AND THEIR NEIGHBORS. 
209 
listening for amusement’s sake only, that his 
words made no impression upon them. Think- 
ing, with his usual vanity, that the greater 
number of birds that had flown away were the 
ones on whom liis words had had an effect, and 
concluding that the few left were not worth 
any more time, he abruptly ended his harangue 
by saying,— 
But I will not detain you any longer, for 
I know that your families need your loving 
care, and Mrs. Bobolink must be lonely with- 
out me. Be on your guard, then, and, if 
possible, let us banish these odds and ends’ 
from our settlement.” 
On concluding these words, he flew away to 
his wife in the meadow, and the other birds, 
sorry that tliey had wasted so much time with 
him, hurried away to their nests and families. 
The Oat Birds, on passing the Towhees, 
stopped a moment to narrate what had been 
said against them, but they found that all had 
been already told them by the Golden Crowns, 
Mr. and Mrs. Towhee, although pained at the 
attack against them, manifested the best of 
14 
