FIELD AND STUDY 



of his purpose. Cry "Thief!" loud enough, and the 

 thief is very apt to take to his heels. 



Most of the birds are in a more or less explosive 

 mood in the nesting-season. They alternate between 

 love and anger many times a day. Each bird in 

 nesting-time has its little domain, and is jealous of 

 all trespassers. A male wood thrush quite early in 

 May seemed to lay claim to an old apple-tree near 

 the house where a brood of thrushes were reared 

 last year. He made his headquarters in that tree, 

 waiting, I fancied, for his mate to arrive, and be- 

 having in a decidedly unfriendly way to every robin 

 that invaded his precinct. For days I saw him 

 "scrapping" with robins in and around that tree. 

 The robins, innocent intruders, were taken by 

 surprise. 



"What is that speckle-breasted dandy so red- 

 hot about?" their manners seemed to say. The 

 thrush would charge the robins spitefully, and fol- 

 low them into the garden with his threatening ges- 

 tures and sharp "Quit, quit, quit!" He would al- 

 ways give way when the robin turned upon him, 

 feeling apparently that in a trial' of rude strength a 

 poet like himself was no match for a plebeian mud- 

 dauber like the robin. But he would return to the 

 charge, and keep up his pretty, graceful protests 

 whenever his tree was invaded. Finally his mate, or 

 another female, came, and the two now have a nest 

 there, and all seems well with them. But the male 

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