out, the faithful 

 creatures, and not content with having already spent double the amount of labour upon 

 them that they would have bestowed upon their own offspring, they followed them up 

 with their unwearying solicitude. 



I was greatly shocked at first to observe the cool indifference with which the young 

 aristocrats of song surveyed their humble foster-parents. After a while it came — in spite 

 of the shameful ingratitude it exhibited — to be a constant source of merriment with us to 

 watch the lordly and impudent nonchalance with which they would turn their heads to 

 one side, and look down at the poor blue-birds, fluttering against the bars with tender 

 cries to attract their notice with an expression which seemed as plainly as could be to 

 say, ' Who are you, pray ? get away, you common fellows ! ' 



A fine pair of old Mocking-birds found them, too ; but when they came, our gentry 

 behaved very differently, and seemed crazy to get out. They became very tame, and 

 I finally fulfilled my vow of turning them loose, and for a long time they were so tame 

 that they would take food from our hands anywhere. They lived on the place, and we 

 felt ourselves for years afterwards plentifully, aye, bounteously rewarded for our anxiety 

 on account of the little outcasts, by the glorious songs they sang for us the summer 

 nights to dream by. Thus it was my fair sister helped me out of the scrape with 

 my young Mocking-birds !" 



