“Why?” demanded a blue jay, angrily, while the others stopped their songs.

“Because I find the woman considers you her property, and your loss has caused her much unhappiness,” answered Popopo.

“But remember how unhappy we were in her glass case,” said a robin redbreast, gravely.  “And as for being her property, you are a knook, and the natural guardian of all birds; so you know that Nature created us free.  To be sure, wicked men shot and stuffed us, and sold us to the milliner; but the idea of our being her property is nonsense!”

Popopo was puzzled.

“If I leave you free,” he said, “wicked men will shoot you again, and you will be no better off than before.”

“Pooh!” exclaimed the blue jay, “we cannot be shot now, for we are stuffed.  Indeed, two men fired several shots at us this morning, but the bullets only ruffled our feathers and buried themselves in our stuffing.  We do not fear men now.”

“Listen!” said Popopo, sternly, for he felt the birds were getting the best of the argument; “the poor milliner’s business will be ruined if I do not return you to her shop.  It seems you are necessary to trim the hats properly.  It is the fashion for women to wear birds upon their headgear.  So the poor milliner’s wares, although beautified by lace and ribbons, are worthless unless you are perched upon them.”

“Fashions,” said a black bird, solemnly, “are made by men.  What law is there, among birds or knooks, that requires us to be the slaves of fashion?”

“What have we to do with fashions, anyway?” screamed a linnet.  “If it were the fashion to wear knooks perched upon women’s hats would you be contented to stay there?  Answer me, Popopo!”

But Popopo was in despair.  He could not wrong the birds by sending them back to the milliner, nor did he wish the milliner to suffer by their loss.  So he went home to think what could be done.

After much meditation he decided to consult the king of the knooks, and going at once to his majesty he told him the whole story.

The king frowned.

“This should teach you the folly of interfering with earth people,” he said.  “But since you have caused all this trouble, it is your duty to remedy it.  Our birds cannot be enslaved, that is certain; therefore you must have the fashions changed, so it will no longer be stylish for women to wear birds upon their hats.”

“How shall I do that?” asked Popopo.

“Easily enough.  Fashions often change among the earth people, who tire quickly of any one thing.  When they read in their newspapers and magazines that the style is so-and-so, they never question the matter, but at once obey the mandate of fashion.  So you must visit the newspapers and magazines and enchant the types.”

“Enchant the types!” echoed Popopo, in wonder.

“Just so.  Make them read that it is no longer the fashion to wear birds upon hats.  That will afford relief to your poor milliner and at the same time set free thousands of our darling birds who have been so cruelly used.”