A PRETTY ANECDOTE

New Zealand Tablet, 16 July 1908, Page 37

A PRETTY ANECDOTE

A pretty anecdote of a family of robins is told by the famous American poet, James Russell Lowell. ' I once had a chance to do a kindness to a household of robins, which they received with very friendly condescension. I had my eye for some time past on a nest, and was puzzled by a constant fluttering of what seemed full-grown wings in it whenever I drew near. At last I climbed the tree, in spite of the angry protests from the old birds against my intrusion. The mystery had 'a very simple solution. In building the nest, a long piece of packthread had been somewhat loosely woven in ; three of the young had contrived to tangle themselves in it, and had become full grown without being able to launch , themselves into the air. One was unharmed; another had so tightly twisted the cord about -its shank that one foot was curled up and seemed paralysed; the third, in its struggles to escape, had so • much harmed himself that I thought it humane to put. an. end to its' misery. When I took out my knife to cut their hempen bonds the heads of the family seemed to divine my friendly interest. They perched quietly within reach of my hand, and watched me in my work. This, owing to the fluttering terror of the prisoners, was an affair of some delicacy ; but ere long' I was rewarded by seeing one of them fly away to a neighboring tree, while the cripple, making a parachute of his wings,' came lightly to the ground, and hopped off as well as he could on one leg obsequiously waited upon by his elders. A week later I h«4

the satisfaction of meeting him in the pine walk in good spirits, and already so far recovered as to be able to balance himself with the lame foot.