THE REDWING 
clan who were turning over the dead leaves. 
When he fluttered, they thought that he was 
trapped, and clustered round, staring at him 
with stupid curiosity, but when he recollected 
himself, they lost interest in him and pottered 
away. 
Thus Shacaim met the fowls. What attracted 
him at once, was their marvellous power of 
scratching. Their strong feet struck down 
easily to depths of mould to which his own 
feeble perching claws could not reach. Two 
scrapes, and behold a foot of earth with its 
treasures laid bare. He humbly hop-stepped 
after these lordly birds all the afternoon, and 
fed gratefully upon such trifles as they over- 
looked. 
When the sunshine left the undergrowth, and 
mounted the higher branches, before disappear- 
ing into the golden sky, the chickens turned up 
the Glen ; and for the sake of companionship 
the redwing followed them. They conversed 
in low contented tones, and loitered desultorily 
among the saplings. The wood grew more 
open one could see the sky between the tree- 
trunks. Suddenly a strange voice, raucous and 
penetrating, broke the peace of the wood. The 
fowls began to run like water-rails, and their 
rush bore Shacaim into the hedge, where he 
hid himself. But the fowls had no doubts. 
