172 AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



"WHERE DO THE LITTLE BIRDS GOJ" 



A few days ago a lady was telling me about the large number of birds 

 that nested about her house, "But," she added "where do they go to 

 when they leave the nest. There are very few birds around here now 

 and I should think there would be a great many more since the young 

 have hatched?" While she was talking she was fondling an old tom- 

 cat, the pet of the household. It may have been imagination, but I 

 could almost see the cat wink at me as she was talking. I have no 

 doubt whatever about his knowing where the greater part of the little 

 birds went to. 



A friend of mine who lives in the country, is very fond of birds and 

 of course enjoys having them arqjmd the house. To the great delight 

 of the whole family, a Robin nest was found under the barn; it was only 

 about four feet from the ground on the body of an old wagon. It was 

 an ideal location in some respects, protected from sun, wind and storm, 

 and very unlikel^^ to be disturbed by any feathered enemies. There 

 was just one point in which the judgtnent of this pair of birds erred; 

 they took into consideration the hospitality of man but they did not 

 reckon on the hostility of all felines. The five eggs which were laid 

 were faithfully tended by Mrs. Robin, and in due course of time five 

 little Robins graced their home. Two more weeks went peacefully by 

 and the little ones were nearly large enough to try their wings. All 

 this time the cat, a, large tiger and the pet of the family, was watched 

 carefully and apparently took no interest in the nest or did not even 

 know of its existence. When it was expected that the little birds might 

 leave the nest, the cat was keep in the house. For two days he was 

 kept indoors but on the evening of the second day he commenced mew- 

 ing so piteously that someone opened the door and let him out. Later 

 investigation showed that inside an hour after puss-wasjet out, he had 

 torn down the nest and secured all the birds. There seems to be no 

 doubt but what he knew where they w^ere all the the time, and that he 

 was but waiting until they had growilHarge enough to make a fullmeaL 

 and that his anxiety on the night in question was probably occasioned 

 from fear that they would be large enough to fly before he could get 

 them. 



And so the little birds go! This cat was no exception, just a handsome 

 well bred fellow, an excellent ratter, a household pet; he would not. 

 look at the chickens, never watched the canary and was on friendly 

 terms with the dogs (if they kept their distance). None of the family 

 would have believed their pet capable of such work and would have 

 known nothing about it had they not been especially interested in this. 



