344 Animal Life 
In a few minutes that vulgar greater tit was down and gorging himself at my nut. 
I was about to expostulate, when, glancing at the window, I saw the gun in place and 
the man behind. I am sorry to say I felt pleased when I saw the man pull the trigger, 
and hoped the big brute would be shot. But nothing of the sort happened; the gun 
made no noise, and Parus major sat on eating. Again the man pulled the trigger; 
again nothing happened. Then I saw him look up at me, call his woman, and say to 
her, ‘‘ Look, there’s a blue-tit.’ Now this struck me as a particularly sensible remark, 
seeing that I was a blue-tit and was there. Moreover, most people call me “a bird 
what be after the fruit buds”—an unkind, untrue aspersion of character. 
January 25th—The weather has been unpleasantly cold, but as a sort of balance 
the man has placed a lot of food about on the grass and gravel and also on the window- 
sill—apples, baked and raw, junks of bread, boiled potatoes, corn, and all sorts of 
diferent foods; also some pans of water, for natural supplies are frozen hard. And 
don’t my remote cousins, the blackbirds and thrushes, just enjoy those apples? The 
homely sparrows are rather a nuisance; they do gobble up things so fast! but, thank 
goodness, they are afraid to venture on the window-sill, and, excepting for a couple of 
robins, I have the sill pretty much to _ , myself. A marsh-tit comes 
occasionally, but he is a nicely-behaved retiring bird, and does not 
attempt any famuliarities or interference. Parus major monopolises the 
cocoanut, and has brought another one with him—another greater tit I 
mean, not another cocoanut. Presum- ably this is to be his future wife. 
confidences in my diary nothing 
had a dreadful spell of cold in 
much improved the last week. 
it is about time I began to look 
all’s well, I will start off for a 
not come across someone likely to 
March 10th.—Since I last wrote | gx 
of much moment has happened. We a 
February, but the weather has 
This improvement reminds me that 
out for a wife! So to-morrow, if 
round of visits and see if I can- 
be suitable for the purpose. 
March 15th.—Eureka! I have 
(You must please pardon my en- 
things one otherwise would not— 
been very busy this morning 
found a perfect gem of a help-meet. 
thusiasm, but to one’s diary one Says 
not even to ones wife!) I have 
showing her round my favourite haunts. 
It was nearly dark when we arrived last night, and as she was tired 
I took her straight to the eaves, : where I always roost. The first thing 
I showed her this morning was SA Rime the cocoanut; she was charmed with its 
flavour, never having tasted it comes cecasionally.” before. ‘Then I showed her all round 
the garden and orchard and took her to all my favourite trees—including a special 
half-decayed fir tree, where such numbers of insects are to be found! And then, 
last of all, I showed her the old apple tree in the kitchen garden, with a hole in 
the trunk, just the very place to build a nest in! I wanted to start work at once, 
but she laughed at me, and said, “ Don’t be a silly, we can’t think of such a thing 
for quite a month yet.” 
April 15th.—I did not forget the date—one month from the time of owr arrival— 
and this morning I reminded my wife of what she had said about beginning to build 
the nest. Here I made a huge mistake. It is not wise to do this sort of reminding 
without the greatest tact. Another time I shall know better. However, at last I 
got her into a more pleasant frame of mind, and we started by thoroughly cleaning 
out the hole of old bits of grass, moss, and other débris. Then, in the afternoon, 
she declared herself satisfied and flew away, leaving me to guard the house. In the 
course of a few minutes she returned with a beakful of fresh moss and darted into 
the hole with it. The next time she flew off I went with her and brought some 
