The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1896-10-08
INDIGNANT birds.
An Attempt 90 Rob Them OF Their
Young Creates a Sensation.


An Attempt 90 Rob Them OF Their
Young Creates "A Sensation.
When a college student I was taken
very III 10 my sophomore year. ana
ginning strength but slowly. the doctoi
ordered zoe into the country.
I boarded az a farmhouse, and gave
myself entirely up TO the woods and
helds.
Through an entire summer J studied
lovingly the ways Of the birds and de-
lermined 10 raise some young thrush"s
and take them with me TO my city
home In the fall.
My selection was n nest OF brown
thrushcs Il was In n thick mass OF
brushes In a swamp-an entangl encnt
Of Wild growth, and almos; impene-
TABLE.
Every day I watched. from the eggs
TO the callOw young | resolved To nl,
low the old birds two weeks thch
would assume the missing Of the .ouhg
ONES.
Al lat the day came. aud all my
preparations were made. Taxing WIN
me cage ! worked my way throush
the dense underground. Very carfiu'y
| removed the nest. and was trying 70
get Il into the cage, when the female
bird arrived. She uttered a cry, almost
a shrek, and disappeared but retuFn'H
Immediately with ner mate.
The two birds made a Wild ehort 70
drive me away. even flying at me, WIN
every demonstration Of rage and dis-
trcss. Then. to my surprise. they Dolh
left.
now felt 40 mean that NJ once set
about putting the nest back IN the
bush: but Il gave me q great deal OF
trouble. as | could not make II stay III
It's place.
What now7 The two old bords were
back. accompanied with whole beNy
OF Wild birds. The entire coppice was
alive with them. They seemed heh'
on picking my eyes out ! hau 20
screen my face by holding the cage
| before II.
As TO these blrds-thelr number and
variety. and conduct all together u
was an extraordinary scene. II seS'ined
% me there were NJ least nifty ~ thes'
Indignant little bodies. and perhaps
dozen species, some lying az the ahc
all making angry demonstrations.
p There were brown thrushes, sons
thrushes, cat-blrds. and several OF I'M
! warblers. such an uproar-m ewlng
. ehricklng. twitterlg and other cries.
babel Of bird sounds. II all mean
distress and rage. hut such mix'up
: All talked al once. The one keynote
I of the dlscord was distress and indie
I. nation.
= | got out OF that swamp wiser am
4 4 better youth. My conscience smot
me. aud my only solace lay In ID
thought that had done NY best !
: undo the mischief had wrought
A The uext morning ! again went
d the swamp TO see how matters stco'
, How softly worked my way thrcug
a the bushes .iiN dcathl stih even
thing was. The young birds had gon.
dld ~ want o. know how the OF
/ hlrls had managed matters, and no
n Il farrd with the little ones.
II That Indignation meeting OF the hlr'
occurred a great many years AGO; bl
the scene IL stu vivid 90 iny mind.
y one winter. Just after n sinw-stnFl
u a bevy Of snow-hlr,ls appeared near ~
10 house. I fed them crumbs and the
STAYED with rs several days. They 3
n little bold. oven coming up 20 q
\. tltchen steps 20 get their mtions The
was. however one exception.
A fence separated the old appl" q
chard from the house lot. and ! o
S served tint one bird kept On the fcnc
rail. never veniurlng nearer 10 u
a. feeding place. To my surprise end q
light. the reason Tor IL was Suon mat
IA plain.
- Tie poor little fellow was lame
~ one wing: 80 be must not be too bol
\ as. IN the event OF danger ne NV
H. have some vantage Tor escape. so
es old bird took him crumbs az eve
m feeding time.
In. But the most remarkable act In
A. knowledge OF bird In sympathy VI
another In distress was performed
W robin not two hundred yards IN
Ith my house. II was n deed OF darn
ny ana In the highest degree heroic.
Ny A sparrow hawk had bounced on
lea sparrow IN the street. aud was bear
Nv Il away. A robin from his maple 4
- witnessed the act. and instantly sta
y, cd IN pursuit
w. High Ia the air the noble little fell
ip- raught up with the buccanecr. aud
PM could hear the short. jerky cries
300 che hawk as the robin was "pegg
ri IN" aud making the feathers ny.
N. The hawk dropped his prey, and
Sohm returned TO the maple tree. WI
" he had left his mate. The sparr
len made the best Of time 10 get back
ia his kind.
Of Was not that nohly done for the
a n-so brave and M magnanlmous, I
Az Samuel Lockwood. In "Our Du
al. Animals"