"That's always the talk," said Tip-Top. "I'm too big for the nest,
and I want to see the world. It's full of beautiful things, I know.
Now there's the most lovely creature, with bright eyes, that comes
under the tree every day, and wants me to come down in the grass and
play with her."

"My son, my son, beware!" said the frightened mother; "that lovely-
seeming creature is our dreadful enemy, the cat,--a horrid monster,
with teeth and claws."

At this, all the little birds shuddered and cuddled deeper in the
nest; only Tip-Top in his heart disbelieved it. "I'm too old a
bird," said he to himself, "to believe THAT story; mother is chaffing
me. But I'll show her that I can take care of myself."

So the next morning, after the father and mother were gone, Tip-Top
got on the edge of the nest again, and looked over and saw lovely
Miss Pussy washing her face among the daisies under the tree, and her
hair was sleek and white as the daisies, and her eyes were yellow and
beautiful to behold, and she looked up to the tree bewitchingly, and
said, "Little birds, little birds, come down; Pussy wants to play
with you."

"Only look at her!" said Tip-Top; "her eyes are like gold."

"No, don't look," said Singer and Speckle. "She will bewitch you,
and then eat you up."

"I'd like to see her try to eat me up," said Tip-Top, again balancing