times as big as Jasper Jay.
And he didn't want Jasper to get hurt, even if he was so
disagreeable.

Anyone can see, just from that, that Jolly Robin was very kind.

"You'd better be careful, or I'll fight you, too!" Jasper warned him.

But Jolly was not afraid. He knew that Jasper was something of a
braggart and a bully. He had chased Jasper once. And he thought he
could do it again, if he had to.

"My cousin will tell me where to find this yellow fellow," said Jasper
Jay at last. "There's not much that happens in Pleasant Valley that my
cousin doesn't know about." So he flew off to find old Mr. Crow--for
he was the cousin of whom Jasper was speaking.

Jasper found Mr. Crow in his favorite tree in the pine woods. And sure
enough! the old gentleman seemed to know all about the golden bird.
But like Jolly Robin, he refused to say where he had seen him. To tell
the truth, Mr. Crow had never set eyes on the strange bird. But he did
not like to admit it. "He's a great credit to the neighborhood," said
old Mr. Crow. "And you'd better let him alone, if you should happen to
find him, because he's solid gold, you know. And if you flew at him
and tried to peck him, just as likely as not you'd break your bill on
him, he's so hard."

Old Mr. Crow's warning, however, had no effect at all upon Jasper
Jay.

"I'm going to search every corner in the valley until I find this fop.
And I'll teach him that he'd better get out of our neighborhood with
his fine airs."

When he heard that, old Mr. Crow shook his head.

"You're going to have trouble!" he told Jasper. And then he hurried
away to tell Jolly Robin that he ought to advise the golden bird to
leave Pleasant Valley.

But Jolly Robin said he had not spoken with the stranger. And never
having talked with a golden bird, he felt a bit shy about saying
anything to him.

"Then there'll be a terrible fight, I'm afraid," said Mr. Crow.

"I'm afraid so," Jolly Robin agreed. And strange as it may seem, they
both said that if there was going to be a fight they didn't want to
miss seeing it.

XVII

ONLY A ROOSTER

Jasper Jay spent several days looking for the great golden bird that
Jolly Robin had described. But Jasper couldn't find the wonderful
creature anywhere. And he was wondering if it wasn't just a hoax after
all, as he had claimed. He had almost decided to give up his search,
when he chanced to meet Bennie Barn-Swallow one day. Jasper happened
to mention tha