The Black Swans 



The cat-birds like it too, and we like 

 them. They are so trim, so neat, so 

 "tailor-made," as Billy says; and 

 friendly always. They reproduce them- 

 selves in two short weeks, and in ten 

 days more the mother lights upon a 

 twig above the nest where they were 

 born and fed and clucking to the tiny 

 chicks with fluttering wings she tells 

 her wee ones of a great adventure now 

 at hand; and one by one they struggle 

 out and take their places in the big new 

 world. And who shall say that place 

 of theirs is unimportant ? It may seem 

 so to us, but who are we? That is 

 their question. And from their stand- 

 point what is it we do to justify our 

 own existence? One thing at least it 

 seems the cat-bird, in common with 

 the robin, gives us credit for. Wherever 

 we build our own nests, the robber 

 birds — say the blue-jays or the crows — 

 do not come close. Our eaves and 

 porches look good therefore to Cock 

 Robin, and a cat-bird dearly loves 



[32] 



