THE NATURALIST.

Otago Witness, Issue 2856, 9 December 1908, Page 76

THE NATURALIST.

A Bird Indignation Meeting. Having always loved the birds, we ha<l made it our custom to look out for these little friends when the snow was :>n the ground and they could get little to eat ; ■ all scraps of bread, -rackors. oi cake beiny J caiefully <=aved and each daj scattered over the snow, always from th» same window. j On tho first occasion it wa 1 - some time before their attention wa? attracted to the i-pot, then down came one little chap, who began picking up the crumbs in a hurried, . ner\ous manner. In a fow moments he I was joined by another, and then another, ] and finally they came in twos and threes ' until at last there was quite a flock of i them, all eating greedily and hastily. They were very timid at first, and upon tho slightest movement or noi<-e would all fly away to different places of safety — the fence, bushes, trees, or the eaves of the house where they would remain until' all danger, supposed or real (often it was a cat), was over, when down they would come once j more to renew their feast. Two or three times every day we would throw out a good lot of the crumbs, and the birds soon j } became much less timid ; indeed, it was , only a short time before they learned that , when a certain window safch went un a good mca' was sure to follow, and they would all owoop down on the snow the moment it was raised, even before the crumbs were thrown out. One- daj, having J occasion to raise this window for another purpose between their feeding hour-, and not realising our little friends actually ex.- ! pectcd crumbs every time the window was raised, I was somewhat «urpriscd to see our flock of birdto come fiv ing down to , their feeding ground confidently expecting a- treat, so when I closed the window without fulfilling their expectations, they were simply furious, and every one of them flew ' directly up in an apple tree vlo^e by, and thoie ihcv had a real "indignation mooting " There is no othpr name so suitable | for their doings up in that trre. for it was j ju^r a^ ca-y to ur.derstanrl fiom thoii man- ! i ii"i that iboy furio'i-ly lrdi'jnant ar the -liglii they hal i< cc.ived as if tin.-} told

us in human language.. The two small boys of the family realised it, and were highly-amused. I know I never before nor since heard such a chattering from, such small birds. They talked and. scolded-and hopped about ■ that tree as though bird bedlam had been l^l&os^^.G^^Steii3^JDif.^amusement*. I was .rffiufiy^B^^ se^&Sip; BaW'Jiui* or > v <jffe<Mted J S.jfiem, so r^WßweiQ^^lL.j^iJw^ ****-' i'iii*umbs Md threw- thsm out on the snow,«iy cxp^tiifegi|«|b&«f woHl^^eV^opeil :;jdiced at th<fCTglrf.JtHatrthey would conW 'jd^wii., uiinjediatelyi .butjiihey., did.no such ''thing.'^ They 'remained in" that apple tree i.ttirrymg" on i 6 high a full 10 ','minutes Jpnger. axid then "when their meetlitig wis'ovevf'th"ey'^onclescended to" fly down •land ea£-the crumbs:— The'Outing-Magaxine.' <■