BOYHOOD AND BIEDS. 
76 
body, pounced upon one in the most savage fashion, and 
would have killed it in an instant, but that the old hen .rush- 
ed to the rescue, with a blow that sent the young robber sev- 
eral feet distant. The indignant mother followed up the at- 
tack, and I was about to interfere when, to my surprise, the 
young wretch, with all his feathers bristling, like a little 
hedge-hog, threw himself upon his back and awaited the on- 
set with open mouth and fierce eyes. The hen struck at 
him with her beak, and quick as lightning he clutched her 
head with his claws, and the astonished hen ran squalling 
ofP, shaking her head in agony to get rid of this new sort of 
head-gear. When she had shaken him off, she ran away in a 
great fright, and he strutted around with a most conscious air. 
""Well!" muttered I, ''this is getting to be something 
of a joke — my new variety seems to have more of the hawk 
than the song bird in it. I never heard of mocking birds 
killing young chickens or whipping old hens before ! 
Eather a war-like variety of song bird, this new one of mine ! 
I must look over my books and see something about that 
lizard story." 
That lizard story had always haunted me — though I had 
not been able to summon courage to look it up. Just at 
this moment my sister, who had witnessed the little scene 
above, and heard a part of my muttered soliloquy, from a 
window close at hand — ^burst into a ringing laugh, and as I 
looked up, disappeared. In a moment she came bounding 
down the steps to meet me, with a small book in her hand, 
which I recognized with a forboding thrill, before she reached 
me. It was a small school edition of selections from orni- 
thology, with wood-cut illustrations. She held her hand on 
the page to cover something, while she read as well as she 
could for laughter, Wilson's version of the lizard story, and 
when she got through removed her hand suddenly from the 
cut, and though it was remarkably rudely done, I instantly 
recognized in my new variety — ^" The Butcher Bird!" 
Exeunt omnes — screaming with laughter. 
