felltotheground,whenhewouldlookoveratitwithaludicrousexpressionofuncertainty,asifsuspectingthatithadlife,withamindnotmadeupwhethertogetitagain,oranewone,orbeoffnowthinkingofcorn,thenlisteningtohearwhatwasinthewind.Sothelittleimpudentfellowwouldwastemanyanearinaforenoontillatlast,seizingsomelongerandplumperone,considerablybiggerthanhimself,andskilfullybalancingit,hewouldsetoutwithittothewoods,likeatigerwithabuffalo,bythesamezig-zagcourseandfrequentpauses,scratchingalongwithitasifitweretooheavyforhimandfallingallthewhile,makingitsfalladiagonalbetweenaperpendicularandhorizontal,beingdeterminedtoputitthroughatanyrate—asingularlyfrivolousandwhimsicalfellow—andsohewouldgetoffwithittowherehelived,perhapscarryittothetopofapinetreefortyorfiftyrodsdistant,andIwouldafterwardsfindthecobsstrewnaboutthewoodsinvariousdirections.
Atlengththejaysarrive,whosediscordantscreamswereheardlongbefore,astheywerewarilymakingtheirapproachaneighthofamileoff,andinastealthyandsneakingmannertheyflitfromtreetotree,nearerandnearer,andpickupthekernelswhichthesquirrelshavedropped.Then,sittingonapitch-pinebough,theyattempttoswallowintheirhasteakernelwhichistoobigfortheirthroatsandchokesthemandaftergreatlabortheydisgorgeit,andspendanhourintheendeavortocrackitbyrepeatedblowswiththeirbills.Theyweremanifestlythieves,andIhadnotmuchrespectforthembutthesquirrels,thoughatfirstshy,wenttoworkasiftheyweretakingwhatwastheirown.
Meanwhilealsocamethechickadeesinflocks,which,pickingupthecrumbsthesquirrelshaddropped,flewtothenearesttwig,and,placingthemundertheirclaws,hammeredawayatthemwiththeirlittlebills,asifitwereaninsectinthebark,tilltheyweresufficientlyreducedfortheirslenderthroats.Alittleflockofthesetit-micecamedailytopickadinneroutofmywood-pile,orthecrumbsatmydoor,withfaintflittinglispingnotes,likethetinkl