him. That in itself was doubtful. Then when
he began to stand up and move about he did it in
a queer unaccustomed way and the others seemed
to have to help him. The robin used to secrete
himself in a bush and watch this anxiously, his
head tilted first on one side and then on the other.
He thought that the slow movements might mean
that he was preparing to pounce, as cats do.
When cats are preparing to pounce they creep over
the ground very slowly. The robin talked this
over with his mate a great deal for a few days
but after that he decided not to speak of the
subject because her terror was so great that he
was afraid it might be injurious to the eggs.

When the boy began to walk by himself and
even to move more quickly it was an immense relief.
But for a long time -- or it seemed a long
time to the robin -- he was a source of some anxiety.
He did not act as the other humans did.
He seemed very fond of walking but he had a way
of sitting or lying down for a while and then getting
up in a disconcerting manner to begin again.

One day the robin remembered that when he
himself had been made to learn to fly by his parents
he had done much the same sort of thing.
He had taken short flights of a few yards and
then had been obliged to rest. So it occurred to
him that this boy was learning to fly -- or rather

[[330]]

p329 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p330w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p331

v?