200 
THE TOWHEE BU'NTINGS 
If the Towhees had not said he was a noisy 
rattle-brain, and that his songs often worried 
and disgusted his neighbors, Bob would not 
have paid more than a passing attention to 
their words, even if they had said he neglected 
and abused his wife, stole grain, and, in fact, 
was guilty of all the misdeeds in the bird 
calendar. 
He did not fly into a violent rage, but with 
a fixed purpose in his firmly-closed beak, a 
mischievous glitter in his sparkling black eyes, 
he simply remarked, — 
‘‘ Ah ! the Towhees are very kind ; perhaps 
we will show them that they hardly under- 
stand our character. My dear friends, you 
must excuse me now, for my wife needs my 
assistance in the making of her nest ; and, 
really, my nerves have been so much disturbed 
by this news, that I am unable to entertain you 
with the attention you deserve. Good-day, 
good-day.’^ 
Dismissing his visitors thus summarily, he 
turned to the spot where his-better, or weaker, 
half was busy, and vented his spleen on her by 
