with a gaily apparelled Goldfinch. However, notwithstanding all this,
the Blackbird found it difficult to make friends, and could never be
quite so much at his ease as his more sociable red-breasted companion.

One day the Robin confided to the Blackbird a great discovery that he
and the Goldfinch had made. They had come upon a large barn, and there,
close to the roof, they had found a small hole. It was very small
indeed, but, after some hesitation, they had squeezed through it, and
had found themselves in a large room filled with huge sacks of corn,
oats and barley. Their delight at this discovery was not to be
described, any more than the feast they subsequently made. Mice, and
even rats, were scampering about in every direction, gnawing holes in
the sacks, and getting into all manner of mischief.

"We were afraid of the rats at first," said the Robin, "but we soon
found that they were much too busy to trouble their heads about us. The
Goldfinch is very anxious that the sparrows should not find out this
barn. They are greedy and quarrelsome, and would keep it all to
themselves, and try to turn us out."

The Blackbird soon found his way to the corn sacks, but he and his
friends were uncommonly circumspect whenever they met any sparrows.
They would even pretend that they were going in quite another
direction; they would fly straight by the barn, and then wait
patiently in a neighbouring tree or hedgerow, and not return till they
were certain of not being noticed.

It must be confessed that the process of squeezing through the small
dark hole was not altogether an agreeable arrangement, it sadly
disturbed our smart friend's smooth, glossy feathers. The mice too, to
say nothing of the rats, were not congenial companions. But the corn
was so good that it made amends for all these drawbacks.

Thus the winter passed by very happily, and what with the berries, red
and black, the corn, and best of all, the crumbs, the Blackbird never
wanted for food.

Not the least pleasant part of the day was the morning, when he paid his
visit to the bay window, where the little children were always ready for
him. No wonder he grew very fond of them, and soon learnt their names,
"_Willie_" and "_Alice_," which he would often repeat to himself as he
fell asleep in the ivy, and thought of the little boy and girl fast
asleep too, and of the happy meeting which they were all looking forward
to in the morning.

END OF CHIRP THE FIRST.