Two years ago, in November, when I was digging in the garden, I became aware of1 a bird following my activities closely. I tried to make friends with him. I gave him small worms2. They were an immediate success. Soon the bird followed me wherever I went, and always after he had been fed he would express his satisfaction with a burst3 of song.
During the winter I would come down4 in the morning, open the front door and give a whistle to which he had grown used. At once he would fly up from the bottom of the garden, come into5 the house on to my knee, and eat the worms. This continued all through the winter. Then one day in early spring, I gave the usual signal and he flew up from the bottom of the garden but stopped half-way and I saw another bird follow him. Oh, he had got a wife. After a short time he flew to the doorstep6 and stopped again, looking back. He called to her without response. He tried again, but there was still no response, so he flew into the house and on to my knee, and looked up at me, as if to say, “You'll have to excuse her, she's a bit shy.” Then he took a worm and flew down to her. The hen7 bird saw him coming and quivered8 her wings in the manner of a young bird waiting to be fed. He gave her the worm and repeated the journey three times before eating his own meal.
两年前的11月，我在花园里松土时感到有只鸟密切注意着我的一举一动。我试着跟他交朋友，就喂他一些小虫子，结果立刻奏效了。没多久，这只鸟与我已是如影随形，而且他每次吃完以后都要引吭高歌以示满足。
冬天，我会在清早出来，打开前门，吹一声口哨。他早已习惯了这口哨声，听到后会立刻从花园深处飞出，穿门入户，落在我的膝上吃虫子。整整一个冬天都是如此。尔后在早春的一天，我像平时那样吹了声口哨。他闻声从花园深处飞了出来，却在半途中驻足回首，于是我看到他后面还跟了一只鸟。哦，原来他已经有妻子了。不一会，他就飞到了门前的台阶上，再次驻足回望。他呼唤着她，她却没有应答。他又叫了一声，还是没有回音。于是，他就飞进屋来落在我的膝上。他仰起头来看着我，仿佛在说：“你要原谅她才是，她只是有点怕羞。”然后，他叼起一条虫子向她飞去，那雌鸟一见他来了，就扑扇着翅膀，像只嗷嗷待哺的幼鸟。他把虫子给了她，这样往返了三次后，自己才开始进食。
1. be aware of意识到
2． worm n． 蠕虫，蚯蚓
3． burst n． 突然的举动
4． come down 从一处到另一处
5． come into 开始；进入
6． doorstep n． 门阶
7． hen [hen] n． 母鸡；雌鸟
8． quiver v． 颤抖，振动