Thinking she had gone, I went to examine the place. I poked3 about with a twig4 but couldn't find the nest till, down in the bottom of the crack, I spied a little gray head and a pair of bright eyes looking up at me. The bird started forward as if to dart5 out, but changed her mind and stayed in while I took a hasty look and fled, more frightened than she by the intrusion.
The titmice had been flying back and forth6 from the hen-yard with chicken's feathers, and it seemed such slow work for them I thought I would help them. So the next day, when the pair were away, I stuffed a few white feathers[176] into the mouth of the nest and withdrew under the shadow of the barn to watch through my glass without being observed. Then my conscience began to trouble me. What if this interference should drive the gentle bird to desert her nest?
The Plain Titmouse in her Doorway7. The Plain Titmouse in her Doorway.
When I heard the familiar chickadee call—the titmouse often chirrups like his cousin—it made me quake guiltily. What would the birds do? The gray pair came flying in with crests[177] raised, and my small friend hopped8 down to her doorway. She gave a start of surprise at sight of the feathers, but after a moment's hesitation9 went bravely in! While she was inside, her mate waited in the tree, singing for her; and when she came out, he flew away with her. Then I crept up to the oak, and to my delight found that all the feathers had disappeared. She evidently believed in taking what the gods provide. In fact, she seemed only to wish that they would provide more, for, after taking a second supply from me, she stood in the vestibule, cocked her crested head, and looked about as if expecting to see new treasures.
She had common-sense enough to take what she found at hand, but if she had not been such a plucky10 little builder she would have been scared away by the strange sights that afterwards met her at her nest. Once when she came, feathers were sticking in the bark all around the crack. She hesitated—the rush of her flight probably fanned the air so the white plumes11 waved in her face—she hesitated and looked around timidly before getting courage to go in; and on leaving the nest flew away in nervous haste; but she was soon back again, and ready to take the feathers down inside the oak. She caught hold of the tip of one that was wedged into a crack, and tugged12 and tugged till I was afraid she would get discouraged and go off without it. She got it, however,[178] and drew it in backwards13. Then she attacked another feather, but finding that it came harder than the first, let go her hold and took an easier one. She was not to be daunted14, though, and after stowing away the loose one came back for the tight one again, and persevered15 till she bent16 it in several places, besides breaking off the tip.
When she had flown off, I jumped up, ran to the oak, and stuffed the doorway full of feathers. Before I had finished, the family sentinel caught me—I had been in too much of a hurry and he had heard me walking over the cornstalks. He eyed me suspiciously and gave vent17 to his disapproval18, but I addressed him in such friendly terms that he soon flew off and talked to his mate reassuringly19, as if he had decided20 that it was all right after all. After their conversation she came back and made the best of her way right down through the feather-bed! I went away delighted with her perseverance21, and charmed by her confidence and pretty performances.
The next day I heard the titmouse singing in an elder by the kitchen, and went out to see how the birds acted when gathering22 their own material. The songster was idly hunting through the branches, singing, while his mate—busy little housewife—was hard at work getting her building stuff. She had something in her beak23 when I caught sight of her, but in an instant was down on the ground after another bit. Then she flew up[179] in the tree looking among the leaves; in passing she swung a moment on a strap24 hanging from a branch; then flew down among the weeds, back up in the tree again; and so back and forth, over and over, her bill getting fuller and fuller.
I was glad to save her work, and interested to see how far she would accept my help. Once when I blocked the entrance with feathers and horsehair she stopped, and, though her bill was full, picked up the packet and flew out on a branch with it. Was she going to throw away my present? For a moment my faith in her was shaken. Perhaps her mate had been warning her to beware of me. She did drop the mat of horsehair—what did such a dainty Quaker lady as she want of horsehair?—but she kept tight hold of one of the feathers, although it was almost as big as she was; and flew back quickly to the nest with it.
This performance proved one point. She would not take everything that was brought to her. She preferred to hunt for her own materials rather than use what she did not like. Now the question was, what did she like?
My next experiment was with some lamp wick to which I had tied bits of cotton. The titmouse took the cotton and would have taken the wicking, I think, if it had not been fastened in too tight for her. After that I tried tying bits of cotton to strings25, and letting them dangle26 before the[180] mouth of the nest. Though I moved up to within twenty feet of the nest, she paid no attention to me but hurried in. She liked the cotton so well she stopped in her hallway, reached up to pull at the white bundles, and tweaked and tugged till, finally, she backed triumphantly27 down the hole with one.
Her mate, less familiar with my experiments, started to go to the nest after her, but the sight of the cotton scared him so he fled ignominiously28 back into the treetop. He stayed there singing till she came out, when he flew up to her with a dainty he had discovered—at least the two put their bills together; perhaps it was just a caress29, for they were a tender, gentle little pair.
Having proved that my bird liked feathers and cotton, I wanted to see what she thought of straws. Apparently30 she did not think much of them. She looked very much dashed when she came home and found the yellow sticks protruding31 from the nest hole. She hesitated, turned her head over, flew to a twig on one side of the oak and then back to one on the other side. Finally she mustered32 courage, and with her crest1 flattened33 as if she did not like it, darted34 down into the hole. When she flew out, however, she went right to her mate, and forgetting all her troubles at sight of him, fluttered her wings and lisped like a young bird as she put up her bill to have him feed her.
Perhaps it was unkind to bother the poor bird[181] any more, but I meant her no harm and the fever for experiment possessed35 my blood. I tied some of the straws to a piece of wicking and baited it with feathers, thinking that perhaps she would take the straws for the sake of the feathers and wicking. I also stuffed the hole with horsehair. She did pull at the feather end of the line; I saw the straw jerk, and, when she had left, found a round hole the brave little bird had made right through the middle of the mat of horsehair I had stopped the nest with.
Straws and horsehair the titmouse evidently classed together. They were not on her list of building materials. On reflection she decided that the horsehair would make a good hall carpet, so left it in the vestibule, though she would have none of it down in her nest; but she calmly threw my straws down on the ground at the foot of the oak.
I don't know what experiments I might have been tempted36 to try next had I not suddenly found myself dismissed—the house was complete. My pretty Quaker lady sat in the shade of the oak leaves with crest raised and the flickering37 sunlight flecking her gray breast. She pecked softly at one of the white feathers that blew up against her as she listened to the song of her mate; and then flew away to him without once going to the nest. Evidently her work was done, and she was waiting till it should be time to begin brooding.[182]
Ten days later I saw her mate come with his bill full of worms and lean down by the hole to call her. She answered with a sweet pleading twitter, and reached up to be fed. When he had gone, perhaps she thought she would like a second bite. At any rate, she hopped out in the doorway and flew off to another tree, calling out tsché-de-de so sweetly he would surely have come back to her had he been within hearing.
A few days later I saw him feed her at the nest five or six times in half an hour. He would come to the next oak, light and call to her, when she would answer from inside the tree trunk and he would go to her. I was near enough to see her pretty gray head and black eyes coming up out of the crack in the oak. Sometimes when he had fed her he would call out and she would answer as if saying good-by from down in the nest. One morning I found the devoted38 little mate bringing her breakfast to her at half past six.
Nearly a month later they were feeding their young. The winsome39 mother bird, who had looked so tired and nest-worn the last time I saw her, was now as plump and happy as her spouse40. When I thought the pair were away, I went to try to get sight of the nestlings down the hole. The old birds appeared as soon as I set foot by the oak and took upon themselves to scold me. They chattered41 softly in a way they had never done before. They quickly got used to me again, however,[183] and fed the little ones without hesitation right before me, knowing full well that a person who had helped them build their nest would never harm their little brood; and it was a disappointment when I had to go away and leave the winning family.
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1
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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2
crested
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| adj.有顶饰的，有纹章的，有冠毛的v.到达山顶（或浪峰）( crest的过去式和过去分词 )；到达洪峰，达到顶点 | |
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3
poked
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| v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交 | |
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4
twig
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| n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解 | |
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dart
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| v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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8
hopped
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| 跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花 | |
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9
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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plucky
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| adj.勇敢的 | |
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plumes
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| 羽毛( plume的名词复数 )； 羽毛饰； 羽毛状物； 升上空中的羽状物 | |
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12
tugged
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| v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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13
backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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14
daunted
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| 使（某人）气馁，威吓( daunt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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15
persevered
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| v.坚忍，坚持( persevere的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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16
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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18
disapproval
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| n.反对，不赞成 | |
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19
reassuringly
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| ad.安心，可靠 | |
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20
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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21
perseverance
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| n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠 | |
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22
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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23
beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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24
strap
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| n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎 | |
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25
strings
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| n.弦 | |
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26
dangle
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| v.(使)悬荡，(使)悬垂 | |
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27
triumphantly
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| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
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ignominiously
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| adv.耻辱地，屈辱地，丢脸地 | |
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29
caress
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| vt./n.爱抚，抚摸 | |
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30
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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31
protruding
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的现在分词 )；凸 | |
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32
mustered
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| v.集合，召集，集结（尤指部队）( muster的过去式和过去分词 )；（自他人处）搜集某事物；聚集；激发 | |
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33
flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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34
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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35
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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36
tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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37
flickering
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| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
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38
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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39
winsome
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| n.迷人的，漂亮的 | |
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40
spouse
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| n.配偶(指夫或妻) | |
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41
chattered
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| （人）喋喋不休( chatter的过去式 )； 唠叨； （牙齿）打战； （机器）震颤 | |
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