Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1897-04-08
BATTLE IN A TREE.
How Bold Robin Redbreast Van
pushed His Enemy.
copyright, 1871

year they nagged at one another good
bit, like other husbands and wives. He
was a handsome fellow, and as for
her she was as fond and affectionate
is lovesick little robin redbreast can
he. They had built and furnished their
house in the topmost branches of the
only tree in our street, close to my
study window-a poplar-and enjoyed
a splendid view of their honeymooning,
and of his kindnesses and courtesy to
her-behavior which made me smile
as coming from him, because it was so
very unlike him as he was for IL
months or so Of the year. Well, they
built what appeared to be satisfac-
tory home from their own point of
view, and chirped and congratulated
one another endlessly over the accom-
plishment. Soon after it was finished
she laid an egg therein, and presently
another; then third and a fourth, and
I think fifth.
Then there came a time of compare
tive quiet; there was less chirping and
idle conversation. She sat and dozed
on her eggs as he did much the same
aPoli VI oiA gu eo j.
cent branch of the poplar, or anywhere
that came, looking deeply detected. Oc-
casionally when she left the house in
order to get a bit of dinner or break
fast, he would go and sit on the edge
of the nest, and sometimes hoped in
and fused around, and kept poking the
eggs with his beak, turning them over
and over and gloating over them in a
way which displeased the missus, seem
ingly; for he was always turned out
with personalities on her return, and
would then sail away to the fence and
sit there more detected than ever.
At last the eggs Matched and a busy
time began; time of innumerablea eX-
petitions on the part of both parents,
foraging expeditions to every point of
the compass; a time of funny noises
from tiny, unseen personalities among
the straws which formed their home; a
bad time for the worms and such like
game, for the youngsters were vora-
cious and Unsuitable and kept their
parents on the move all day and every
day. ,...
About a week after the Matching of
the eggs, Thomas, the cat from No. Is,
down this row, began to take an in
terest in the family. He had, appar-
emily, made his calculations as to the
Matching of those eggs, having watched
the parent birds at their honeymoon
ing, and, probably, taken note of the
date of the laying. When the young
sters were week or so old, Thomas
gave up all his other engagements in
order to come and lie in my garden and
gaze up into the poplar tree, and blink,
licking his lips at intervals. During
this time nothing could seduce Thomas
from this fascinating occupation. His
friends would come over the wall and
speak to him, and try to wean him
from the contemplation of the robins
nest, but he took no notice of them, he
hadn't time; his calculations were too
absorbing. It was so difficult, you see,
to decide as to the exact age at which
a young robin has attained his high
water mark of succulency. F..
So Thomas friends would come and
shake their heads over him and go and
talk to their other acquaintance about
the deplorable falling away of dear
Thomas and the hope they entertained
that he might still recover his lost
ground when he should have got over
hat unfortunate craze of his. Some of
the community laughed consumedly
over this phase of Thomas career; they
said they could not help recalling what
happened to Eliza-another member of
the society-a couple of years ago, when
she took to bird hunting. She had
made bid for the seasons brood of
this very couple of robins and had
Jared badly at their hands-or heads;
it had been killing sight, they said
killing! 1t might be there would be a
parallel spectacle on this occasion, if
Thomas really intended to make bid
for the youngsters up aloft.
Mr.. and Mrs. Robin took no notice
whatever of Thomas-indeed, they
never once betrayed the fact that they
knew he was there, though Thomas lay
and blinled up at their happy domestic
home and calculated and licked his
lips all day long. thought it odd that
these devoted parents should feel no
anxiety as to the proceedings of
Thomas. To me it seemed clear that
his intentions were far from being
honorable; yet these optimistic people
either disregarded him altogether, or
if they observed his presence at all
desired to show their contempt for his
Vaccinations by pretending to be una
ware of his existence.
But presently the little speckle-
breasted boys and girls had nearly
grown out of the parental mansion;
they would take to flying soon; their
fat little bodies were as succuIent and
delicious as they would ever be, and
Thomas knew that the time had come
for his climb. Thomas knew very well
what had befallen Eliza. She had been
foolhardy. Eliza had rushed the thing,
and had been detected and ignomini-
ously sent home by combined attack
of the enemy. Thomas intended to act
with discretion and intelligence.
One morning Mr.. Robin had left the
premises upon a foraging expedition.