oung bird turned
toward her for it, and behold! she took to her wings with all she had
brought. I had hardly time to congratulate myself on this new piece of
testimony, when back came the lazuli with her bill full!

In my perplexity I moved so near the little one that, without meaning
to, I forced the old birds to show their true colors. The situation was
too dangerous to admit of further subterfuge. Both Madame Lazuli and her
handsome blue mate--whom I discovered at a safe distance up on a high
branch out of reach--flew down and dashed about, twitching their tails
from side to side as they cried "quit," in nervous tones; altogether
acting so much like anxious parents that I had to relinquish my theory
that the little bird belonged to the wren-tit. Like the mother whom
Solomon judged, she forgot all else when real danger threatened the
child. Having come to my decision from circumstantial evidence, I
remembered with a start that I had known it all the time, from the
wing-bars and the call note! Nevertheless, my riddle was only half
solved, for how about the wren-tit?

A young bird called from the sycamore at the corner of the adobe, and
when both old birds flew over to it, I thought I'd better follow. I got
there just in time to see a little bird light in the elbow of a limb,
totter as if going to fall, and save itself by snuggling up in the
elbow, where it sat in the sun looking very cozy and comfortable--winning
little tot. The mother lazuli started to come to it, but seeing me flew
away to another branch, where, well screened, she stretched up on her
toes to look at me over the top of a big sycamore leaf. Though the
fledgling called, the mother left without going to it.

The wren-tit had stayed behind at the well; but while the lazuli was
gone, who should come flying in but the foster mother! I was astonished.
Moreover, the instant the youngster set eyes on her, it started up and
flew to her--actually flew into her in its hurry. She admonished it
gently, in a soft chattering voice, for she could not scold it.

When the lazuli came back with food, it was only to see her little bird
flying off to the other side of the tree after the wren-tit! I thought
she seemed bewildered, but she followed in their wake--we all followed.
Here came a closer test. Both lazuli and wren-tit stood before the small
bird. Which would it go to? The lazuli kept silent, but the wren-tit
called softly and the little one raised its wings and