The Burgess Bird Book for Children

t she must look her old house over to see if it was f

n?" Jenny's voic

"Bully the English Sparrow has been living in it for the last

eter, they flew in a great rage to see if he had told them the truth. Presently he

is year. All the sharp tongues in the world couldn't budge Bully the English sparrow.

. Wren, their tails pointing almost straight up to the sky, and scolding as fast as they could make their tongues go. Flying savagely at one and then at the other, and almost drowning their voices with his own harsh cries, was Bully himself. He was perhaps one fourth larger than Mr. Wren, although he looked half again as big. But for the fact that his new spring suit was very dirty, due to his fondness for taking d

regular little fighting savage. The noise had brought all the other birds in the Old Orchard to see what was going on, and every one of them was screaming and urg

when he is in the midst of a fight or a fuss of some kind. The fact th

y fiercely at any of the onlookers who came near enough, not even when they were twice his own size. They could have d

as she sat there it would be impossible for either Jenny or Mr. Wren to get in. Truth to tell,

you get out of it the better!" shrieked Jenny Wren, jerking her ta

e a little fury. "Just try to put us out if you dare! You didn't make this house in the first place, and you desert

expect to find them just as they left them. My, my, my what a dreadful noise! Why don't they all get together and drive Bully and Mrs. Bully out of the Old Orchard? If they don't I'm afraid he will drive them o

that one and having a thoroughly good time, which is mor

s boasting, plain boasting, but it was effective. He actually made the other birds believe it. Not one of them dared stand up to him and fight. They were content to call him a bully and all t

ck Pussy, the cat who lives in Farmer Brown's house, stealing up through the Old Orchard, her tail twitching and her yellow eyes glaring eagerly. She had heard that dreadful racket

he enemy of all, and they straightway forgot their own quarrel. Only Mrs. Bully remained where she was, in the little round doorway of her house. She intended to take no chances, but she added

ne of those Old Orchard folks. So, with tail still twitching angrily, she turned and, with such dignity as she could, left the Old Orchard. Clear to the edge

Jenny and Mr. Wren seemed to have forgotten all about Bully and his wife in their old house. They flew to another part of the Old Orchard, there to talk it all over and rest and get their breath. Peter Rabbit waited to see if they would not come ove