BOYHOOD AND BIEDS. 
85 
straightforward way, glided directly into the hole. "We held 
our breaths and stood on tiptoe. Out she darts with a low 
cry — still holding the insect in her mouth. Our hearts sunk 
— she has discovered all and refuses to adopt the strangers ! 
She flew to her mate and seemed to communicate some sad 
intelligence to him. He was busily engaged in trimming 
his feathers and merely straightened himself up for amoment, 
and then with an air of the coolest indifference proceeded 
with his occupation. The poor female seemed to be sadly 
distressed and puzzled ; she flew around the nest uttering a 
low, mournful cry^ — then returned to her philosophical mate 
for sympathy, which he seemed to be too busy with his 
feathers to spare just now. Then she would dart into the 
hole — stay a moment, and out again with the insect still in 
her mouth. Then she would circle round and round on the 
wing as if searching for the cause of the disturbance, the na- 
ture of which she evidently did not clearly understand. So 
she continued to act until the male having arranged his feath- 
ers to his liking flew off, with a pleasant call to her, in search 
of more food. This seemed to decide her uncertainty, for, 
darting now into the nest, she immediately fed the worm to 
one of those lusty young fellows that had grown so won- 
derfully since she last went out, and then came forth chirping 
and apparently reconciled and followed her mate. 
" There ! it succeeds ! it succeeds ! They are safe now — 
these birds are more industrious than the mockingbirds, and 
will feed them better ! — ^good ! good !" 
" Your fairy spell has succeeded, brother, sure enough !" 
and she clapped her hands and danced for joy ; and I am not 
sure that I did not join her most obstreperously, for I never 
was more delighted in my life at the success of any little 
scheme. 
I knew the birds were safe if the female ever fed them 
once. So it proved ; for never did I see little fellows grow 
with greater lustihood than they. Daily we watched them ; 
and in ten days or two weeks were greatly amused to see the 
