20 LITTLE INNOCENTS. 
the other great tit slip from the box-hedge 
up into the evergreen a moment before. 
Instantly a single, long-drawn, chirruping 
shriek of fear and pain sounded on the dank 
silence, and all was still. 
The blue tit did not come out again, but 
instead one of the great tits came out, and 
hovered near the suet as before. ‘The other 
blue tit, however—the hen—did not attack. 
She had heard that little bird-shriek, and she 
fled incontinently into the westering sun as if 
fiends pursued her—which they did. 
dnd in the gathering mist two great tits 
could be seen hanging from the suet ; and the 
old gentleman’s dear cat, prospecting, tiger- 
like, under the evergreen an hour or so later, 
found the cock blue tit lying on the ground 
there with his skull hammered in and his 
brains pecked out. 
