96 WASTE-LAND WANDERINGS. 



that assistance could be rendered. My hesitation was 

 evidently painful to the impatient wren. He swooped 

 down and snapped his beak, and chirped close to my 

 face, and looking at me with eyes that glistened with 

 intelligence ; then impatience controlling him, he would 

 again dart at me and command, as though fearful that 

 coaxing would not prove effective. 



From me the wren constantly flew to the tree, and, 

 resting a moment at the entrance to its hollow, chirped 

 so energetically that he fairly lifted himself from his 

 feet. Then back to me he would come, never alighting 

 upon me, but hovering just above my head, and always 

 sufficiently in front for me to see him. 



Every movement of this distressed bird was eloquence 

 itself, and impressed me with the fact of the great intel- 

 ligence of birds, beyond any other occurrence in my ex- 

 perience. 



I finally endeavored to dislodge the opossum by smok- 

 ing it out, a process that very naturally increased the 

 excitement of the wren. In due time I was successful, 

 and was gratified to see the creature appear at the upper 

 entrance to the hollow of the old oak. It stared about 

 with characteristic stupidity, quite indifferent to my 

 presence, and to that of the exultant wren, which darted 

 at its face as fiercely as any hornet. 



I soon brought the opossum to the ground, and the 

 wren was again in possession, singing exultantly as I 

 withdrew, perhaps intending to thank me for my serv- 

 ices. But, alas! my efforts in behalf of the bird were 

 far less successful than I supposed. The little fire that 

 I had placed at the foot of the tree was fanned by a 



