. True bird stories from my note-books . efuge on the topof it, while he looked about to see what sort ofa place he had got into, madam flew over andalighted beside him. In robin fashion of showing hostility he hoppedsix inches into the air, then turned his beaktoward her and ran at her. She met him withopen mouth, daring him to come on. At threeinches distance he stopped and snapped his bigbeak. She bowed, which was her way of show-ing fight, perked up the tail-coverts in lieu of atail, and did not budge an inch. Two or threetimes the robin ran at her, and every time hersignificant bows and d
. True bird stories from my note-books . efuge on the topof it, while he looked about to see what sort ofa place he had got into, madam flew over andalighted beside him. In robin fashion of showing hostility he hoppedsix inches into the air, then turned his beaktoward her and ran at her. She met him withopen mouth, daring him to come on. At threeinches distance he stopped and snapped his bigbeak. She bowed, which was her way of show-ing fight, perked up the tail-coverts in lieu of atail, and did not budge an inch. Two or threetimes the robin ran at her, and every time hersignificant bows and determined air warned himoff, till at last he left the cage altogether. The next day, during a domestic breeze, — formatters were not yet harmoniously settled athome, — her cage-mate chased the little oriole andshe took refuge in the robins cage. The ownerwas at home, and disconcerted by the sudden call,gave a cry and flew out. In a moment he re-gretted his hasty action, and came back to hisown roof, whence madam quickly drove him by. BALTIMORE ORIOLE THE SAUCY ORIOLE 83 pecking his toes. He then dropped to his door-perch, and went into the cage. The intruder sat calmly on the perch, utterlyunconcerned at his presence. He hopped aboutuneasily, went to the middle perch, glanced aboveat her, then jumped down, all the time uttering alow cry. Several times he thrust his head out ofthe door as if to go, then drew back, apparentlythinking it cowardly to desert his own after half a dozen feints he did go, leavingher in possession. II A female Virginia cardinal, with a strong willof her own, was the next bird that the saucyoriole molested. When the impertinent visitoralighted beside her in her own cage, the cardinaldrew herself up very straight, raised her crest,and opened her big beak. The interloper bowedand snatched at her, plainly trying to seize hertongue, and once she did catch the lower man-dible. For a moment the Virginian evidently hesi-tated as to the manner o
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1903
