The Burgess Bird Book for Children | Page 7

tongues in the world couldn't
budge Bully the English sparrow. My, my, my, my, just hear that racket!
I think I'll go over and see what is going on."
So Peter hopped to a place where he could get a good view of Jenny
Wren's old home and still not be too far from the safety of the old stone
wall. Jenny Wren's old home had been in a hole in one of the old
apple-trees. Looking over to it, Peter could see Mrs. Bully sitting in the
little round doorway and quite filling it. She was shrieking excitedly.
Hopping and flitting from twig to twig close by were Jenny and Mr.
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 dust baths
and the fact that he cares nothing about his personal appearance and
takes no care of himself, he would have been a fairly good-looking
fellow. His back was more or less of an ashy color with black and
chestnut stripes. His wings were brown with a white bar on each. His
throat and breast were black, and below that he was of a dirty white.
The sides of his throat were white and the back of his neck chestnut.
By ruffling up his feathers and raising his wings slightly as he hopped
about, he managed to make himself appear much bigger than he really
was. He looked like a 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 urging Jenny and Mr. Wren
to stand up for their rights. Not one of them had a good word for Bully
and his wife. It certainly was a disgraceful neighborhood squabble.
Bully the English Sparrow is a born fighter. He never is happier than
when he is in the midst of a fight or a fuss of some kind. The fact that
all his neighbors were against him didn't bother Bully in the least.

Jenny and Mr. Wren are no cowards, but the two together were no
match for Bully. In fact, Bully did not hesitate to fly fiercely at any of
the onlookers who came near enough, not even when they were twice
his own size. They could have driven him from the Old Orchard had
they set out to, but just by his boldness and appearance he made them
afraid to try.
All the time Mrs. Bully sat in the little round doorway, encouraging
him. She knew that as long as she sat there it would be impossible for
either Jenny or Mr. Wren to get in. Truth to tell, she was enjoying it all,
for she is as quarrelsome and as fond of fighting as is Bully himself.
"You're a sneak! You're a robber! That's my house, and the sooner you
get out of it the better!" shrieked Jenny Wren, jerking her tail with
every word as she hopped about just out of reach of Bully.
"It may have been your house once, but it is mine now, you little
snip-of-nothing!" cried Bully, rushing at her like a little fury. "Just try
to put us out if you dare! You didn't make this house in the first place,
and you deserted it when you went south last fall. It's mine now, and
there isn't anybody in the Old Orchard who can put me out."
Peter Rabbit nodded. "He's right there," muttered Peter. "I don't like
him and never will, but it is true that he has a perfect right to that house.
People who go off and leave things for half a year shouldn't 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 out. No one
likes to live with such quarrelsome neighbors. They don't belong over
in this country, anyway, and we would be a lot better off if they were
not here. But I must say I do have to admire their spunk."
All the time Bully was darting savagely at this one and that one and
having a thoroughly good time, which is more than could be said of any
one else, except Mrs. Bully.
"I'll teach you folks to know that