book drop, and, as he ate, he began to sing a little
song with which his mother sometimes put the baby to sleep. This is
the way the song began:

"I bought a bird, and my bird pleased me;
I tied my bird behind a tree;
Bird said----"

"Fiddle-diddle-dee!" sang something, or somebody, behind the oak.
Davie looked a little frightened, for that was just what he was about
to sing in his song. But he jumped up and ran around to the other side
of the tree. And there was a little brown wren, and it had a little
golden thread around its neck, and the thread was tied to a root of
the big tree.

"Hello!" said Davie, "was that you?"

Now, of course Davie had not expected the wren to answer him. But the
bird turned her head on one side, and, looking up at Davie, said:

[Illustration: The Little Bantam Hen.]

"Yes, of course it was me! Who else did you suppose it could be?"

"Oh yes!" said Davie, very much astonished. "Oh yes, of course! But I
thought you only did it in the song!"

"Well," said the wren, "were not you singing the song, and am not I in
the song, and what else could I do?"

"Yes, I suppose so," said Davie.

"Well, go, then," said the wren, "and don't bother me."

Davie felt very queer. He stopped a moment, but soon thought that he
must do as he was bid, and he began to sing again:

"I bought a hen, and my hen pleased me;
I tied my hen behind a tree;
Hen said----"

"Shinny-shack! shinny-shack!" interrupted another voice, so loudly
that Davie's heart gave a great thump, as he turned around. There,
behind the wren, stood a little Bantam hen, and around her neck was a
little golden cord that fastened her to the wren's leg.

[Illustration: The Speckled Guinea-Hen.]

"I suppose that was you?" said Davie.

"Yes, indeed," replied the hen. "I know when my time comes in, in a
song. But it was provoking for you to call me away from my chicks."

"I?" cried Davie. "I didn't call you!"

"Oh, indeed!" said the Bantam. "It wasn't you, then, who were singing
'Tied my hen,' just now! Oh no, not you!"

"I'm sorry," said Davie. "I didn't mean to."

"Well, go on, then," said the little hen, "and don't bother."

Davie was so full of wonder that he did not know what to think of it
all. He went back to his seat, and sang again:

"I had a guinea, and my guinea pleased me;
I tied my guinea behind a tree----"

[Illustration: The Duck.]

But here he stopped, with his mouth wide open; for up a tiny