DROLLERIES OF THE WOODS. 
183 
rather meekly reasoning to himself, the while, that the poor 
birds should be consoled that so benevolent a friend as he 
had rescued them from the wily snake, or other hard-hearted 
foes. Jay, indeed, is particularly famous for his tender heart ; 
for suddenly discovering that all kind of provender is get 
ting scarce, he is seized with harrowing apprehensions lest 
the young of his neighbor. Grosbeak, should suffer from 
hunger, or the poor, dear parents overwork themselves in 
finding supplies for their hungry mouths, and to prevent such 
lingering suffering, he glides slyly to the nest, and, with the 
stern heroism of the Eoman Brutus, subduing all natural 
weakness in the sense of official duty, devours the young to 
save them from the dreadful pangs of hunger. This severe 
duty is, of course, performed by this self-denying Lictor of 
the people, in the absence of the parents Grosbeak. Not, 
that he fears them — not he ! He let the male Grosbeak give 
him an awful thrashing the other day, to be sure, because he 
had been caught by him in that neighborhood; but, then, it 
was more in pity than in anger, that he had submitted with 
philosophy, for he well knew that the benighted bird did not 
appreciate the benevolent purpose which had brought him 
there ; and, then in coming in his absence, he had spared 
him the pain of witnessing what this most unpleasant duty 
cost his ofiicial dignity. The executioner should never show 
a weakness ! 
So jealous is he, too, of his sole prerogative of supervision 
over the interests and welfare of his neighbors — indeed, of the 
whole community — for no one can be better imagined as 
saying:— 
" IsTo pent up Utica contracts our powers, 
The whole boundless universe (of eggs and fledgings) is ours," 
— that he is forever on the look-out for all interloping strag- 
glers who may chance to have given way to the same weak- 
ness of appetite. Every Kaccoon that shows his inquisitive 
nose, is assailed with vehement clamors and furious snap- 
