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} - .tdStyle0 { - padding: 2px 5px; text-align:center; vertical-align:top; - } - .tdStyle1 { - padding: 2px 5px; text-align:left; vertical-align:top;padding-left:29px; text-indent:-24px; - } - .tdStyle2 { - padding: 2px 5px; text-align:right; vertical-align:top; - } - .tdStyle3 { - padding: 2px 5px; text-align:left; vertical-align:top; - } - .pindent { margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-indent:1.5em; } - .noindent { margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0; text-indent:0; } - .hang { padding-left:1.5em; text-indent:-1.5em; } - </style> - <style type="text/css"> - h1 { font-size: 1.5em; font-weight: bold;} - .sub-head { font-size: 0.8em;font-weight: normal; } - .poetry-container { margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em } - .dropcap { font-size: 250%; margin:0em 0.1em 0 0; line-height:.8em; } - p.credit { - font-size: x-small; - margin-bottom: .4em; - } - </style> - </head> - <body> - - -<pre> - -Project Gutenberg's Gray Lady and the Birds, by Mabel Osgood Wright - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Gray Lady and the Birds - Stories of the Bird Year for Home and School - -Author: Mabel Osgood Wright - -Illustrator: Allan Brooks - Louis Agassiz Fuertes - Joseph Michael Gleeson - Robert Bruce Horsfall - -Release Date: July 31, 2020 [EBook #62793] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GRAY LADY AND THE BIRDS *** - - - - -Produced by Mardi Desjardins & the online Distributed -Proofreaders Canada team at https://www.pgdpcanada.net - - - - - - -</pre> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/cover.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0000' style='width:80%;height:auto;'/> -</div> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<p class='line0' style='text-align:center;font-size:2em;font-weight:bold;'>GRAY LADY AND THE BIRDS</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i002.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0001' style='width:15%;height:auto;'/> -</div> - -<div class='lgc' style=''> <!-- rend=';' --> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line0' style='font-size:1.2em;'>THE MACMILLAN COMPANY</p> -<p class='line0'>NEW YORK • BOSTON • CHICAGO</p> -<p class='line0'>ATLANTA • SAN FRANCISCO</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line0' style='font-size:1.2em;'>MACMILLAN & CO., <span class='sc'>Limited</span></p> -<p class='line0'>LONDON • BOMBAY • CALCUTTA</p> -<p class='line0'>MELBOURNE</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line0' style='font-size:1.2em;'>THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, <span class='sc'>Ltd.</span></p> -<p class='line0'>TORONTO</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<p class='pindent'><a id='front'></a></p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i004.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0002' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'>BALTIMORE ORIOLE<br/></p> <br/>(<span class='sc'>Upper Figure, Male; Lower Figure, Female</span>) -</div> - -<div class='lgc' style=''> <!-- rend=';' --> -<p class='line0'>Order—<span class='sc'>Passeres</span> Family—<span class='sc'>Icteridæ</span></p> -<p class='line0'>Genus—<span class='sc'>Icterus</span> Species—<span class='sc'>Galbula</span></p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div class='lgc' style=''> <!-- rend=';' --> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line0' style='font-size:2em;font-weight:bold;'>GRAY LADY AND THE BIRDS</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line0' style='font-size:1.2em;'>STORIES OF THE BIRD YEAR</p> -<p class='line0' style='font-size:1.2em;'>FOR HOME AND SCHOOL</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line0' style='margin-bottom:0.5em;'>BY</p> -<p class='line0' style='font-size:1.5em;font-weight:bold;'>MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line0'>PRESIDENT AUDUBON SOCIETY, STATE OF CONNECTICUT</p> -<p class='line0'>AUTHOR OF “CITIZEN BIRD,” “TOMMY ANNE,” ETC.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line0'><span class='it'>TWELVE COLOURED PLATES AND THIRTY-SIX FULL-PAGE</span></p> -<p class='line0'><span class='it'>ILLUSTRATIONS IN HALF-TONE</span></p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line0'>New York</p> -<p class='line0' style='font-size:1.2em;'>THE MACMILLAN COMPANY</p> -<p class='line0' style='font-size:1.2em;'>1914</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line0' style='font-size:1.2em;'><span class='it'>All rights reserved</span></p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div class='lgc' style=''> <!-- rend=';' --> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line0'><span class='sc'><span style='font-size:larger'>Copyright, 1907,</span></span></p> -<p class='line0'><span class='sc'><span style='font-size:larger'>By THE MACMILLAN COMPANY.</span></span></p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line0'>Set up and electrotyped. Published November, 1907. Reprinted</p> -<p class='line0'>March, 1909; April, 1910; April, 1914.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line0'>Norwood Press</p> -<p class='line0'>J. S. Cushing Co.—Berwick & Smith Co.</p> -<p class='line0'>Norwood, Mass., U.S.A.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div class='lgc' style=''> <!-- rend=';' --> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line0'>To</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line0'><span style='font-size:larger'>WILLIAM DUTCHER</span></p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line0'>PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line0'>OF AUDUBON SOCIETIES</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line0'>IN RECOGNITION OF HIS UNSELFISH DEVOTION</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line0'>TO THE CAUSE OF</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line0'>AMERICAN BIRD PROTECTION</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<p class='pindent'><a id='feeding'></a></p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i009.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0003' style='width:100%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>FEEDING THE ORPHANS</span></p> -</div> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>TO THE CHILDREN</h2> - -<p class='line0' style='text-align:center;margin-top:1em;'><span class='sc'>Greeting!</span></p> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Oh, sweet is the whitethroat’s lay,</p> -<p class='line0'>  As the banners of dawn unfold!</p> -<p class='line0'>The lovable, quarrelsome wrens all day</p> -<p class='line0'>  Peep and prattle and scold:</p> -<p class='line0'>Skulks a blue jay hiding his grain;</p> -<p class='line0'>Blinks an owl with the crows in train—</p> -<p class='line0'>Courtship merry and combat vain</p> -<p class='line0'>  The eyes of the wise behold.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'> * * * * * *</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>And Nature spreads wide her book,</p> -<p class='line0'>  In a temple fair and free,—</p> -<p class='line0'>To all who may listen she cries, “Come, look!</p> -<p class='line0'>  Come and learn at my knee.</p> -<p class='line0'>Watch the change of the finch’s vest,</p> -<p class='line0'>Note how the highhole carves his nest,—</p> -<p class='line0'>Come with light foot and loving breast,</p> -<p class='line0'>  And bury your ills with me!”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'><span style='font-size:smaller'>Dora Read Goodale.</span></span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div><h1>BE SURE THAT YOU SEE ARIGHT!</h1></div> - -<p class='pindent'>The preservation of the useful and beautiful animal and -bird-life of the country depends largely upon creating in -the young an interest in the life of the woods and fields.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>If the child mind is fed with stories that are false to -nature, the children will go to the haunts of the animal -only to meet disappointment. The result will be disbelief, -and the death of interest. The men who misinterpret -nature and replace fact with fiction, undo the work of those -who in the love of nature interpret it aright.</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:2em;margin-top:0.5em;'>—<span class='sc'>Theodore Roosevelt.</span></p> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div><h1>RECOGNITION</h1></div> - -<p class='pindent'>The author desires to thank Mr. William Dutcher for -permission to reproduce the Drawings of Birds prepared -under his supervision for the Educational Leaflets of the -National Association of Audubon Societies; Mr. Frank M. -Chapman for the quotation of material that has appeared -in <span class='it'>Bird-Lore</span>, also for photographs from his negatives; -the American Museum of Natural History of New York -City for photographs of its groups representing Bird-Life -at Cobbs Island, Virginia, and Birds of the St. Joaquin -Valley; to Dr. T. S. Roberts, Dr. C. F. Hodge, R. H. -Beebe, and E. van Alterna, for use of valuable photographs; -Houghton, Mifflin & Co. for their courtesy in allowing quotations -from the poems of Celia Thaxter, Maurice Thompson, -Frank Bolles, Lowell, and others; Charles Scribner’s Sons -for like permission to use the poems of G. P. Lathrop and -Henry van Dyke.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Also to Dr. Henry van Dyke, Edmund C. Stedman, -Edith M. Thomas, Oliver Herford, Dora Reed Goodale, -George Parsons Lathrop, Dr. Garrett Newkirk, Faith C. -Lee, Ella Gilbert Ives, Florence A. Van Zant, Lynn Tew -Sprague, Richard Burton, W. B. Blake, and others for the -use of their poems, etc.</p> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div><h1>TO THE GROWN-UP—LEND A HAND!</h1></div> - -<p class='pindent'>The training of the eye to correct seeing is one of the -great advantages of bird study to the average child, -quite aside from the value of the information gained, for -this accurate gauge of the eye will always be a benefit in -whatever calling may be followed, adding alike to the -pleasure and profit of life.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In every town or country village there is some one who -takes more than passing interest in the life outdoors, -who has a keener eye and more responsive ear than his -neighbour, coupled with a heart that has a bit of Eden still -lodged in it, so that it keeps tender and yearning toward -the simple, direct affections of life, as expressed in childhood -and the lives of the timid wild brotherhood, whether -of foot or wing. Are you one of these? If so, do you -not realize that from your very make-up you draw more -freely from nature’s bounty than do your neighbours, -and are you not bound to share your pleasure with them? -Not alone because it is pleasure, but that through the -knowledge that comes with all real joy, the wild bird or -beast may be more fully understood, and therefore protected. -All the more is this just and right, because we -ourselves in our advancement are the main cause of -their need of this protection, for as man increases, possesses, -builds, and overflows the earth, so do these “kindred -of the wild” dwindle and silently disappear.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The lesser beasts keep more aloof than do the birds. -These still gather freely in our gardens, fields, and woods -if we permit, and if we offer food and shelter, many quickly -become responsive.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Will not you who enjoy this friendship share it with -others to whom it is perhaps entirely unknown and unguessed, -and to whom even the names of birds, beyond a -familiar few such as Hawk, Owl, Robin, and Sparrow, -are an unknown language?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The bird lectures are many, but there are those who -cannot reach them. The bird protective societies are -tireless, but the ground must be prepared for the message -they send forth, and there is no better way for doing this -than by the influence of a personality working quietly -and unconsciously that infects all with whom it comes in -contact with its wholesome enthusiasm.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>If you are a parent or teacher, well and good; your -field is ready at hand. If not, you may still become the -equivalent of both in your community even though -you lack some of Gray Lady’s attributes and resources.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>If you have the right faculty and books at hand, you -do not need my aid; but if the work of holding youth is as -yet an untried experiment, tuck this little volume into -the corner of your school desk, the magazine rack, or your -work-basket at home, for rainy days or the between times -when lack of occupation breeds mischief.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Much that is told in the following pages was thought -out, in another form, especially for the use of teachers of -the rural schools of Connecticut, but it is applicable to -the needs of children in any of the eastern states, and -whether the knowledge passes from the school to the home -or the home to the school, the process is the same. The -walk between the rural school and home along bushy lanes -and tree-bordered highways, however, is an important -link in the chain.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For children so placed the birds and every possible -motive for wanting to know them lie at hand, but for this -very reason the public library wherein the books to answer -questions may be found is perhaps many miles away and -it is not possible for every school or home to own the -necessary bird books or charts.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It must not for a moment be thought that any attempt -is made to say anything new or add to the information -given in the many excellent and complete -books now in circulation, but merely to condense in a -simple form things that have been said. Not detailed -descriptions and tabulated facts—for these repel the -beginner and seem but the spelling-book or multiplication -table in a new form—but to record the doings of some -children who were eager to know; together with a few hints -upon the migrations, winter feeding, and protection of -some of our common birds, and the stories of their lives, -that may lead both teacher and pupil to more detailed -study when opportunity offers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When a strange child comes to school, the first desire of -his mates is to know his name and nationality, from -whence he came, where he lives, whether he is merely a -visitor or to be a permanent resident in the community. -All this must be weighed and well considered before the -newcomer is admitted to the friendship of his mates, and -it may be that there will be some prejudices against him -that the teacher must either remove by explanation or -overcome by reason and example.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It is very much the same with a bird. After being -attracted to him and fixing upon his name as an individual -his identity should be still further established by finding -to what family he belongs and then later on placing this -family in one of the great orders of the bird world. These -two last should not be dwelt upon, however, until the identity -as an individual is established, but in the end it will -help to keep the name in the memory to know the kinship -of families as well.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There are many little points of comparison, of scientific -but not general value that cannot be seen unless the dead -bird is held in the hand, and then only a wise man, perhaps, -would be able to point them out. It is with the -living bird, on the wing or in its nest in the bushes, that -we are concerned; not with the poor little dead thing with -its limp neck and bloody, rumpled feathers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>We should not learn enough from such a bird to in any -way make up for taking its life; it would be both wasteful -and against the law. So we must be content to believe -what the Wise Men say, who must study the dead birds in -order to preserve the scientific knowledge of their structure -and keep them in public museums, that they may teach the -world how wonderful a thing bird-life is, and show us that -we must do all we can to protect it. For the Wise Men -know very well that—</p> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>You cannot with a scalpel find the poet’s soul,</p> -<p class='line0'>Nor yet the wild bird’s song!</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:2em;margin-top:0.5em;'>M. O. W.</p> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div><h1>TABLE OF CONTENTS</h1></div> - -<table id='tab1' summary='' class='center'> -<colgroup> -<col span='1' style='width: 22.5em;'/> -<col span='1' style='width: 2em;'/> -</colgroup> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>I</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><span class='sc'>Gray Lady Appears</span></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_1'>1</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>II</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><span class='sc'>A Rainy Day</span>—The school at Foxes Corners at the beginning of the fall term.</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_9'>9</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>III</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><span class='sc'>Gray Lady at School</span>—The bird. What is it? To whom does it belong? The bird year—The migrations, the moulting, etc.</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_18'>18</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>IV</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><span class='sc'>The Orchard Party</span>—The children’s luncheon and the bird’s lunch-counter. Gray Lady makes a plan.</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_38'>38</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>V</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><span class='sc'>Reasons Why</span>—Why birds need protection. The uses of birds. What they do for us and what we should do for them—housing, feeding, etc.</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_51'>51</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>VI</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><span class='sc'>Feathers and Hats</span>—Egrets and Ostrich plumes—The wrong and the right of it.</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_67'>67</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>VII</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><span class='sc'>The Kind Hearts’ Club</span>—The work that kept the Fingers busy so that the Ears might listen.</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_81'>81</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>VIII</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><span class='sc'>The Procession Passes</span>—The fall journey—Five Swallows and a changeling.</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_89'>89</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>IX</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><span class='sc'>Two Birds that came Back</span>—The Tame Crow and the English Starling.</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_102'>102</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>X</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><span class='sc'>Some Mischief-Makers</span>—The American Crow, Blue Jay, and Purple Grackle.</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_114'>114</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>XI</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><span class='sc'>The Flight of the Bird</span>—The wonders of flight. Some new facts about the migrations of birds.</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_136'>136</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>XII</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><span class='sc'>Some Suspicious Characters</span>—Hawks and Owls—Two sides of the question.</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_154'>154</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>XIII</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><span class='sc'>Tree-trunk Birds</span>—The Woodpeckers—Sapsucker, Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, etc.</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_175'>175</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>XIV</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><span class='sc'>Four Notables</span>—Game-birds at home—The Ruffed Grouse, Bob-white, Woodcock, and the Wood Duck.</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_197'>197</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>XV</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><span class='sc'>Game-Birds?</span>—The plea of the Meadowlark, Mourning Dove, Sandpiper, Plovers, and Bobolink, the Masquerader. “<span class='sc'>Spare us, please! We are too small for food.</span>”</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_217'>217</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>XVI</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><span class='sc'>Treasure-trove at the Shore</span>—The Herring or Harbour Gull.</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_229'>229</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>XVII</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><span class='sc'>The Birds’ Christmas Tree</span>—The preparation and a surprise. The Winter Wren, Tree-sparrow, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and Crossbills.</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_242'>242</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>XVIII</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><span class='sc'>How they spent their Money</span>—The result of the Xmas sale and the Letter Carrier’s horse.</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_254'>254</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>XIX</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><span class='sc'>Behind the Bars</span>—American birds that have been prisoners.—The Mockingbird, Cardinal, Nonpareil, and Indigo-bird.</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_270'>270</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>XX</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><span class='sc'>Midwinter Birds</span>—Cedar-Bird, Redpoll, Junco, Shrike, Whitethroat, Chickadee, etc.</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_293'>293</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>XXI</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><span class='sc'>Jacob Hughes’ Opinion of Cats</span>—The trail in the snow and the bandits that lived in the barn.</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_303'>303</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>XXII</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><span class='sc'>February, “The Long-Short Month”</span>—Stories and poems of the Bluebird, Song Sparrow, and Robin.</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_310'>310</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>XXIII</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><span class='sc'>March</span>—Red-wing, Kingfisher, and Phœbe.</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_333'>333</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>XXIV</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><span class='sc'>The Tide has Turned</span>—Wild Geese, Nest-Building, Vesper-Sparrow, Purple Finch, Chippy, Whip-poor-will, Towhee, Ovenbird, House Wren, Thrasher, Catbird, Wood Thrush, Veery, Nighthawk, Chimney Swift, etc.</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_355'>355</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>XXV</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><span class='sc'>Bird and Arbour Day at Foxes Corners</span>—In doors and out—Working and talking.</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_385'>385</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>XXVI</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><span class='sc'>Some Birds that come in May</span>—In apple-blossom time look for the brightly coloured birds—Oriole, Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo-bird, Yellowthroat, Chat, Humming-bird, Redstart, etc.</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_403'>403</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'></td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tab1c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>XXVII</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab1c1 tdStyle1'><span class='sc'>Flag Day</span>—Gray Lady receives and gives a surprise.</td><td class='tab1c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_431'>431</a></td></tr> -</table> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div><h1>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h1></div> - -<table id='tab2' summary='' class='center'> -<colgroup> -<col span='1' style='width: 18.5em;'/> -<col span='1' style='width: 7em;'/> -</colgroup> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tab2c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>COLOURED PLATES</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Baltimore Oriole</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#front'><span class='it'>Frontispiece</span></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><span style='font-size:smaller'>FACING PAGE</span></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Scarlet Tanager</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_34'>34</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Blue Jay</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_129'>129</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Wood Duck</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_214'>214</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Killdeer</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_224'>224</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Indigo Bunting</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_280'>280</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Cardinal</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_286'>286</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Bluebird</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_314'>314</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Red-winged Blackbird</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_334'>334</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Belted Kingfisher</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_340'>340</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>American Goldfinch</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_422'>422</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Rose-breasted Grosbeak</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_426'>426</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tab2c1-col2 tdStyle0' colspan='2'>FULL-PAGE HALF-TONES</td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'> </td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Feeding the Orphans</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#feeding'>vi</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Chickadee</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_26'>26</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Snowy Heron</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_66'>66</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Clipping Ostrich Plumes</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_74'>74</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Purple Martin</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_96'>96</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Bird-houses and Nesting-boxes</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_106'>106</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Terns and Skimmers on the Wing</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_142'>142</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Golden Plover</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_148'>148</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>The Wings in Flight</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_152'>152</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Red-shouldered Hawk</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_154'>154</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Screech Owl</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_158'>158</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Barn Owl</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_166'>166</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Short-eared Owl</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_168'>168</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Marsh Hawk</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_170'>170</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Sparrow Hawk</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_174'>174</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>White-breasted Nuthatch</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_178'>178</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Flicker</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_190'>190</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Downy Woodpecker</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_194'>194</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Ruffed Grouse</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_198'>198</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Just Out</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_200'>200</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Domesticated Bob-white Calling</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_202'>202</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Grouse showing Ruff and Tail</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_206'>206</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Woodcock on Nest</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_212'>212</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Meadowlark</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_218'>218</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Mourning Doves</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_220'>220</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Spotted Sandpiper</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_222'>222</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Least Sandpiper</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#B224'>224</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Herring Gulls</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_232'>232</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Tree-Sparrow</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_248'>248</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Shelter for Bird Food</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_250'>250</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Robin</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_326'>326</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Nighthawks</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_370'>370</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Chimney Swift Resting</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_374'>374</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Wood Thrush and Nest</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_378'>378</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Catbird on Nest</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_384'>384</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Yellow-billed Cuckoo</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_404'>404</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class='tab2c1 tdStyle3'><span class='sc'>Red-eyed Vireo on Nest</span></td><td class='tab2c2 tdStyle2'><a href='#Page_406'>406</a></td></tr> -</table> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1.2em;font-size:2em;font-weight:bold;'>GRAY LADY AND THE BIRDS</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='1' id='Page_1'></span><h1 class='nobreak'>I<br/> <span class='sub-head'>GRAY LADY APPEARS</span></h1></div> - -<p class='pindent'>Sarah Barnes hurried up the hill road so fast that by -the time she reached the short bit of lane that turned in at -her own gate she was quite out of breath, and oh, so -warm! Fanning vigorously with her sun-hat did not help -her much, for its wide rim had a rent in it, made by Jack, -the family puppy, so that when she reached the steps of -the porch, she sank down in a heap, only having breath -enough to exclaim, “Oh, grandma, what <span class='it'>do</span> you think?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Old lady Barnes with a sigh dropped the checked shirt -that she was patching into the big work-basket that -rested on the bench beside her. This basket was already -overflowing with other garments for both boys and girls, -that needed everything in the way of repair from a button -to a knee patch, or even to a whole sleeve, for with a slim -purse and six children to keep covered neither Grandma -Barnes’ work-basket nor her fingers knew many empty -moments.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Taking off her spectacles and rubbing her eyes, as if to -see the news as well as to hear it, she said: “Don’t tell -me Tommy has got hurt in that reaping-machine, down at -Weatherby’s. I told your pa he was too young to handle -such a job!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='2' id='Page_2'></span> -“No, Tommy’s all right—they were gathering in the -last stack as I came by.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Lammy <span class='it'>hasn’t</span> gone in swimming again down to the -crick with the Connor boys?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nope, he’s stopped behind at the Centre to tend store -for Mr. Sims, ’cause his horse got loose in Deacon Mason’s -orchard and ate himself into the colic!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Billy hasn’t fell off the fish-market roof, has he? -Your pa took him there this mornin’ to help hand up -shingles, though ’twas against my wishes.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, grandma, Billy’s all right, too,” said Sarah, who -had recovered her breath by this time and was beginning -to laugh. “What makes you always think worry? Pa is -all right, and Mary and Ruth are helping the minister’s -wife get the hall ready for the cake sale, and I’m here, so -you see there’s nothing the matter with <span class='it'>us</span>.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Think worry!” exclaimed grandma, now settling her -glasses again and preparing to hear the news comfortably -so long as neither her son nor his children, to whom she -was both grandmother and mother, were in danger, “wait -until your only son’s wife dies and leaves you to keep track -of six children, with as mixed tempers and complexions as -ducks, chickens, and turkeys all in one brood, and I guess -you’ll think worry too. But why don’t you fetch out your -news?—Not but what you are all good and promising -enough in your way,” she added hastily, lest she should be -found belittling her own flesh and blood, which she considered -next to breaking the whole ten commandments.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, granny,” began Sarah, bringing out her words -slowly, and satisfied that the old lady’s expectations were -sufficiently raised and that she would have an attentive -<span class='pageno' title='3' id='Page_3'></span> -listener, “the General Wentworth place is open and they’re -putting new fences all around the back of it, and a lovely -Gray Lady and a little girl with golden hair have come to -live there. They have been there since spring too, and I -didn’t know it. The girl is as old as me, but she’s smaller, -for she isn’t strong and sits in a wheel-chair, and they’ve -asked me to come in again.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Off came the glasses, and the old hands that folded them -away in their case trembled with excitement. “The -General Wentworth place open after all these years, since -his only daughter Elizabeth married her cousin John, -whom we all expected to die a bachelor, and then he fell -into poor health! You don’t remember him, Sarah -Barnes, ’cause you wasn’t born, but he was a mighty -strange fellow, handsome and likely; he wouldn’t be a -soldier as his uncle wished, but he was great for readin’ -books, and he used to wander all over the country here -watching birds and things and drawin’ pictures of them. -I heard John died a couple of years ago away in foreign -parts,—it can’t be Elizabeth that’s come back,—she -wouldn’t be a gray-haired old woman, as you say. I knew -her when she was a girl. She was full of life and rode a -pony everywhere; her father used to bring her over -to our mill, and many a ginger cooky of my baking has -she ate. No, it can’t be little Miss Elizabeth,—it’s more -likely some one that has hired or bought the place and -goin’ to upset and change it all.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I didn’t say the lady was old, grandma; she has lots of -soft, silvery, wavy hair with big gray eyes to match, and -such a pretty colour in her cheeks, and her dress was soft -and fluffy too and the colour as if purple and white violets -<span class='pageno' title='4' id='Page_4'></span> -and silver popple leaves were all mixed together,” said -Sarah, moving her hands before her, a little way she had -when talking, as if in describing what she had seen she -was touching the real object, for Sarah, though only a little -girl from a bare hillside farm and taught at the school below -at Foxes Corners, had a keen eye for colour and loved -beautiful things, so that ugliness or unkindness of any -sort really hurt her if she could have explained her feelings.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My Gray Lady’s first name is Elizabeth, though, and -she knows you and your molasses cakes,” continued Sarah, -after a moment’s pause, “for she said, ‘When you go home -say to your grandmother that Elizabeth who rode the black -pony sends her love, and that she will go to see her soon, -and that she hopes that she will give the little Elizabeth -some of the cookies of which she has often heard.’ Elizabeth -is the little girl, but I’m going to call her Goldilocks, -because the name matches her hair and she looks as if she -was meant to—</p> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>“ ‘Sit on a cushion and sew a fine seam</p> -<p class='line0'>And feast upon strawberries, sugar, and cream.’ ”</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'>“Elizabeth Wentworth and her daughter back here -and I never knew it!” cried Grandma Barnes, rising -as if to take immediate action. “Your Aunt Jane might -well say, as she did on her last visit, that this hill farm is -as far out o’ the world as livin’ in a lighthouse that had no -stairs or boat to it, and the only way to get anywhere was -to take a dive and swim. But see here, Sarah Barnes, -how did you come to meet the General’s folks? It’s near a -mile from the road up from the Centre to their front gate; -<span class='pageno' title='5' id='Page_5'></span> -mebbe you ran across them in the village, and if so, how -came you to speak?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Sarah opened her lips to answer and then stammered -and grew red under her grandmother’s keen gaze. “I -didn’t pass their gate and I didn’t meet them in the village. -I was—I was just taking a bunch of field flowers, that I -got along the road, up to the cemetery to mother, and -then when I go there, I usually take some to the General’s -mound too, ’cause nobody took anything, except a little -flag Memorial Day, and it’s usually all faded by now. -This year, though, the lot was planted with flowers, and I -was wondering why. I was sittin’ there watching a -gray squirrel that lives in one of the old cannons that -stand at the plot corners. You see the squirrel knows -me because I’ve taken him nuts two winters whenever -we’ve gone to Pine Hill coasting, and he comes up real -close. To-day when he came up, I only had some cracker -crumbs in my pocket, but he acted real pleased to see me, -and I was so busy talking to him that I didn’t hear anybody -coming up until somebody said, ‘Who is this little -girl that brings flowers to an old soldier’s grave, and has -a squirrel for a friend?’ ”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A nice way of wasting your time, I must say, of a week-day -afternoon, and so much to be done at home,” broke -in Mrs. Barnes, rather crossly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But Sarah, not minding the interruption, continued: -“Then I jumped up, and there was Gray Lady and Goldilocks -sitting in a nice big straw chair, like those on Judge -Jones’ porch, only it had wheels and a handle behind like -a baby wagon, and a fattish woman with a pleasant face -was pushing it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='6' id='Page_6'></span> -“Well, what happened next?” asked grandma. “I -wonder she didn’t tell you not to trespass and feed animals -in a cemetery!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, no, she liked it, and we got acquainted right away. -She asked me what put it in my head to bring the flowers, -and told her that it was because nobody else did and -that I loved the General because my mother told me that -though he lived through a lot of battles, he got -the wound that made him die long after, in trying to get -back a little black child that had been sold away from its -mother, for it’s an awful thing to take children away from -their mothers, and only God should do it, and I know He -must be always sorry when He has to. And I said I knew -how it hurt because He took my mother away from me.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Goldilocks said she wished that she had a tame squirrel -down in her garden, and I said there were plenty of squirrels -there, and she could begin to tame ’em as soon as food -gets scarce. Then she asked how I knew, and then it all -came out that Dave and Tommy Todd, Mary, and I often -take a cross-cut through the General’s orchard, when we -go over to Aunt Jane’s. Then they asked me to walk -down home with them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There was a new high fence all round the orchard, -with a gate by the old house in the corner that has the -big stone chimney, where the Swallows live, so we can’t -cut across any more, and before I thought, I said so; but -Gray Lady said, ‘I think, Sarah, it will be quite as pleasant -for you to come in at the front gate, and go out at the -back, as to crawl through a hole in the brush like a fox -or a woodchuck,’ and I guess it will, for she doesn’t want -us to stop coming.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='7' id='Page_7'></span> -“Then I asked her if the house had lovely pictures in -it and birds with real eyes sitting on perches, and more -books than the Sunday-school library, and she laughed -and asked who told me that, and I said it was Jake -Gorham that went up there to set new glass in the roof -light after the hail-storm last summer.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sarah Barnes! such gall as to make free and talk to -General Wentworth’s daughter like that! I just wonder -what she thinks of you!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She didn’t tell me, grandma; but, oh, what do you -suppose, she said that if I came down some afternoon, -she’d show me all the pictures and then I could tell Goldilocks -how to begin to make friends with the squirrels, -and that she would show me their tree with a lunch-counter -on it for birds, where there is something for every kind to -eat. Do you suppose she will ask me for this Saturday, -grandma, and may I wear my pink lawn, if it stays warm? -My Sunday dress for fall shows where the hem was let -down.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She may and then again mayhap ’twill be the last -you’ll ever hear of it. Come to think of it, in those days -my ginger cookies were mixed with butter instead of lard, -and they had currants in them. I guess I’ll risk it to -make a batch to-morrow, lest Mrs. John should come up—that -is if I finish all this mending, for there is only one -more Saturday and Labor Day, and then school opens, and -all you girls and boys will be making excuses for shirking -your chores. Five o’clock already! Sarah Barnes, do -you go straight out and feed the chickens and then rinse -those milk-pans,—that comes first before all the fine talk -of seein’ pictures and making pies and cakes for birds.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='8' id='Page_8'></span> -Sarah went slowly toward the barnyard and fed the -greedy fowls in an absent-minded sort of way, all the -while looking across the field where the birds were beginning -to gather in flocks, wishing she knew them all -by name and thinking of Gray Lady and Goldilocks. -Would they remember the invitation or would she never -perhaps see them again? School would soon begin, and -that meant no spare time until after four, and it is so often -rainy on Saturday.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Rain did not wait for Saturday this time, for a heavy -drizzle set in that night, and Sarah went to sleep wondering -exactly what a bird lunch-counter was and what became -of it when it rained.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then school began, and her new friend made no sign, -and Sarah began to wonder if her meeting with Gray -Lady had been one of the dreams she so often had when -she sat on the orchard fence in June watching the -bobolinks fly over the clover and waiting for things to -happen.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='9' id='Page_9'></span><h1>II<br/> <span class='sub-head'>A RAINY DAY</span></h1></div> - -<p class='pindent'>It was the first Friday of the fall term and there were -only fifteen scholars at the weather-beaten shingled schoolhouse -at Foxes Corners. The usual number in winter -was twenty-five, but some of the older pupils did not -return until late in October, for these boys and girls helped -their fathers and mothers either about the farm work or -in the house, and as this school district was located in -pretty rolling hill country, with woods and a river close by, -city people came to board at the farm-houses and often -did not go away until they had seen the leaves redden and -fall.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Miss Wilde, the teacher, was very glad to begin with -only fifteen scholars. She was not very strong; the -children were always restless during the first month after -their vacation. Then, too, it is more difficult for a teacher -to interest scholars that range from five to fifteen than -where she has children all of an age.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Miss Wilde was very patient, for she loved outdoors and -liberty herself, and she knew just how hard it was in these -first shut-in days for the children to look out the open -windows and see the broad fields stretching out to the -woods, and hear the water rushing over the dam at Hull’s -Mill, and then take any interest in bounding the Philippine -Islands and remembering why they are of special -value to the United States.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='10' id='Page_10'></span> -Tommy Todd was what is usually called the “bad -boy” of the school. He was thirteen, keen-witted and -restless. He learned his lessons quickly, and then when -Miss Wilde was hearing the little ones drone out their -“twice one is two,” “twice two is four,” he often sat idle -in his seat devising mischief that he sometimes put in -motion before school was over.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then there were some days when it seemed as if Tommy -would leave his desk and fly out of the window in spite of -himself. Poor Miss Wilde had been obliged to make -him change desks twice already. From his first place he -could look at a pasture, where a family of woodchucks -had their burrows, and he had caused several stampedes, -not only among the boys, but girls also, by calling out: -“Hi! there goes a buster! I bet its hide’s worth more’n -a quarter! Now Jones’ yaller dog is after him! Hi! -there! good work! he’s headin’ of it off! Gee, Hog’s -reared and give him a bite! There they go round the -hill! If the hole back t’other side I stuffed Saturday’s -got loosed out, I bet on the hog!” (Ground-hog being -the familiar name for the woodchuck in this region.)</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Order being restored, Tommy was moved to the east -side of the room. Here the view was downhill over the -lowlands, ending at a great corn-field that belonged to -Tommy’s grandfather. The corn was yellow in the ear, -but still standing. <a id='crow1'></a>A flock of crows that had a roost in -the swampy millwoods knew all about this corn-field and -considered it as their own property, for had they not superintended -its planting, helped thin out the seed lest it -should grow too thick, and croaked and quavered directions -to old man Todd and his horses every time they ploughed -<span class='pageno' title='11' id='Page_11'></span> -and hoed? Now, guided by a careful old leader who sat -on a dead sycamore top and gave warning (for all crow -flocks have such a chief), they were beginning to attack -the ripened ears, the scarecrows placed at intervals -that had been of some use in the early season having -now lost the little influence they possessed and fallen into -limp heaps, like unfortunate tramps asleep by the wayside.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So every time the crows came over, Tommy would -stretch up in his seat and finally slip out of it entirely and, -hanging half out of the window, shake his fist at them, -all the time uttering dire threats of what he would do if -he only had his father’s shot-gun.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For these reasons, Friday morning saw him seated in the -middle of the room with the older girls and sharing the -double desk with Sarah Barnes. Now Sarah thought that -Tommy was the cleverest boy she had ever seen, and -Sarah had visited in Centre Village in Hattertown, and -Bridgeton, been twice to the Oldtown County Fair, and -would have gone to New York once with her Aunt Jane if -measles had not prevented; so that her friends thought, -for thirteen, she was quite a travelled lady.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Tommy also considered her favourably and had been -heard to say that she was not bad for a girl; yet, to be put -in the middle seats with the girls he considered an insult -to his years, and he was sulky and brooded mischief all -the morning.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In reality Tommy was not a bad boy in any way. -What he wanted was plenty of occupation for his mind -and body to work at. Miss Wilde knew this and tried to -give him as many little things to do as possible. It was -Tommy who had charge of the new cage rat-trap of shiny -<span class='pageno' title='12' id='Page_12'></span> -copper wire, in which it was hoped the field rats might be -caught, that, as soon as cool weather came, gnawed their -way in through the loose floor boards and sometimes -destroyed the books, and, as Sarah Barnes declared (whose -duty it was to keep the wells filled), drank the ink. -Tommy also kept the water-pail full and tended the big -wood-stove in winter; but none of these tasks seemed to -touch the restless spot and he could think out more puzzling -questions in a day than the whole school board could have -answered in a week, and then, as Sarah Barnes once said, -“Tommy Todd’s questions never seem to stay answered.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Miss Wilde had taught, at first, in the school of a large -town where there were plenty of pictures and maps on the -walls, and charts of different kinds and reference books -for the children to use, and where people who loved -children would often drop in and tell them about birds -and flowers or their journeys to interesting places. She -had taken the country school because the doctor thought -it would be better for her health, and oh, how she wished -that she could have brought some of the pictures and books -with her, or that some of the summer boarders who stayed -until almost winter would come in and talk to her pupils. -She told the children stories or read to them on Friday -afternoons. She also knew that there were some travelling -libraries of books that she might borrow that the -children could have themselves, but reading is a habit; -the children needed to be interested first. So it came -about that, when the second year of her school life on the -hillside began, Miss Wilde felt rather discouraged.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>On this particular rainy Friday she was feeling worried -about her mother, who boarded at the Centre Village -<span class='pageno' title='13' id='Page_13'></span> -and with whom she spent every week-end, going down with -the mail-carrier on his return trip Friday evening and -usually walking back on Sunday afternoon if no one -chanced to be driving that way. Mrs. Wilde had been ill -the Sunday before and Miss Wilde had not heard a word -all the week. Everything had gone awry that morning, -and when the last child had filed out for the dinner-hour -and gone splish-splashing up the muddy road, before -straightening out the room as usual, Miss Wilde sat down -at the desk, her head in her hands, and two big tears splashed -down on the inky blotting-paper before her. Presently she -wiped her eyes, opened all the windows that the rain did -not enter, took her box of luncheon from her desk, and -walked slowly down the side aisle to the little porch, -which also acted as the cloak-room, the place where she -usually ate her luncheon when it was too cool or wet to go -outdoors.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As she passed Tommy Todd’s desk she thought she heard -a noise, and glanced sideways, half expecting to see him -crouching under it, bent upon some prank. No one was -there, and still there was a scratching sound in that -vicinity. Opening the desk lid, Miss Wilde gave a scream, -for inside was the new trap and inside the trap two wicked-looking -old rats whose whiskers had evidently grown gray -with experience.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wonder what he would have done with them if I -had not found him out?” she said to herself, as she lifted -the cage, by hooking the crook of her umbrella into the -handle on the top, and carrying it with the greatest care, -put it into the empty wood-box in the porch. Then she -seated herself on the bench by the outer door and unstrapped -<span class='pageno' title='14' id='Page_14'></span> -her box. But it evidently was not intended that -the poor teacher should lunch that day, for suddenly the door -flew open and the weather-beaten face of Joel Hanks, the -carrier who had the forenoon mail-route, peered anxiously -in.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You here, Miss Wilde?” he called anxiously. “I’m -glad yer hain’t gone up to the house for your nooning, cause -I clean fergot when I come by up, but yer Ma’s feelin’ -extra poorly and uneasy, and she thought mebbe you -could come back along with me instead of waiting till -night. I’m goin’ to eat over to Todd’s and I can stop -back for you close to one if you can arrange to go.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, I wish I had known it before the children went to -dinner,” she cried, clasping her hands together nervously -and dropping the box, out of which her lunch rolled to the -floor, amid the damp that had been made by wet coats, -overshoes, and dripping umbrellas. “As it is, when the -children come back, I cannot send them right home again, -for some have a long walk. If it wasn’t for Tommy -Todd, I could leave Sarah Barnes for monitor; but there -are those rats, and the school board does not like me to -shorten hours so soon after vacation. It’s too late for me -to go over for Mrs. Bradford, or I know that she would -help me by coming as she did several times last spring.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sorry I couldn’t stop this morning, but I come by the -lower road. Wall, mebbe you’ll think out some way and -I’ll stop back a bit a’ter one,” Joel said cheerfully, going -back to his covered cart and chirping to his wise old horse, -who, though he was gaunt and had only one good eye, -knew every letter-box on the route and solemnly zig-zagged -across the road from one to the other on his way up -<span class='pageno' title='15' id='Page_15'></span> -to Foxes Corners, but as surely passed them by without -notice on the return trip.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Miss Wilde had barely swept away the scattered lunch -through the open door when again she heard wheels, -and looking up saw that which made her stand stock-still -in surprise, broom in hand,—a trim, glass-windowed depot -wagon, such as she had seldom seen out of Bridgeton, -drawn by a handsome pair of gray horses, whose long, -flowing tails were neatly braided and fastened up from -the mud with leather bands, instead of being cruelly -docked short as sometimes happens. The driver, a -pleasant-looking, rosy-cheeked man, was well protected -by coat and boot of rubber; but before Miss Wilde -could more than glance at the outfit the door opened and -a lady stepped lightly out, reaching the school porch -so quickly that she had no need of an umbrella.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Spying Miss Wilde, she said in a voice clear as a bell, -and yet so well modulated and sweet that no one who -heard her speak ever forgot its sound—“Are you the -teacher here?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And your name?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Rosamond Wilde,” replied the astonished girl, hastily -hanging up the broom, unconsciously leading the way -into the stuffy schoolroom and placing the best chair by -the side of her desk, as she did when the minister, Dr. -Gibbs, from Centre Village, who was president of the -school board, came to hold a spelling-match.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thank you,” said the silvery voice, as its owner took -the proffered seat, turning so that she could look out of -the window.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='16' id='Page_16'></span> -“I have heard from Dr. Gibbs that you sometimes use -part of Friday afternoon for telling the children stories, -or reading something that may amuse as well as teach -them, and I thought that perhaps, as the board does not -object, you might sometimes be willing to have me come -in and talk to them. I am very fond of children, and -have one little girl of my own, so that I know very well -what they enjoy. I’ve travelled for several years, and -I have a great many interesting pictures I could show -them. Then, too, I have always loved birds and flowers, -and with my father I used to tramp about and learned -to know all those of this neighbourhood. I well remember -that when I was a child and studied at home, rainy Friday -afternoons were always pleasant, because mother, my -cousins, and I had fancy-work or some other sewing -and stories; so I thought to-day perhaps would be a good -time for a beginning.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>If the sky had opened and an angel come directly to -her aid, Miss Wilde could not have been more overcome. -She pulled herself together and began to frame a polite -answer, when looking at the guest, who had thrown off -her light raincoat, she caught the sympathetic glance that -shot from a lovely pair of gray eyes with black lashes, and -saw that the fluffy gray hair belonged to a really young -woman, but a little older than herself. Forgetting that -a teacher is supposed never to lose control of herself, -before she realized that she had said a word she had told -this friend in need about her school, Tommy Todd, her -mother’s sickness, and all.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In less time than it takes to tell of it, the coachman -had been told to go down to the blacksmith’s shop and -<span class='pageno' title='17' id='Page_17'></span> -wait under cover until three o’clock, and Miss Wilde was -helped to make her preparation for leaving.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When the children came trooping back, they found the -door between cloak-room and schoolroom closed, and teacher -waiting for them in the outer room with very rosy cheeks -and a happier expression than her face usually wore.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Tommy Todd looked relieved, for, he reasoned, if -teacher knew there were two rats in his desk, she would -not have looked pleased. In a few words Miss Wilde -explained the happenings, cautioned them to be very good, -and saying, “Right, left, right, left,” was about to open -the door for the children to march in, when Sarah Barnes -asked, “Teacher, what is her name, so we can call her by -it?” Then teacher realized that she didn’t know. But -as the door opened Sarah said, in a very loud whisper, -as whispers are apt to sound louder than the natural voice, -“Why, it’s my Gray Lady!” and so in truth it was.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Teacher watched them until they took their seats, and -then gently closed the door behind her. For a moment -no one spoke. Tommy Todd peeped cautiously into his -desk to be sure the rats were safe, and found to his dismay -that they were gone. Inwardly he hoped they wouldn’t -get loose, for Gray Lady didn’t look as if she would like -rats, which showed that after only one glance he wished to -please her, while at the same time the name by which they -first knew her became fixed in the mind of every child.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='18' id='Page_18'></span><h1>III<br/> <span class='sub-head'>GRAY LADY AT SCHOOL</span></h1></div> - -<p class='pindent'>The silence inside the school continued a full minute, -that seemed like an hour, and the dripping of the rain -from the gutter was so plain that Sarah found herself -counting the drops—“One—two—three—four—splash!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Fifteen pairs of eyes were fastened upon the newcomer, -and, as she caught the various questions in them, the -colour in her cheeks deepened. Suddenly she recognized -her little friend whom she had met on the hillside the -week before. “Sarah Barnes,” said Gray Lady, “will -you not tell me the names of your schoolmates and introduce -me to them? It is always so much more pleasant -when we are looking at people, places, or things to know -what they are called.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then Sarah, delighted at being remembered when -she had begun to be quite sure that all her hopes -were in vain, guided by an inborn instinct of politeness -that told her it would not be civil to stand at her desk -and call out the various names, marched solemnly up -to the teacher’s desk and, beginning in the front row -with her own little sister Mary, repeated the fifteen -names in full, with the greatest care and distinctness, -and each child, not knowing what else to do, bobbed up -and answered, “Present,” the same as if teacher had been -<span class='pageno' title='19' id='Page_19'></span> -calling the roll. When Sarah had finished, she was quite -out of breath, for some of the names were very long; -the last, that of the one little Slav in the school, Zella -Francesca Mowralski, being also hard to pronounce.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thank you,” said Gray Lady; “I think that I can remember -the first names at least. But now that you have -presented your friends to me, won’t you kindly present -me to them? You know who I am and where I live, do -you not?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of course I do!” cried Sarah, glad to be in smooth -water again. “You are Goldilocks’ mother, Gray Lady, -and you are our General’s daughter and you live in his -house!” Then, realizing that she had given play to her -own fancy rather than stated the facts expected, she fled -to her desk and hid her face behind its lid.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>No reproof followed her as she expected, but instead the -pleasant voice again said: “Thank you, Sarah; I like the -name you have given me better than my very own, and if -you all know where to find the General’s house, you know -where to find me,” and when Sarah, gaining courage, -looked up again, she saw, what the others did not notice, -that the gray eyes were brimming, though there was a -smile on her lips.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now, children, what would you like to hear about -this afternoon? Miss Wilde told me that she had -intended giving you a spelling review and writing -exercise of some kind, but that we might finish the day -as we choose. Shall I read you a story, or would you like -to ask questions and talk best?—one at a time, of course!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Talk—you talk,” shouted a vigorous chorus.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“By the way, Tommy Todd,” said Gray Lady, “why -<span class='pageno' title='20' id='Page_20'></span> -do you sit in the middle with the girls instead of on the -outer row with the boys, where there is more room?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Tommy, placed between Sarah Barnes and his own -sister, started half up in his seat and looked all round the -room as if seeking a way of escape, and finding none, dropped -his gaze to his desk and sat mute with a very red face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The question was repeated—still no answer. A hand -flew up. “I know,” piped the voice of one of the little -ones in front; “it’s ’cause Tommy can’t keep his eyes inside -the winder if he’s by it; he’s always spying out at ground-hogs -and crows and askin’ teacher questions about the -birds setting on the wires, so he don’t mind his books and -teacher don’t know the answers to all he asks, an’ it gives -her the headache!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, Tommy,” said Gray Lady, who had learned that -at least one of the children before her cared for out-of-doors, -which was precisely what she wanted to know, -“as long as this is a sort of holiday, suppose you take -that empty seat by the east window and tell us what you -see. You may open the window and the others on that -side also, for I think the rain is over; yes, the clouds are -breaking away.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>How fresh and sweet the air was that rushed into the -close room! Tommy stuck his head out and took a great -breath as he looked down over the corn-fields,—his enemies -the crows were not there.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There isn’t much to see now, it’s too wet yet,” he -said; “but pretty soon there will be, for most birds and -things get hungry right after a rain!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Olit—olit—olit—che-wiss-ch-wiss-war,” sang a -little bird in a low bush by the roadside.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='21' id='Page_21'></span> -“What bird is that,” asked Gray Lady; “do any of you -know?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s just the usually little brown bird that stays around -here most all the time, but I love the tune it sings,” said -Sarah Barnes. “Teacher says it’s some kind of a sparrow.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<a id='song1'></a>It is a Song Sparrow,” said Gray Lady, “and you -are right in saying it stays with us almost all the year.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now,” called Tommy, “the birds are beginning to -come out; some <a id='barnsw1'></a>Barn Swallows are flying over the low -meadow and there’s a lot of ’em, and another kind strung -along the wires on the turnpike. They always sit close -and act that way all this month and some fly away, and -’long the first part of next month, when the corn’s all -husked, they’ll be gone! Please, ma’am, why do some -birds never go away, and some do, and what makes ’em -come back?” Then Tommy began one of the volley of -questions that Miss Wilde so dreaded.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, an’ please, ma’am,” asked Dave, “why are some -birds that mate together such different colours?” “An’ -what becomes of <a id='bobo1'></a>Bobolinks after Fourth of July?” asked -another. “An’ what makes birds have so many kind -of feet?” queried a third.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then questions flew so thick and fast that Gray Lady -could not even hear herself think, and presently, when every -one had laughed at the confusion, order was restored.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I asked you a moment ago what you would like to -hear about. I think I know. You would like to hear -about birds! Are there any other boys here besides -Tommy and Dave who care about birds?” asked Gray -Lady, who wished to have each child feel that he or she -had a part in what was going on.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='22' id='Page_22'></span> -“I know about birds’ eggs!” cried Bobby Bates, a boy -who, from being undersized, looked much younger than -he really was; “I’ve got a pint fruit-jar of robins’ eggs.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But I’ve got a quart jar of mixed eggs,” said Dave, “and -they’re mostly little ones, Wrens and Chippy birds and -such like, so’s I’ve really got more’n Bobby!” he added -boastfully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady opened her lips to speak sharply and her -eyes flashed, for nest-robbing was one of the things she -most detested. Then she remembered that perhaps these -children had not only never even dreamed that there was -any harm in it, but had never heard of the laws that wise -people had made to protect the eggs of wild birds, as well -as the birds themselves, from harm. So she hesitated a -moment while she thought how she might best make the -matter understood.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why do you like to collect eggs?” she asked. “Because -they are pretty?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes’m, partly,” drawled Dave, “and then to see how -many I can get in a spring.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But do you never think how you worry the mother -birds by stealing their eggs, and how many more birds -there would be if you let the eggs hatch out? What the -rhyme says is true,—</p> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>“ ‘The blue eggs in the Robin’s nest</p> -<p class='line0'>Will soon have beak and wings and breast,</p> -<p class='line0'>    And flutter and fly away!’</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='noindent'>Only think, if all those robins’ eggs of yours, Bobby, and -all your little eggs, Dave, should suddenly turn into birds -and fly about the room, how many there would be! But -<span class='pageno' title='23' id='Page_23'></span> -now they will never have wings and swell their throats -to sing to us and use their beaks to eat up insects -that make the apples wormy and curl up the leaves of the -great shade trees.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<a id='rob1'></a>Robins don’t do any good; they just spoil our berries -and grapes; dad says so, and he shoots ’em whenever he -can, and he likes me to take the eggs,” said Dave, stubbornly, -while Sarah Barnes exclaimed, “Yes, an’ <span class='it'>my</span> -father says he ought to be ashamed of himself!” almost -out loud.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I know that Robins sometimes eat fruit,” said Gray -Lady, firmly, “but they do so much more good by destroying -bugs that the Wise Men say that neither they nor their -eggs shall be taken or destroyed, and what they say is -now a law. So that it is not for any one to do as he pleases -in the matter. To kill song-birds or destroy their eggs -is as much breaking the law as if you stole a man’s horse -or cow, for these birds are not yours; they belong to the -state in which you live.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Bobby and Dave looked surprised, but Tommy and -Sarah nodded to one another, as much as to say, “We knew -that, didn’t we?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Some day, if you are clever with your lessons so that -Miss Wilde can spare the time for it, I will tell you all -about the reasons for these laws, and what the wild birds -do for us, and what we should do for them. But first you -must learn to know the names of some of the birds that -live and visit hereabout, as I am now learning yours, and -make friends of some of them as I hope to make friends -of you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, yes, oh, yes!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='24' id='Page_24'></span> -“You can’t make friends of birds; they won’t let you,” -said Dave Drake, who was a sickly, lanky boy of fourteen -with a whining voice; “they always fly away. That is, I -mean tree birds, not chickens nor pigeons.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Chickens aren’t birds, they’re only young hens,” put -in Eliza Clausen, with an expression of withering contempt. -She was one of the big fourteen-year-old girls, and not -being a good scholar was apt to use opposition in the place -of information.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We can make friends of at least some birds,” said -Gray Lady, “if we are kind to them. When we have -human visitors come to stay with us, what do we do for -them?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We let them sleep in the best bedroom, and we get -out the best china and have awful good things to eat, -and give ’em a good time,” said Ruth Barnes, all in one -breath.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, and we should do much the same with our bird -friends. They do not need to have a bedroom prepared; -they can generally find that for themselves, though even -this is sometimes necessary in bad weather; but they -often need food, and in order that they should have what -Ruth calls ‘a good time,’ we must let them alone and -not interfere with their comings and goings.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Go softly to the west window and look out,” continued -Gray Lady, raising a finger to caution silence, for from -her seat on the little platform she could see over the children’s -heads and out both door and windows, “and see -the hungry visitors that a little food has brought to the -very door.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The children tiptoed to one side of the room, and there, -<span class='pageno' title='25' id='Page_25'></span> -lo and behold, was a great <a id='jay1'></a>Blue Jay, a Robin, a Downy -Woodpecker with his clean black-and-white-striped coat -and red neck bow, and a saucy Chickadee, with his jaunty -black cap and white tie, all feasting on the broken bits of -Miss Wilde’s ham sandwich, while a pair of Robins were -industriously picking the fruit from a remnant of huckleberry -pie. Unfortunately, before the children had taken -more than a good look, the door banged to and the birds -flew away, the Woodpecker giving his wild sort of laugh, -the Robins crying, “Quick! quick!” in great alarm, -while the Jay and Chickadee told their own names plainly -as they flew.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As we have agreed to talk and ask questions, I will -ask the first one,” said Gray Lady, as they all settled -down, feeling very good-natured and eager to listen.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Eliza said a few minutes ago that a chicken isn’t a -bird. Now a chicken is a bird, though of course all birds -are not chickens.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><span class='it'>The Bird</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who can tell me exactly what a bird is? You all may -think you know, but can you put it in words?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A bird isn’t a plant; it is an animal,” said Tommy -Todd.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, but a cat is an animal, and a snake, and a horse; -and we are animals ourselves.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A bird is a flying animal,” returned Sarah.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Very true, but so is a bat, and, as you know, a bat -has fur and looks very like a mouse, and a bird does not.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ah, you give it up. Very well, listen and remember. -<span class='it'>A bird is the only animal which has feathers!</span> With his -<span class='pageno' title='26' id='Page_26'></span> -hollow bones filled with buoyant, warm air, and covered -with these strong pinions, he rows through the air, as we -row a boat through the water with the oars, balancing -himself with these wings, also steering himself with them -and with his tail made of stiff feathers and shaped to his -particular need, while with small feathers laid close, overlapping -each other like shingles, and bedded on an under-coat -of down, he is clothed and protected from heat, cold, -and wet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The eye of the bird is different from ours, for it -magnifies and makes objects appear much larger to it -than they do to us. Also, while with other animals each -group has practically the same kind of feet or beaks, -birds have these two features built on widely different -plans, so that when you have learned to know the common -birds by name and are really studying bird-life, you -will find that you must be guided to the orders in which -they belong often by their beaks and feet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Barnyard Ducks, as you know, have webbed toes for -swimming, and flat bills to aid them in shovelling their -natural food from the mud.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Birds of prey, like the Hawks and Owls, have strong -hooked beaks and powerful talons or claws, for seizing -and tearing the small animals upon which they feed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Woodpeckers (all but one) have two front and -two hind toes; these help them grasp the tree bark firmly -as they rest, while they have strong-cutting, chisel-like -beaks, which they also use for tapping or drumming their -rolling love-songs.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i053.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0004' style='width:70%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>CHICKADEE</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>“While the insect-eating song-birds have more or less -slender bills and four toes, three in front and one behind, -<span class='pageno' title='27' id='Page_27'></span> -for perching crosswise on small branches, the seed-eating -songsters, such as Sparrows, have similar feet, but short, -stout, cone-shaped bills for cracking seeds and small nuts.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“By this you can see that in spite of the fact that all -birds wear feathers, and have wings, a tail, beak, and a -pair of legs, they may still be very different from each other.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A Turkey Gobbler doesn’t look much like a Robin, nor -a Goose like a Swallow, yet they are all four birds! They -all four bring forth their young from eggs; but the little -Turkeys and Goslings are covered with feathers when they -peep out of the shell and are able to walk, while the young -Robins and Swallows are at first blind, naked, and helpless; -so here again you can see that there is something -special to be learned about every bird that flies or swims.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Chickadee-dee-dee!<a id='cdee1'></a> Can’t you tell them something -about me?” said this dear little bird, flitting about one -of the open windows and clinging upside down to the blind -slats that were bare of paint, like either a Woodpecker, -or, as Tommy Todd remarked, “the man in the circus.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The little bird peeping in the window and calling his -name reminds me of a pretty poem about him,” said Gray -Lady. “I will repeat it to you and write it on the board -so that you can copy it in your books, and then some of -you may like to learn it to surprise Miss Wilde on another -rainy Friday.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='28' id='Page_28'></span></p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>A LITTLE MINISTER</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>I know a little minister who has a big degree;</p> -<p class='line0'>Just like a long-tailed kite he flies his D.D.D.D.D.</p> -<p class='line0'>His pulpit is old-fashioned, though made out of growing pine;</p> -<p class='line0'>His great-grandfather preached in it, in days of Auld lang syne.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Sometimes this little minister forgets his parson’s airs:</p> -<p class='line0'>I saw him turn a somersault right on the pulpit stairs;</p> -<p class='line0'>And once, in his old meeting-house, he flew into the steeple,</p> -<p class='line0'>And rang a merry chime of bells, to call the feathered people.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>He has a tiny helpmeet, too, who wears a gown and cap,</p> -<p class='line0'>And is so very wide-awake, she seldom takes a nap.</p> -<p class='line0'>She preaches, also, sermonettes, with headlets one, two, three,</p> -<p class='line0'>In singing monosyllables beginning each with D.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>But O her little minister, she does almost adore:</p> -<p class='line0'>I’ve heard her call her sweet D.D. full twenty times or more.</p> -<p class='line0'>And his pet polysyllable—why, did you hear it never?</p> -<p class='line0'>He calls her Phe-be B, so dear, I’d listen on forever.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Now if there is a Bright Eyes small who’d like to go with me,</p> -<p class='line0'>And on his cautious tiptoes ten, creep softly to a tree,</p> -<p class='line0'>I’ll coax this little minister to quit his leafy perch,</p> -<p class='line0'>And show this little boy or girl the way to go to church;</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>And where his cosy parsonage is hidden in the trees,</p> -<p class='line0'>And how in summer it is full of little D.D.D.’s.</p> -<p class='line0'>And if Bright Eyes will prick his ears, he’ll hear the titmice say,</p> -<p class='line0'>“Good morning,” which, in Chickadese is always “Day, day, day.”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span style='font-size:smaller'><span class='sc'>Ella Gilbert Ives.</span></span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now that I have answered my own question, there -was another that one of you asked, or rather a pair of -questions. Why do some birds go away in autumn, and -why do they come back? It is very important to know -the answers to these, if we want to really understand -about the lives of birds and the trials and dangers they -undergo.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><span class='pageno' title='29' id='Page_29'></span><span class='it'>The Bird Year and the Migration</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“People who think of birds at all know that they are -not equally plentiful at all times of the year, but that -they have their seasons of coming and disappearing, as -the flowers have, though not for exactly the same reason.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We are accustomed to see the plants send up shoots -through the bare ground every spring, unfold their leaves -and blossoms, and, finally, after perfecting seed, wither -away again at the touch of frost.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of these plants, as well as some large trees, a few are -more hardy than others, like the ground-pine, laurel, and -wintergreen, and are able to hold their leaves through very -cold weather, and we call them evergreens.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You notice that the birds appear in spring even before -the pussy-willows bud out, and that every morning when -you wake, the music outside the window and down among -the alders on the meadow border is growing louder, until -by the time the apple trees are in bloom there seems to be -a bird for every tree, bush, and tuft of sedgegrass.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“By the time the timothy is cut and rye harvested, you -do not hear so great a variety of song. The Robin, Song -Sparrow, House Wren, and Meadowlark are still in good -voice, and an occasional Catbird, but the Bobolink has -dropped out, and the Brown Thrasher no longer tells the -farmer how to plant his corn: ‘Drop it, drop it, cover it -up, hoe it, hoe it;’ and very wise he is, too, for the corn -is all planted.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Later still, when the stacked cornstalks fill the fields -with their wigwams, like Indian encampments, the pumpkins -are gathered in golden heaps, and the smoke of -<span class='pageno' title='30' id='Page_30'></span> -burning leaves and brush pervades the air, you hear very -few bird songs, for many birds have either dropped -silently out of sight or collected in huge flocks, like the -Swallow, swept by, and disappeared in the clouds, while -others, like the Purple Grackle or Common Crow-Blackbird,—walk -over the stubble and cover the trees, making -such a creaking, crackling noise that one would surely -think that their wings as well as voices were rusty and -needed oiling.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What has become of the birds? Where do they go -when they disappear?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Being warm-blooded animals they cannot dive into the -mud and hide, like fishes, or crawl into cracks of tree -bark and wrap themselves up in cocoons, like insects. -Neither do they drop their feathers and die away as tender -plants drop their leaves and disappear.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“People once believed that Swallows dived through the -water into the mud, where they rolled themselves into -balls and slept all winter. They thought this because -Swallows are seen in early autumn in flocks about ponds -and marshes, where they feed upon the insects that -abound in such places. People thought that as Swallows -were last seen in these places before they disappeared they -must have gone under the water; but this was merely -guessing, which is a very dangerous thing to do when -trying to find out the plans that Nature makes for her -great family.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Later yet, when the snow begins to fall, there is little or -no bird music, only the hoot of an Owl, the shrill cry of the -Hawks, the ‘quank, quank’ of the Nuthatch, that runs up -and down the tree-trunks like a mouse in gray-and-white -<span class='pageno' title='31' id='Page_31'></span> -feathers, the jeer of the Jay, and the soft voice of the -Chickadee that, as you have just heard, tells you his -name so prettily as he peers at you from beneath his -little black cap.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But the Catbird, Wren, Bobolink, Oriole, the Cuckoo -that helped clear the tent caterpillars from the orchard, -the Chat that puzzled the dogs by whistling like their -master, the beautiful Barn Swallow, with the swift wings, -that had his plaster nest in the hayloft, the Phœbe that -built in the cowshed, and the dainty Humming-bird that -haunted the honeysuckle on the porch and hummed an -ancient spinning-song to us with his wings,—where are -they all?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And why is it that while those have disappeared, some -few birds still remain with us in spite of cold and snow?”</p> - -<h3 style='visibility:hidden; margin:0; font-size:0;' class='nobreak'>THE FLIGHT OF THE BIRDS</h3> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>        THE FLIGHT OF THE BIRDS</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>        Whither away, Robin,</p> -<p class='line0'>        Whither away?</p> -<p class='line0'>Is it through envy of the maple leaf,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Whose blushes mock the crimson of thy breast,</p> -<p class='line0'>        Thou wilt not stay?</p> -<p class='line0'>The summer days were long, yet all too brief</p> -<p class='line0'>    The happy season thou hast been our guest.</p> -<p class='line0'>        Whither away?</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>        Wither away, Bluebird,</p> -<p class='line0'>        Whither away?</p> -<p class='line0'>The blast is chill, yet in the upper sky</p> -<p class='line0'>    Thou still canst find the colour of thy wing,</p> -<p class='line0'>        The hue of May.</p> -<p class='line0'>Warbler, why speed thy southern flight? Ah, why,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Thou, too, whose song first told us of the spring,</p> -<p class='line0'>        Whither away?</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>        Whither away, Swallow,</p> -<p class='line0'>        Whither away?</p> -<p class='line0'>Canst thou no longer tarry in the North,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Here where our roof so well hath screened thy nest?</p> -<p class='line0'>        Not one short day?</p> -<p class='line0'>Wilt thou—as if thou human wert—go forth</p> -<p class='line0'>    And wander far from them who love thee best?</p> -<p class='line0'>        Whither away?</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Edmund Clarence Stedman.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><span class='it'>The Fall Migration</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='32' id='Page_32'></span> -“If you watch the birds, you will soon notice that some -eat only animal food, in the shape of various bugs, worms, -and lice, while others eat seeds of various weeds, and -grasses, and also berries. There are many birds that, like -ourselves, eat a little of everything, both animal and -vegetable.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“For instance, the Swallows live on insects of the air, -except sometimes in the autumn flocking they feed for a -short time on bayberries. The <a id='phe1'></a>Phœbe is an insect eater; -also the <a id='cat1'></a>Catbird, though he is fond of strawberries and -cherries for dessert. You saw just now that the Chickadee, -Woodpecker, and Jay preferred the meat from the sandwich -and the Robins the berries from the pie, though the -Jay also likes nuts and seeds.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You know that when frost comes, the air-flying insects -are killed, and the gnats, mosquitoes, and flies that have -worried the horses and cattle disappear. For this reason -the birds that depend upon these bugs must follow their -food supply, and move off farther southward where frost -has not yet come.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='33' id='Page_33'></span> -“This is the reason why so many birds who feed on -winged insects leave us in early autumn, before it is cold -enough to make them uncomfortable; they must follow -their food.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There are other birds that, when they no longer have -nestlings to feed, can pick up a living from berries and -seeds, like the Robin, or live the greater part of the season -upon seeds, like the Sparrows. These birds are not driven -away by the first frost, but many stay about until the -weather is uncomfortably cold, and some few remain all -winter, like the Meadowlarks, Nuthatches, Jays, and -Woodpeckers, who, having stout beaks, can dig out grubs -and insects from among the roots of grass and from tough -tree bark; but these too must move on if ice coats the -trees or snow buries their ground feeding-places.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As a great many birds spend the nesting season north -of New England, they pass by on their way southward, -and, if the feeding is good, stay with us sometimes several -weeks, so that the flocks of Robins seen here in October -are likely to be those that nested in the north, while our -own birds are gradually drifting down to the extreme south, -where they winter.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This great southward journey of the birds, that begins -as early as August and lasts at some seasons, if the winter -is open, almost until Christmas, is called the fall migration, -and when it is over, the birds remaining with us are classed -as Winter Residents.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There is another thing to be seen at this time of year, -and if you have not already noticed it, watch and you will see -that many of the birds that wore bright feathers in May -and June have changed their gay coats for duller feathers.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><span class='it'>The Moulting</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='34' id='Page_34'></span> -“After the nesting season is over, and a pair of birds have -raised one, two, and, as with the Wrens, sometimes three -broods, the feathers of the parents become worn and -broken, and not fit for winter covering, nor are the wing -quills strong enough for the fall flight.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“At this time, when the young birds are able to care for -themselves, the pairs no longer keep alone together, but, -leaving their nesting-haunts, travel about either in a -family party or in larger friendly flocks, and, although -some birds, like the Song Sparrow and Meadowlark, sing -throughout the season, the general morning chorus and -the nesting season end together, in early or middle July.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is quite difficult to name the birds when young and -old travel in flocks, for when a male is bright-coloured -and the female dull, the first coat of the young is often -such a mixture of both that it is easily mistaken for a -wholly different and strange bird.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In August or September almost all of our birds change -their spring feathers. This is called moulting. And the -brightly coloured birds often drop their wedding finery -for dull-coloured travelling cloaks, so that they may not -be seen when they fly southward through the falling -leaves.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“After this season <a id='tan1'></a>Father Tanager, of the scarlet wedding -coat with black sleeves, appears in yellowish-green, like -his wife, and the little Tanagers sometimes have mixed -green, yellow, and red garments, for all the world like -patchwork bedquilts pieced without regard to pattern.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i062.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0005' style='width:65%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>SCARLET TANAGER</span><br/><span style='font-size:smaller'>1. <span class='sc'>Adult Male.</span>, 2. <span class='sc'>Adult Male, Changing to Winter Plumage.</span>, 3. <span class='sc'>Adult Female.</span></span></p> -</div> - -<div class='lgc' style=''> <!-- rend=';' --> -<p class='line'>Order—<span class='sc'>Passeres</span> Family—<span class='sc'>Tanagridæ</span></p> -<p class='line'>Genus—<span class='sc'>Firanga</span> Species—<span class='sc'>Erythromelas</span></p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'>“The jolly <a id='bobo2'></a>Bobolink, also, who in May was the prize -<span class='pageno' title='35' id='Page_35'></span> -singer of the meadows, and disported in a coat of black, -white, and buff, now wears dull brown stripes, and, having -forgotten his song, he mixes with the young of the -year and becomes merely the Reed Bird of the gunners. -But in early spring he will change again, and, before the -nesting time, reappear among us with every black feather -polished free from rusty edges and glistening as of old.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When Father Tanager comes back, he is brave and red -again, though it takes little Tommy Tanager two moultings -to grow an equally red coat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Even with the more quietly marked birds their colours -are less distinct after the summer moult, so that what -is known as the bird’s perfect or typical plumage is in -many species that of the nesting season alone.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I didn’t think that there was so much to know about -birds; they seem to have ways of doing things just like -people. I’d love to know all about them every Friday, -but I suppose that’s too nice to happen,” said Sarah -Barnes, as Gray Lady paused and moved her chair -back from the bright light that was now shining through -the door directly in her face, for the clouds had rolled -away down behind the hills, leaving one of the clear, bright, -early September afternoons when the sun lends its colour -to the field of early goldenrod, until sunset seems to reach -to one’s very feet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, it isn’t <span class='it'>too</span> nice to happen,” said Gray Lady, -laughing; “but it would certainly be very pleasant for -me, also, if Miss Wilde could give you to me for an hour -or so every other Friday, then perhaps some other day -you could come to the General’s house and return my -call, and see all the birds and pictures and books that -<span class='pageno' title='36' id='Page_36'></span> -belonged to my Goldilocks’ father. How would you like -that?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bully!” cried Tommy Todd, “and there’s more kinds -of birds in the General’s old orchard than anywhere else -hereabout. I haven’t ever taken any eggs from there,” -he added hastily, “only jest peeked and watched, an’ -once I got a three-story nest from there, along late in the -fall when the birds were done with it. If I brought it -along, ma’am, could you tell me what sort of a bird it -belongs to? I can’t find out!” he added eagerly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I think I can tell you,” Gray Lady answered, -“and I’m very glad if you know about my orchard and -its tenants, because very likely you may be able to introduce -me to some that I do not know.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now, children, before next week is over I will see -Miss Wilde and tell her my plans, but one thing I will tell -you now—I have a little daughter Elizabeth, whom -Sarah Barnes calls Goldilocks. She is twelve years old, -but because of an accident her back is not strong, and -instead of running about as you do she has had to be -wheeled about in a chair. I have taken her to the best -doctors, and they say that she is getting well slowly, and -that now all that she needs is to live out-of-doors and be -with children of her own age, who will be kind and gentle -to her, yet treat her as one of themselves. She cannot -bear to hear of anything being killed or hurt, and she has -been loved so well all her life that she loves everything in -return.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will you come to the General’s house and help Goldilocks -to grow strong and forget all the pain she has -suffered?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='37' id='Page_37'></span> -“Yes, <span class='it'>ma’am</span>,” came the reply as with one voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Sarah Barnes had the honour of taking Gray Lady’s -hand as she went to the carriage, and Tommy Todd closed -the door without any one giving him a hint.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then, before closing the schoolhouse for the night, his -special duty, he began a hunt for the rat-trap, which he -soon found in the wood-box, but instead of taking the -rats home as usual for Mike, his father’s terrier, to “have -fun” with, he drowned them as quickly as possible in the -brook that ran below the hill, for he thought to himself -as they were things that must be killed Goldilocks would -think this the kindest way.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='38' id='Page_38'></span><h1>IV<br/> <span class='sub-head'>THE ORCHARD PARTY</span></h1></div> - -<p class='pindent'>Not only did Miss Wilde hear every detail of Gray -Lady’s visit from her scholars, but the middle of the -following week she received a letter from Gray Lady -herself as well as one from the president of the school -board.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady wrote that if she could succeed in interesting -the children of the school at Foxes Corners in the birds -and little animals about, then she meant to arrange -another season so that the other four schools in the scattered -district might have the same opportunity. For -this reason she had asked and obtained leave of the school -committee to have two Friday afternoons of each month -given to the purpose. She also promised to send some -bird books and pictures to the school and a large wall -map of North America, so that after the children had -learned to know a bird by sight and name they might -trace its journeys the year through, and thus realize to -what perils it is exposed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then followed the most interesting part of the letter to -Miss Wilde and her children, and this is what it said:—</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is all very well to show children pictures and read them -stories about the birds and tell them that it is their duty to be -kind to them, but I wish them also to see and judge for themselves -and learn to love their bird neighbours because they can’t -<span class='pageno' title='39' id='Page_39'></span> -help themselves. This is best done outdoors and under the -trees, and there is no such charming place to meet the birds and -be introduced to them as in an old apple orchard such as ours.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of course at this season birds are growing fewer every day, -but this makes it all the easier to name those that remain, with -less chance of confusion than in spring.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I propose to have an Orchard Party next Saturday, and I -should be happy to have you bring as many of your pupils as -possible to spend the day here. We will have luncheon in the -orchard and the children will find there many bird-homes that -the tenants have left, that will show them that man is not the -only housebuilder and thoughtful parent.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If there are any children who do not care to come, pray do -not force them in any way, but if possible let me know by Friday -morning how many I may expect.”</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>It was Wednesday when Miss Wilde told the children -of the invitation, just before she rang the bell for noon -recess. Then she asked all those who wished to go to -the Orchard Party to stand up, and instantly thirteen of -the fifteen present were on their feet, the two exceptions -being Eliza and Dave.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Miss Wilde of course noticed this. However, she said -nothing about it, knowing that with these two discontented -ones the reason would be told before long and that -very plainly. But when they returned from dinner she -gave each one a sheet of clean paper and told them to -write answers either of acceptance or regret, as they felt -inclined, to Gray Lady, first writing a short note upon the -blackboard herself so that they might see how to begin -and end, and where to put the date, because some children -who can spell separate words do not know how to put -them together so as to express clearly and concisely what -they wish to say in a note.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='40' id='Page_40'></span> -Soon thirteen pens were scratching away industriously, -while Eliza and Dave fingered theirs, fidgeted with the -paper, and wriggled in their seats as if uncertain what to -say or whether they would write at all.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Finally the teacher said, “If any one of you is needed -at home on Saturday or cannot for any other reason go -to the party, you may write that, but each child must -send a reply; and be very careful, for I shall send the notes -as they are written without corrections.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Sarah Barnes was deputed to collect the papers, and -after school was dismissed Miss Wilde glanced over the -notes before enclosing them in one large envelope. Eliza’s -read:—</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'>“I would like to go to the party but my ma says to look at -birds is silly and that when folks looks much at birds they get -afraid to trim their hats with them, and my ma and me has -birds on our Sunday hats and they look tastie, and we don’t -want to get afraid so there’s no use in my going to the party -’xcept to eat the lunch, which wouldn’t be fare.”</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>Miss Wilde’s first impulse was to leave out this curiously -worded and badly spelled letter; then, as she read -it a second time she smiled and said to herself, “Who -knows but what this note will give Gray Lady a good -idea of the other side of the question and of the objections -she will meet?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Dave’s note was no more agreeable, though expressed -rather more clearly:—</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’d like to go up to your house, but when I told father bout -the other day and you wanting us not to get birds’ eggs, he says -he knows what some people want, and next thing will be to -<span class='pageno' title='41' id='Page_41'></span> -get me to sign that I won’t go trappin or shootin nothin, and -spoiling my fun, and birds are only knuisances, except the kinds -we can eat.”</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>This note also went with the others, but by Friday -morning the two children, who had heard nothing talked -of for two days but the party, began to wish that they -were going, Eliza especially, for her mother said that -morning, “You weren’t smart to refuse; you could have -had a peep inside the General’s house, maybe, and I don’t -believe she’d dassed said a word about birds on hats, -with one of the company wearing ’em!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>On Friday afternoon, when Miss Wilde asked the children -to meet her at the hedge half a mile above the schoolhouse -at ten o’clock the following morning, so that they might -take a short cut across the fields, she noticed that Eliza -and Dave hung behind the others, who as usual raced off -in different directions toward home, and then Eliza, who -was walking beside her, mumbled something about “wishing -she hadn’t refused and supposing that it was too -late now,” etc.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of course, it is not very polite to change one’s mind -about an invitation,” said the teacher, “but Gray Lady -wrote me last night that if you and Dave should feel -differently about wishing to come, I might bring you, -but that after to-morrow it would be too late.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At ten o’clock this bright September morning Gray -Lady came out on the porch of the big white house, with -the row of columns in front, that was known the country-side -over as “the General’s.” There was a wide lawn -in front of the house and on either side, arched by old elms, -the leaves of which were now turning yellow, but there had -<span class='pageno' title='42' id='Page_42'></span> -been no frost and the flowers in the buds were still -bright.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Back of the house was a flower garden, with grape and -rose arbours on either side, under which chairs and little -tables were placed invitingly. Beyond this garden was a -maze of fruit bushes and the young orchard, and beyond -this the old orchard, now running half wild, stretched downhill -toward the river woods.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A lovelier place could not have been planned for either -children or birds, or the people who love both, nor a more -perfect place for all three to live together in peace and -comfort.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Goldilocks was already out, and her faithful Ann Hughes -was pushing her chair to and fro, for when one is eager -and impatient it is very hard to have to sit still. Goldilocks -was growing stronger every day and could walk a -few yards all alone, but it tired her, and her mother -thought the excitement of seeing so many children would -be enough for one day.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Presently a head, with a cap on it, bobbed up over the -last hump in the road below the house, and then another -with a ribbon-trimmed hat upon it, the pair belonging to -Tommy Todd and Sarah Barnes, who led the procession; -and in a few minutes more the entire group had reached -the porch and Sarah Barnes was repeating their names -to Goldilocks. The five boys rather hung back, but -that was to be expected of them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As a little later Gray Lady led the way down to the -garden, she turned to Ann and gave her some directions -for the house and was going to push the chair herself -when Tommy Todd came forward and seized the handle, -<span class='pageno' title='43' id='Page_43'></span> -saying earnestly, “I can do that first-rate. When dad -fell out of the haymow and broke his leg, I used to tote -him all round the farm, and never bumped him a bit,—only -in ploughed land and off roads you’ve got to go jest -so easy.” And to illustrate he raised the front wheels of -the chair and bearing on the handles lowered them again -as they left the garden path for the rough grass-grown -track that led to the orchard. Goldilocks looked up and -smiled at him, and then at Sarah and Miss Wilde, who -walked one on each side, neither of the four dreaming -at that moment how much happier their lives would be -because they had met.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why, the bars are gone and there is a brand new gate!” -exclaimed Sarah Barnes, as they reached the opening in -the stone fence that had been spanned by rough-hewn -bars ever since she could remember. There, between -strong cedar posts, hung a rustic gate, and above it was a -double arch of the same material, into which the word -BIRDLAND was interwoven in small sticks of the same -wood.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is a surprise that Jacob Hughes made for to-day, -for this is my birthday party, you see, and some day mother -is going to have a flagpole for Birdland with an eagle on -top. Jacob is Ann’s brother,” she continued by way of -explanation. “He used to be a sailor once, but now he’s -come to live with us always. He is a carpenter, too, and -he can whittle almost anything with his knife, and he -makes the most beautiful bird-houses. I should really -like to live in one myself—that is, of course, if I were a -bird!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If you were a bird you’d be a bluebird, I guess,” said -<span class='pageno' title='44' id='Page_44'></span> -Sarah Barnes, as she glanced at the deep blue sailor suit, -with the crimson shield in front, that Goldilocks wore.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’d rather be a big owl,” said Tommy Todd, “and sit -up in a tree in the woods and call out ‘Woo-oo-oo’ when -people go by in the dark and scare ’em.” And he gave -such a good imitation of an owl’s hoot that Bruce, the -Collie dog, who always either walked or sat beside Goldilocks’ -chair, began to bark and circle wildly about, nose -in air.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m very sure I shouldn’t care to be an owl, for then -I should have to eat meadow-mice and moles, and swallow -them, fur and all, and that would taste so mussy,” said -Goldilocks.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So it came about that all the children were in very good -humour when they entered Birdland on Goldilocks’ birthday, -and Gray Lady smiled happily as she looked at the -group with her precious daughter in the midst and thought -that her experiment had begun with a happy omen.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Though many of the apples that grew on the trees of -the old orchard would not have taken prizes at the -country fair, they looked very tempting to the youngsters,—Baldwins, -Spitzenburghs, and russets of two sorts, the -green and the golden, were still on the trees, but there -were great heaps of earlier varieties on the ground, and -Jacob and another man were busy sorting them over.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Reading in the children’s eager faces what they would -like to do, Gray Lady said, “You may run off now and -have all the apples you want, and an hour for playing -‘hide-and-seek,’ ‘red lion,’ or ‘Indians,’ in all the orchard -and meadows and woodland yonder, and then when you -hear a horn blow come back and you will find us over in -<span class='pageno' title='45' id='Page_45'></span> -the corner where the table and seats are placed.” Then, -seeing that some of the girls had brought wraps or jackets -with them, and also that the Sunday-best hats that they -wore would be in the way of romping, Gray Lady told -them to hang them on the tree nearest where she and -Miss Wilde were seated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At first Sarah and Tommy were not going with the -others, but Goldilocks insisted that they should leave her -in a gap where the rows of trees formed a long lane through -which she could see across the meadows to the woods.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>These two children were quite at home in this neighbourhood, -for had there not been a particular gap in the -old fence through which they had taken a “short cut” -down to the village ever since they could remember?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wonder if Goldilocks knows that Quail nest in this -brush and scratch around here like chickens,” said -Tommy, as they left the orchard for the meadow.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, and you got that three-story nest of yours last -fall in the bough-apple tree,” said Sarah.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Eliza and Dave soon forgot all about their reasons for -having at first refused to go to the party, and when they -heard the horn tooting it seemed so soon that they could -hardly believe that it was noon and luncheon time. And -such a luncheon as it was! Around the trunk of the -largest tree in the orchard, four tables were so placed that -when covered they looked like one big table, with the tree -growing through the centre.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The white cloth was bordered with russet and gold beech -leaves, bleached ferns, and the deep red leaves of maples -and oaks; grapes and oranges were piled high in baskets -made of hollowed-out watermelons. Hard-boiled eggs -<span class='pageno' title='46' id='Page_46'></span> -were arranged in nests built of narrow, dainty sandwiches, -little iced cakes rested upon plates of braided corn-husks, -and Goldilocks’ birthday cake, with its twelve candles, was -ornamented with little doves made of white sugar. When, -last and best of all, the ice-cream appeared, without which -no party is complete, it was in the form of a large white -hen with a very red comb, while from beneath her peeped -ice-cream eggs of many colours, chocolate-brown, pistachio-green, -lemon-yellow, and strawberry-red, the nest being -woven of spun sugar that so closely resembled fine straw -that it was not until the children had tasted it that they -were convinced that it really was candy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Country children are usually very silent when on their -good behaviour, but such ice-cream had never been heard -of either at Foxes Corners, the Centre, or the near-by -manufacturing town, and muffled “ohs” and “ahs” of -satisfaction would break out until, Miss Wilde having given -no rebuking glance, a perfect babble of enthusiasm arose -that lasted until the meal was ended.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why, what <span class='it'>is</span> that?” asked Ruth Banks, glancing as -she spoke toward a very old tree that, having partly -blown over, was resting on four of its branches that served -as legs and made it appear like some strange goblin animal. -On the upper side of this fallen tree, built around -an upright branch, was a platform made of old wood with -the bark on, and on the different sections of this were -peanuts, shelled corn, pounded up dog crackers and -buckwheat, while on a series of blunt spikes driven into -the branch, were some lumps of suet and bits of bacon -rind. As Ruth spoke a little black-and-white bird, with -short tail and legs, was picking vigorously at the suet, -<span class='pageno' title='47' id='Page_47'></span> -using his stout bill with the quick sharp blows of a -hammer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That? Oh—” said Goldilocks, “that is another -birthday surprise that mother and Jake made for me. -That is, mother planned it, and Jake did the work. It is -a birds’ lunch-counter, and this winter we are going to -keep all the different kinds of food on it that the birds -like, so that they need never leave us because they are -hungry.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There’s lots of things all around now that they can -eat,” said Tommy Todd.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, of course, but we want them to become accustomed -to the table, to know where the food is before they -need it and think about going away, and wild birds are -always suspicious of new things,” said Gray Lady.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was one more feature of the luncheon, but, as it -was something that could not be put upon the table, it -was hung in the tree overhead. This thing looked like -a great bunch of gayly coloured autumn leaves tied tight -together, and from it hung a number of red strings, as -many in fact as there were people at the party.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady explained that each child in turn was to pull -a string and, as they held back as if in doubt as to the -result, she herself pulled the first cord and out dropped -from the ball a long motto in yellow-fringed paper that, -on being unrolled, contained beside the snapper a little -paper roll on which was printed, “I am Mazulm, the -Night Owl,” and when Gray Lady carefully unfolded the -paper it proved to be a cap with strings, shaped like an -owl’s head, which seemed to the children to wink its yellow -tinsel eyes as Gray Lady placed it upon her fluffy hair.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='48' id='Page_48'></span> -Then everybody pulled a string, and soon there hopped -about a startling array of birds with human legs and arms, -for every one entered fully into the fun of the thing, even -quiet Miss Wilde wearing her Blue Jay cap and calling -the bird’s note with good effect.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now run about and see all that you can before playtime -is over, and we go into the study for our first bird -lesson,” said Gray Lady.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wish we could have a lunch-counter for birds at our -school,” said Sarah, “but we haven’t any near-by tree.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Perhaps you may be able to have one—a tree is not -always necessary. I have several ideas for lunch-counters -in my scrap-book,” said Gray Lady.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As the children walked along, some swung their hats -by the elastics in rhythm with their steps. The elastic -of Eliza Clausen’s hat was new and strong and all of a -sudden it gave a snap, and the hat flew into Goldilocks’ -lap. She had stretched out her hand to return it to its -owner when she glanced at the hat, and her whole face -changed and the smile faded from her lips. “Oh, Eliza!” -she exclaimed appealingly, “you don’t know that those -feathers on your hat are wings of dear, lovely Barn Swallows, -or you wouldn’t wear it, would you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ’Course I do,” said Eliza, taken off her guard and at -heart now provoked and ashamed at having her hat seen, -“and I’ve got lots more kinds at home. Ma’s got feathers -on her hat, too—tasty feathers. Miss Barker from New -York that boarded with us gave ’em to her; they cost a -lot and stick right up in a nice stiff long bunch. They’re -called regrets, and they don’t grow round here, but they’re -ever so stylish.” And Eliza held her nose in the air with a -<span class='pageno' title='49' id='Page_49'></span> -sniff of scorn, a vulgar travesty that the pounding of her -heart belied.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t think those stiff regret feathers in your mother’s -hat are stylish,” said Sarah Barnes, quickly taking up the -cudgels; “I think they look like fish bones!” Then -Eliza began to cry, and both Goldilocks and Sarah looked -distressed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady hesitated a moment and then said, “Eliza, -dear, I’m sorry that this has happened just now. It is -not generally a good plan for us to criticise one another’s -clothing or habits, but there are times when it is necessary. -Sooner or later I should have told you the reasons why -people who stop to think and have kind hearts are no -longer willing to wear the feathers of wild birds, and I’m -sure that presently, when you stop and think, you will see -that it is so.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then they all walked very quietly up to the library -that had belonged to Goldilocks’ father, and when they -were seated and had time to look about they saw that the -walls above the book-cases were covered by pictures of -birds in their natural colours.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>On the table at one end of the room were piled some -books, and by this Gray Lady seated herself, her scrap-book -by her elbow,—a book, by the way, with which, before another -season, they were to become as well acquainted as -with their friend herself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Tommy Todd could not take his eyes from a picture -of a tall white bird, with long neck and legs and a graceful -sweep of slender feathers that drooped from its back over -the tail. Holding up his hand, which at school always -means that you wish to ask a question, Tommy said, -<span class='pageno' title='50' id='Page_50'></span> -“Please, what is that bird’s name? There’s a big, dark, -gray one, shaped something like it, that I’ve seen by the -mill-pond, but it’s not half so pretty. I’ve never seen one -like this, here.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<a id='egret1'></a>That bird,” said Gray Lady, “is the Snowy Heron, -Egret, or <span class='it'>Re</span>gret Bird, as Eliza called it a few minutes -ago, and I think that you will agree that the name is a -very suitable one when I tell you the bird’s story.”</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='51' id='Page_51'></span><h1>V<br/> <span class='sub-head'>REASONS WHY</span></h1></div> - -<p class='pindent'>When the children had satisfied their curiosity by -looking about the room at the pictures and stuffed birds -in cases as much as they wished and were comfortably -seated, Gray Lady drew a chair into the midst of the -group and began to talk, not a bit like a teacher in school, -but as if she had dropped in among them to have a little -chat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When one has looked at something from one side all -one’s life it is hard to realize that there is another,” she -said, smiling brightly at Eliza and Dave, who chanced to -be sitting together and who looked not only unhappy but -very sullen.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have always happened to be with people who love -everything that lives and grows. They have always -been kind to birds because it never occurred to them to -be otherwise. In watching them and learning their ways, -they also learned that these winged beings had another -value beside that of beauty of colour and song, that by -fulfilling their destiny and eating many destructive bugs -and animals they not only earn their own livelihood but -help keep us all alive by protecting the farmers’ crops.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thus, when I went down to the school at Foxes Corners, -I took it too much for granted that you all cared for -birds and would naturally wish to protect them. I thought -<span class='pageno' title='52' id='Page_52'></span> -that all I had to do was to try to tell you interesting stories -that would help you to remember the names and habits of -the various birds. But Eliza’s hat, and a little note that -I received from one of the boys which showed that he and -his family considered all birds that are not good to eat -as worse than useless, show me that some of you look at -birds from another side. Those that do certainly have -a right to, as a lawyer would say, have the case argued -before them so that they may see for themselves why -they are on the wrong side of the tree.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The birds were on the earth before man came, and in -those far-back times they were able to look after and -protect themselves, because the warfare they waged was -only with animals often less intelligent than themselves. -Do you remember the beautiful allegory of the creation -of this earth written in Genesis which is also written -and proven in the records the geologists find buried in the -earth, and quarry from the rocks themselves?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When man came, in order that he might live comfortably -and safely, many of his improvements brought death -to his feathered friends. Take, for example, two objects -that you all know,—the lighthouse at the end of the bar -by the harbour head, and the telegraph and telephone -wires that follow the highway near your schoolhouse. -Men have need of both these things, and yet, in their travels -on dark nights, thousands of birds, by flying toward the -bright tower light that seems to promise them safety, -or coming against the innumerable wires, are dashed to -death.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of all the mounted birds that you see in the cases there, -not one was deliberately killed by my husband, but they -<span class='pageno' title='53' id='Page_53'></span> -were picked up and sent to him by various lighthouse -keepers along the coast who knew his interest and that he -would gladly pay them for their trouble. By and by, when -we come to the stories of the flight of some of those birds, -you will be amazed to see what frail little things have -ventured miles away in their travels; even tiny Humming-birds -came to my husband in this way. This danger -grows greater every day because of the many tall buildings -in the cities that are almost always located by rivers, -for to follow these waterways seems to be the birds’ -favourite way of travelling.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE USES OF BIRDS</h2> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:0.5em;'><span class='it'>What the Birds do for us</span></p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Perhaps even those of you who love birds have never -thought very much about their ways of life. You are so -accustomed to seeing them fly about, and to hearing them -sing, that you do not realize what a strange, unnatural, -silent thing springtime would be if the birds should all -suddenly disappear.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, indeed, the world would be sad and lonely without -these beautiful winged voices. But something even more -dreadful would happen should they leave us: the people -of the world would be in danger of starving, because the -birds would not be here to feed on the myriad worms and -insects that eat the wheat and corn and fruits upon which -we, together with other animals, depend for food.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The insects gnawing at the roots of the pasture grasses -would destroy both the summer grazing for the cattle -and the hay for winter fodder; if worms destroyed the -<span class='pageno' title='54' id='Page_54'></span> -forests, there would be no trees for firewood, and also the -lack of shade would make the sources of our rivers dry up -and we should soon suffer for water.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Girls and boys might never think of this, but the Wise -Men who live in Washington, and form the association -known as the Biological Survey, as well as those of the -Departments of Agriculture in each state, thought of this -long ago.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They have worked hard and proved the truth of this -whole matter, and now know exactly upon what each -kind of bird feeds; and laws are everywhere being made -to protect the useful birds from people who are either so -stupid or so vicious that they think a bird is something -to be shot or stoned, and that the robbing of nests of eggs -is a clever thing to do.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Any child who stops to think must realize one thing: -As almost all birds live on animal food during the nesting -season, and feed their young with it, and many kinds eat -it all the year, it follows that the more birds we have the -fewer bugs there will be.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Also those birds who feed on seeds and wild fruits -destroy in the winter season quantities of weed seeds that -would spring up and choke the crops, while they sow the -seeds of wild fruits and berries, because the pits in these -seeds, being hard, are dropped undigested.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ‘But,’ says some one, ‘the Robins and Catbirds came -in our garden and bit the ripe side of the strawberries -and cherries that father was growing for market, and we -had to shoot them to make them stay away.’</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is all true: some birds will steal a few berries, -but for this mischief they do good all the rest of the long -<span class='pageno' title='55' id='Page_55'></span> -season; so pray ask your father to put only powder, a -‘blank cartridge,’ as it is called, in the gun, that it may -give the birds warning to keep off, but not kill them; and -let him save all the bullets and shot for the Coward -Crow, himself a nest robber, the Great Horned Owl, the -Hen and Chicken Hawks, and the English Sparrow.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In the short stories that I am going to read or tell you -of the birds, I will try to speak of the chief food of each, -so that you may put a good mark beside its name in your -memory, and try to realize that these birds, beautiful as -many are, still have a deeper claim upon you. I wish you -to see that they, as well as you, are citizens of this great -Republic and do their part for the public good, which, -next to the care and love of home, should be the chief -ambition of us all, men or women.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The wise men know this and they have made laws to -protect the birds and other animals from cruelty and -destruction, just as they have made laws to protect all -other citizens. Listen to what your state forbids you to -do,—to the laws that if you break you must and should -be punished:—</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>WARNING! WHAT THE LAW OF YOUR STATE SAYS ABOUT SONG-BIRDS</h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“<span class='it'>No person shall kill</span>, catch, or have in possession, living -or dead, at any time, any wild bird other than a game-bird, -nor any part thereof, except the English Sparrow, -Crow, Great Horned Owl, or the Hawks, other than the -Osprey or Fish Hawk. No person shall take, destroy, -or disturb, or have in possession the nest or eggs of any -<span class='pageno' title='56' id='Page_56'></span> -wild bird, and the sale of these birds or shipment out of the -state is forbidden.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='it'>Hunting or shooting on Sunday is forbidden.</span></p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is <span class='it'>unlawful</span> to kill Fish Hawks, Eagles, Gulls, Terns, -Loons, Divers, Grebes, Doves, Wild Pigeons, Yellowhammers, -Meadowlarks, or Herons at any time. (These -are not game-birds in the reading of the law.)</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We are living in the state of Connecticut, but this is -the substance of the law concerning the taking of eggs or -birds other than game-birds (except when the Wise Men -need them for Museums and have special permission) in -the greater number of states.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Tommy Todd, will you kindly go to the coloured map -hanging on the door yonder and point out as I read, those -few states that allow the killing of song-birds. This will -be much easier than for you to learn the names of those -wise states that, like our own, give citizen birds full protection.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The east and middle west stand solid for protection, -so you must begin on the Canadian boundary with North -Dakota, then follow Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and -Indian Territory, a bad blot in the centre of the map, but -perhaps some day soon, if all the school children there -learn about the birds, they will beg their fathers and -uncles who go to the legislature to make laws to protect -their birds also. For if they wait until they themselves -grow up, some kinds of birds may have gone forever and -it will be too late.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Fortunately, you see, there are states next that form -<span class='pageno' title='57' id='Page_57'></span> -a sort of bird bridge of refuge; and then comes New Mexico, -Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, and Montana, without -good laws; but fortunately for the coast birds, Washington, -Oregon, and California are on our side, and it is the duty -of every boy and girl as well as every man and woman -to learn the laws of the state where they live, and keep -them.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>CRUELTY TO WILD ANIMALS</h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“There are many children of foreign birth who perhaps -would not break the laws of this country if they knew of -them, but do so innocently because they either do not -know, or do not speak English well enough to understand -them fully, and think that in this country, where they -have so much liberty, they are free to do as they like about -everything.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There are also Americans, I am sorry to say, as well as -foreign-born, who have a heartless streak in them, and -first show it by cruelty to helpless, harmless animals. -This should be stopped, as much for their good as future -citizens as for the welfare of the wild animals themselves, -for the child who will kill or torture a dumb beast has the -germs of murder in him that may later, in a fit of passion, -break out toward a fellow-being.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What do you think of boys—yes, and girls, for I saw -one last spring—who would spend an afternoon in stoning -the hanging nest of an Oriole until the nestlings, dying, -stopped their pitiful cries and fell to the ground in the rags -of their wonderful home, while their parents circled about -in agony? Sad to say, these were American-born children, -<span class='pageno' title='58' id='Page_58'></span> -too, who live not far from Foxes Corners, who very well -knew right from wrong.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When children have this evil mind, the laws of the state -must be used to cleanse,—just as the law may enter the -house and do away with contagious disease. Cruelty is -often as infectious as sickness; and it is, in fact, a sickness -of the mind. It is quite as necessary sometimes that the -heart should go to school and be taught kindness as that -we should learn to read.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>HOW WE CAN PROTECT BIRDS</h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“We can help birds simply by not hurting them and leaving -them as free as possible to live out their joyous lives; -but we can do much more if we will leave some little bushy -nooks about the farm or garden, where they may nest in -private, place food in convenient places during the long, -cold winter months for those birds that remain with us, -and <span class='it'>make it a rule never to raise more kittens than we need</span> -to keep barn and house free of rats or than we can feed and -care for.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Silly people, who shirk responsibility, often say, ‘Oh, -I couldn’t think of drowning a kitten,’ and yet they will -let dozens of them grow up unfed and uncared for, or -leave a litter by the roadside, until in many places a breed -of gaunt, half-wild cats roam about destroying the eggs -and young of song-birds, game-birds, and domestic fowls -alike.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A nice, comfortable house or barn cat is one thing, but -the savage outcast is quite another, and should no more -be let live than a weasel or a skunk.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><span class='pageno' title='59' id='Page_59'></span>HOUSING AND FEEDING</h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“When places become thickly settled, and villages -grow into towns and towns into cities, one of the first -things that troubles the father and mother of a family -is to find house-room, a suitable place to live, that shall be -healthful for the children, and yet not be too far from the -father’s work, and many and many a family have had to -move to inconvenient places because such a home could -not be found near by.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Strange as it may at first seem, our little fellow-citizens, -the birds, have this same trouble.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In an open, half-wooded farming country there are -plenty of nesting haunts, and running brooks and ponds -for the birds who need water by their homestead. But -presently perhaps a railway comes by; the land is bought -up and the woods cut down for railway ties, the brush is -cleared from old pastures and they are turned into house-lots. -Old orchards, like ours here, are done away with, -and everything is ‘cleaned up.’</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is as it should be, and a sign of progress; but where -are the birds that Nature has told to nest in tree hollows, -like the Bluebird, Chickadee, the Tree Swallow, Downy -and Hairy Woodpecker, and the jolly Yellowhammer, -to find homes?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You will often hear people say, ‘It is too bad the Bluebirds -are dying out;’ but if somewhere about the place you -will fasten a hollow log or a square bird-box with a single -round opening in it to a high fence-post or to a pole set up -on purpose, you will soon see that the Bluebirds have not -died out, but that they have been discouraged in their -house-hunting.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='60' id='Page_60'></span> -“It is a mistake to make bird-houses too large, or to have -many rooms in them, unless you are hoping to attract -Purple Martins, who like to live in colonies. Birds like -a whole building to themselves quite as well as people, -and they do not like people to come too close and peep in -at their windows and doors, either.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Autumn and winter are the best seasons for making -and placing bird-boxes; it gives time for them to become -‘weathered’ before nesting time, and birds are apt to be -suspicious of anything that looks too new and fine, and -I have a plan that I think you will like by which you boys -can not only make bird-houses for your own yards and -farms, but make them to sell to others as well.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is also a kind act for those who live on farms to leave -a few stacks of cornstalks or a sheaf of rye standing in a -fence corner as a shelter for the game-birds, who are often -driven by cold to burrow in the snow for cover, and, frequently, -when the crust freezes above them, die of starvation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Doing this is wise as well as kind, for it helps to keep -alive and increase these valuable food-birds, and makes -better sport for the farmers in the time when the law -says they may go a-hunting.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of course, in every country school even, there are children -who do not live on farms, but these can club together -and do what they can to feed and shelter the birds that -come about the schoolhouse. You have all seen Goldilocks’ -lunch-table for feeding the winter birds, and though Sarah -Barnes would like to have such a one down at the school, -others perhaps may think it foolish.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As you already know, some birds eat insects and others -<span class='pageno' title='61' id='Page_61'></span> -seed foods, or, to put it another way, some birds prefer -meat and some bread; so if you wish to suit all kinds you -must feed them with sandwiches, made of both bread and -meat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ‘Sandwiches for birds!—how foolish!’ I hear some -one say. Stop and think a moment, and you will see that -it is merely a way of expression, a figure of speech, as -it is called.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Give the birds the material, crumbs, cracked corn, -hayloft sweepings, bits of fat bacon, suet, or bones that -have some rags of meat attached, and they will make -their own sandwiches, each one to its taste.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If this food is merely scattered upon the ground, it will -attract mice, rats, and other rodents, but if a regular -lunch-counter is prepared for the food you will find that -the birds will appreciate the courtesy, become liberal -customers, and run up a long bill; this, however, they will -pay with music when spring comes.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>A SUGGESTION FOR THE LUNCH-COUNTER</h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“Almost every school has a flagpole, and, while some are -fastened to the building itself, like the one at Foxes -Corners, many stand free and are planted in the yard. -However, there is one old tree at your school and I will -ask Jacob to build you a lunch-counter, if you will promise -to see that it is kept well filled with provisions.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is the way it should be made: Around the pole a -square or circular shelf about eight inches wide can be -fastened, four feet from the ground, and edged with a -strip of beading, barrel hoops, or the like. A dozen -<span class='pageno' title='62' id='Page_62'></span> -tenpenny nails should be driven on the outside edge at -intervals, like the spokes to a wheel, and the whole neatly -painted to match the pole.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then each week we will ask Miss Wilde to appoint a -child as <span class='it'>Bird Steward</span>, his or her duties being to collect -the scraps after the noon dinner-hour and place them -neatly on the counter, the crusts and crumbs on the shelf -and the meat to be hung on the spikes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nothing will come amiss—pine cones, beechnuts, -the shells of hard-boiled eggs broken fine, apple cores, -half-cleaned nuts; and if the children will tell their parents -of the counter, they will often put an extra scrap or so in -the dinner pail to help the feast. Or the fortunate children -whose fathers keep the market, the grocery store, -or the mill, may be able to obtain enough of the wastage -to leave an extra supply on Friday, so that the pensioners -need not go hungry over Sunday.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“All the while the flag will wave gayly above little Citizen -Bird, as under its protection he feeds upon his human -brothers’ bounty.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Here is the story of one of these lunch-counters that -proved a success. It was written to encourage others, -and I will read it so that you may know that bird lunch-counters -belong to real and not to fairy-tales.”</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>AN ADIRONDACK LUNCH-COUNTER</h2> - -<p class='pindent'>In the Adirondacks in March, 1900, the snow fell over -four feet deep, and wild birds were driven from the deep -woods to seek for food near the habitation of man. It -occurred to me that a lunch-counter with “meals at all -<span class='pageno' title='63' id='Page_63'></span> -hours” might suit the convenience of some of the visitors -to my orchard, so I fixed a plank out in front of the house, -nailed pieces of raw and cooked meat to it, sprinkled bread-crumbs -and seeds around, and awaited results.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The first caller was a Chickadee. He tasted the meat, -seemed to enjoy it, and went off for his mate. They did -not seem in the least afraid when I stood on the veranda -and watched them, and after a time paid but little attention -to the noises in the house; but only one would eat at -a time. The other one seemed to keep watch. I set -my camera and secured a picture of one alone. While -focussing for the meat one Chickadee came and commenced -eating in front of the camera, and a second later -its mate perched on my hand as I turned the focussing -screw.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>I saw the Chickadees tear off pieces of meat and suet -and hide them in the woodpile. This they did repeatedly, -and later in the day would come back and eat them if the -lunch-counter was empty.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>My observation in this respect is confirmed by a lumber-man, -who noticed that when eating his lunch, back in the -woods, the Chickadees were very friendly and would carry -off scraps of meat and hide them, coming back for more, -time and time again.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The next day another pair of Chickadees and a pair of -White-breasted Nuthatches came. The Nuthatches had -a presumptuous way of taking possession, and came first -one and then both together. The Chickadees flew back -and forth in an impatient manner, but every time they -went near the meat the Nuthatches would fly or hop -toward them, uttering what sounded to me like a nasal, -<span class='pageno' title='64' id='Page_64'></span> -French <span class='it'>no, no, no</span>, and the Chickadees would retire to -await their turn when the Nuthatches were away.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The news of the free lunch must have travelled as rapidly -in the bird world as gossip in a country town usually -does, for before long a beautiful male Hairy Woodpecker -made his appearance, and came regularly night and morning -for a number of days. Hunger made him bold, and -he would allow me to walk to within a few feet of him -when changing plates in the camera. It was interesting -to note his position on the plank. When he was eating, -his tail was braced to steady his body. He did not stand -on his feet, except when I attracted his attention by -tapping on the window, but when eating put his feet out -in front of him in a most peculiar manner. This position -enabled him to draw his head far back and gave more -power to the stroke of his bill, and shows that Woodpeckers -are not adapted for board-walking.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Of course, the smaller Downy Woodpeckers were -around; they always are in the orchard toward spring. -I also had a flock of Redpolls come a number of times -after a little bare spot of ground began to show, but, -although they ate seeds I put on the ground, they would -not come up on the lunch-counter and did not stay very -long. Beautiful Pine Grosbeaks came, too, but they -preferred picking up the seeds they found under the -maple trees. The American Goldfinches, in their Quaker -winter dresses, called, but the seeds on some weeds in -the garden just peeping above the snow pleased them better -than a more elaborate lunch, and saying “per-chic-o-ree” -they would leave.—<span class='sc'>F. A. Van Sant</span>, Jay, N.Y., in <span class='it'>Bird -Lore</span>.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='65' id='Page_65'></span> -“Now, while you move about and rest yourselves a few -moments, <a id='egret2'></a>I will ask Dave and Tommy to bring that picture -of the great white bird from the easel and place it by the -table here, while I look in this portfolio for another to -put with it. See—here is a bird that is much taller -than the men beside it and wears bunches of plumes on -tail and wings. These two birds represent the wrong -and right side of feather wearing!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What are their real names? The Snowy Heron and -the <a id='ost1'></a>Ostrich, both birds of warm climate. I’m always -glad when children wish to know the <span class='it'>real</span> names of birds -and try to remember them. No one can become actually -a friend of a person or an animal whose name is merely -general. Has Miss Wilde ever read you a little poem there -is about the pleasure of learning <span class='it'>real</span> names? No? I -will repeat it and perhaps she will let you learn it next -Friday.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='66' id='Page_66'></span></p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>MATILDA ANN</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>I knew a charming little girl,</p> -<p class='line0'>Who’d say, “Oh, see that flower!”</p> -<p class='line0'>Whenever in the garden</p> -<p class='line0'>Or woods she spent an hour.</p> -<p class='line0'>And sometimes she would listen,</p> -<p class='line0'>And say, “Oh, hear that bird!”</p> -<p class='line0'>Whenever in the forest</p> -<p class='line0'>Its clear, sweet note was heard.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>But then I knew another—</p> -<p class='line0'>Much wiser, don’t you think?</p> -<p class='line0'>Who never called a bird a “bird”;</p> -<p class='line0'>But said “the bobolink”</p> -<p class='line0'>Or “oriole” or “robin”</p> -<p class='line0'>Or “wren,” as it might be;</p> -<p class='line0'>She called them all by their first names,</p> -<p class='line0'>So intimate was she.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>And in the woods or garden</p> -<p class='line0'>She never picked a “flower”;</p> -<p class='line0'>But “anemones,” “hepaticas,”</p> -<p class='line0'>Or “pansies,” by the hour.</p> -<p class='line0'>Both little girls loved birds and flowers,</p> -<p class='line0'>But one love was the best:</p> -<p class='line0'>I need not point the moral;</p> -<p class='line0'>I’m sure you see the rest.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>For would it not be very queer,</p> -<p class='line0'>If when, perhaps, you came,</p> -<p class='line0'>Your parents had not thought worth while</p> -<p class='line0'>To give you any name?</p> -<p class='line0'>I think you would be quite upset,</p> -<p class='line0'>And feel your brain a-whirl,</p> -<p class='line0'>If you were not “Matilda Ann,”</p> -<p class='line0'>But just “a little girl”!</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'><span style='font-size:smaller'>—<span class='sc'>Alice W. Rollins</span>, in the <span class='it'>Independent</span>.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i095.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0006' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>SNOWY HERON</span></p> -</div> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='67' id='Page_67'></span><h1>VI<br/> <span class='sub-head'>FEATHERS AND HATS</span></h1></div> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><span class='it'>The White Heron</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“Perhaps the boys may not be interested in hearing -about feathers and hats,” said Gray Lady, “but the two -birds whose pictures you see here are very interesting in -themselves; and it is well that both boys and girls should -realize all the different reasons why some kinds of birds -have been growing fewer and fewer, until it is necessary -to take active measures for their protection.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Boys have robbed nests and thoughtless men have -shot and caged song-birds, and have often killed many -more food-birds than they could eat, merely for what they -call the ‘sport’ of killing.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Girls who seldom rob nests, unless they are following -the examples of their brothers, and women who would -shrink from touching firearms or killing a bird, will still, -as far as the law allows and sometimes further, wear -birds’ feathers on their hats.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not many years ago we often saw whole birds, such as -Humming-birds, Swallows,—like those on Eliza’s hat,—Bluebirds, -and many of the pretty little warblers used -as hat trimming. To-day, this is against the law in all -of the really civilized of the United States, and any -one offering the feathers of these birds for sale may -be arrested and fined.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='68' id='Page_68'></span> -“Please, is it any harm to wear roosters’ feathers or -Guinea hens’ and ducks’ wings?” asked Ruth Banks. -“ ’Cause I’ve got two real nice duck wings and a lovely -spangled rooster tail—home-made ducks, you know, that -we hatch under hens,” she added.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, it is no harm to use the feathers of domestic -fowls, or other food-birds,” said Gray Lady; “only, unless -we have raised the fowls from which they come ourselves, -it is not easy to be sure about the matter, unless the -feathers are left in their natural colours. They may tell -you in a shop that the wing or breast you see is made of -dyed chicken or pigeon feathers. You must take their -word that this is so, and many times they may have -been misled in the matter themselves.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Birds’ feathers, it cannot be denied, are very beautiful -and ornamental, but to my mind it is very bad taste to -wear anything dead merely for ornament,—furs, of -course, keep the wearer warm as well,—but I myself do -not care for any hat trimming that can only be had by -taking life.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There is one kind of feather,—the Heron or Egret -plume,—that I am not only sorry, but ashamed, to say is -still in use, because it comes from birds that live in other -countries, and these birds we cannot yet protect. Not -only must these birds be killed to obtain the coveted -plumes, but the killing is done in a brutal way, and at a -time of year—the nesting season—when, according to -the wise law of nature, every bird should be cherished -and its privacy respected.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Look at this great White Heron in the picture beside -me here. He measures two feet from the tip of his bill -<span class='pageno' title='69' id='Page_69'></span> -up over his head to his tail, though you cannot really see -the tail as he is pictured on account of the beautiful -sweeping cloak of fine feathers that cover it. This bird -has yellow eyes and feet, beak and legs partly yellow and -partly black, but is everywhere else white of an almost -dazzling brilliancy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Many birds wear more beautiful and highly coloured -feathers in the nesting season than at any other. These -Herons, both male and female, are pure white all the year -through, but as the nesting season approaches a change -comes,—a number of slender plumes grow out from -between the shoulders and curve gracefully over the tail, -forming a complete mantle, and it is these feathers that -are sought by the professional plume hunters to be made -into the feathery tufts sold as egrets, though the word -Eliza used by a slip of the tongue, <span class='it'>re</span>grets, I think much -more suitable, for surely any one with a warm woman’s -heart would <span class='it'>regret</span> ever having worn them if she realized -how they are obtained.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Miss Barker gave my mother hers,” put in Eliza, -“ ’cause she’d just found out where they came from and -dassn’t wear it to church ’cause her minister belongs to a -society that wouldn’t like it. She didn’t tell us why, -though; she only said regrets was counted stylish in -N’ York.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes,” said Gray Lady, “that is all the idea some people, -who think themselves very clever, have of honour. To -give away a feather that one cannot wear, for fear of what -some one will say, is like giving stolen goods to some one -who does not know that they are stolen.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not many years ago this Snowy Heron and his cousin, -<span class='pageno' title='70' id='Page_70'></span> -the American Egret, almost twice his size, might be found -everywhere in the swampy groves of temperate and -tropical America, from New Jersey across to Minnesota -and Oregon, and as far south as Patagonia in South -America. Within a few years I have seen one or two in -autumn in the marshes back of our bay below, for like -many birds they wander about after the nesting season. -Their food consists of small fish,—shrimps, water-beetles, -etc.,—so that they never make their homes far from moist -places. Now, in this country at least, the race is nearly -gone, and it will be only by the strictest laws and most -complete protection that it will be possible for the tribe to -increase. To regain its old footing cannot be hoped for.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The beginning of the tragedy came by woman’s love -of finery, and only by her resolutely giving it up can the -trouble be ended.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Through some happening it was discovered that this -mantle of feathers could be made into ornaments for hats -and hair that were not only widely sought, but brought -a high price. This was enough; bands of hunters were -organized to search the swamps for the Herons and obtain -the plumes <span class='it'>when they were in the best condition</span>. How it -was to be done did not matter, and indeed it has taken the -world many years to realize the horror of it all.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“These Herons breed in colonies. The nest, a stoutly -built, slightly hollowed platform of small sticks, reeds, -etc., is placed either in a tree or tall bush, care being -always taken to keep it safely above the water-line. As -the birds are very sociable, a single bush or tree would -often contain many nests.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When the nesting season was well under way and the -<span class='pageno' title='71' id='Page_71'></span> -feather cloaks in their first perfection, through the lagoons -and sluggish waterways came noiseless flat-bottomed -boats, low on the water, and poled by the guiding Indian -or half-breed. Astern sat the plume hunters, guns at -rest and eyes eagerly scanning the foliage above their -heads. ‘Ah! here is a rookery at last!’ (rookery being -the name given to colonies of many birds beside the -Rook). The parent birds are sailing gracefully to and -fro, their long legs trailing behind, while they feed the -newly hatched nestlings. For with the most crafty -calculation the plume hunters wait for the time when the -birds are hatched because they know that the parents are -then less likely to take alarm and fly beyond reach.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The boat is stopped by the guide, who grasps an overhanging -branch close to where an opening in the under-brush -gives a good view of the colony.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bang! bang! Bodies crashing through the branches -and pitiful cries of alarm mingle for several minutes, as -the confused birds rise, remember their young, and return -to die! When the smoke has lifted, the hunters clear the -ground of the dead and dying and piling them in the boat -begin to tear off that portion of the back, the ‘scalp,’ -that holds the precious plumes. If all the birds were dead, -the horror would be less, but time is precious; there are -other rookeries to be visited that day, and so the still -breathing and fluttering birds are also torn and mutilated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then the boat glides on, leaving death behind. Yes, -but not the silence that usually goes with death, for there -in a hundred nests are the clamouring hungry broods that -will die slowly of hunger, or be victims of snakes or birds -of prey,—the happier ending of the two.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='72' id='Page_72'></span> -“After a day’s work the plume hunters find ground dry -enough for a camp, where they pass the night, and at dawn -they again glide forth on their ghastly errand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sometimes storm, pestilence, and famine may nearly -exterminate a species of bird or beast, but Nature in some -way, if she still needs the type, always manages to restore -and undo her own mischief; but, as a lover of these birds -has said, ‘When man comes, slaughters, and exterminates, -Nature does not restore!’ It is only the men and women -who have done the evil that may be allowed to undo it, -and sometimes it is too late.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now you see why no one should wear egret plumes, -the feathers of the bird that has been called ‘The Bonnet -Martyr.’ Girls and boys, whoever you may be, who hear -or read this story of the vanishing Snowy Heron, be -courageous, and wherever or whenever you see one of -these regret plumes ask the wearer if she knows how it was -obtained and tell her its story, for whether the bird who -bore it lived in this or another country the manner of -taking is the same.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There have been foolish stories told of raising these -birds in captivity and gathering the plumes after they are -shed. This is not true. They would, when shed naturally, -be worn and useless, and the egret will always be what one -of the Wise Men has called it, the ‘White Badge of Cruelty.’”</p> - -<hr class='tbk100'/> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now, Tommy Todd,” said Gray Lady, “you may take -down the Heron and put the other picture in its place. -The bird in it is not graceful and beautiful like the Heron; -in fact, it looks more like some sort of a camel than a bird, -<span class='pageno' title='73' id='Page_73'></span> -but its story is much more cheerful. Its feathers may -be worn by every one, for it is not necessary to kill or hurt -the bird in order to get them. Some of you have guessed -its name already, I am sure.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><a id='ost2'></a><span class='it'>The Ostrich</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ostriches live in warm countries as well as Herons, but -here the comparison begins and ends, for the Ostrich loves -the open sandy desert and was originally found wild in -Africa, Arabia, and also in Persia. The Ostrich, the largest -bird now alive, is most peculiar both in appearance and -habits. Standing sometimes eight feet in height, it has a -long, almost bare neck, and small stupid-looking head; -its wings are so small that it cannot fly, but its strong legs, -ending in two-toed feet, give it the power of running as -fast as a horse, and it can kick like a horse also, with this -difference,—an Ostrich kicks forward so if you wish to be -perfectly safe you must stand <span class='it'>behind</span> it! At the base of the -wings and tail grow tufts of long and substantial feathers, -the wing tufts being the longer and best. In truth, but for -the fact of the feathers that cover its body, no one would -guess that it was a bird, and even with these it looks -like some strange beast that has put on a borrowed coat -to go, perhaps, to the great Elephant Dance that little -Toomai saw once upon a time in the Jungle, about which -Rudyard Kipling tells so well that sometimes we wake -up in the morning and really believe that we ourselves -have ridden to the dance upon the great Elephant instead -of Toomai.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In wild life birds have always been hunted for their -<span class='pageno' title='74' id='Page_74'></span> -plumage as well as for food. It is thought that the savage -at first killed solely for food, and then used the hides of -beasts and feathers of birds for clothing and decoration -as an afterthought, some of the royal garments of kings -and chiefs of tribes being woven of countless rare feathers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When man as we know him, white or civilized man as -he is called, explored wild countries, he introduced two -things that wrought great harm to wild creatures and -savages alike,—the money-trading instinct and strong -drink. In order to buy this drink, which always proved -his ruin, the savage looked about for something to offer -in exchange, and what was there for him but to kill beast -or bird and offer some part of it in trade?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In this way the elephants’ tusks, of which ivory is -made, rare furs, alligator hides, and Ostrich eggs and -plumes, as well as rough uncut gems, became known to -the people of Europe.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The savages hunted the wild Ostrich with bow and -arrows that were sometimes poisoned, and the bird being -killed, of course, yielded but one crop of feathers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As the Ostrich cannot fly and is a very stupid bird, -living in open deserts where there were few places to hide, -it was very easily destroyed—its only means of escape -being to outrun its pursuers, who were on foot. But -presently when firearms were used to hunt him, the Ostrich -seemed as utterly doomed as the White Heron.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i104.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0007' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>CLIPPING OSTRICH PLUMES</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>“But the day came when men who realized the great -demand there was for these feathers and the profit to be -made by selling them, tried the experiment of raising the -birds in captivity, just as we do our barnyard fowl, treating -them kindly, and feeding them well, so that they might -<span class='pageno' title='75' id='Page_75'></span> -yield not only one but many crops of plumes, because they -knew that the Ostrich is not only long-lived but, like the -smaller birds, changes its feathers every year.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Ostrich was a difficult bird to catch and tame -when full grown, for at that time they weigh several -hundred pounds and their habit of kicking has to be -remembered, the same as with a wild horse. So the plan -was tried of collecting the eggs and hatching them out, -and even this was not as easy as it seems.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Though Ostriches are so foolish that, when chased, they -will often stand still and hide their heads in the sand, -evidently thinking that if they cannot see their pursuers, -they themselves cannot be seen, they make devoted -parents. And this plan was so successful that Ostriches -are now raised like domestic fowls, not only in Africa but -in this country, where the birds were introduced in 1882, -and there are now many successful Ostrich farms in Arizona, -California, and Florida, where alfalfa can be raised -all the year, for this is the best food for them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The breeding habits of the Ostrich in captivity are -different from those of the wild birds of the desert who live -half a dozen hens to a family like our barnyard fowls. -The nest is merely a hollow in the sand a foot or so deep, -and several broad, made by the pressure of the great -breast-bone and sides. Eggs are laid, one every other -day, until a ‘clutch’ of a dozen or more has accumulated, -and these must be kept warm for nearly a month and a -half before the chicks will be hatched.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When you realize that one of these eggs would make -an omelet as large as two dozen and a half hens’ eggs, -and weighs three or four pounds, so that the omelet -<span class='pageno' title='76' id='Page_76'></span> -would feed an entire family, you will understand that it -takes both patience on the part of the parents and a great -deal of heat to hatch these eggs. Sometimes the owners -prefer to hatch the eggs in an incubator.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You have some of you seen a Robin stand up in the nest -and shuffle her feet; when she does this she is turning -her eggs, and the great Ostrich eggs are also turned every -day. When domesticated, the mother Ostrich tends the -eggs during the daylight hours, but the father takes her -place in the later afternoon and remains until morning. -This is evidently the result of the instinct for colour protection. -The gray female shows the least plainly in daylight -on the sand, while the black-and-white male can -scarcely be seen at night. In fact, the domesticated -bird is a creature of such regular habits that, according -to reliable accounts, the male takes his place on the -nest promptly at 5 <span style='font-size:smaller'>P.M.</span> and does not move until 9 <span style='font-size:smaller'>A.M.</span> -This account does not say whether Mrs. O. lets her -husband have an evening out once in a while to go to his -club or lodge, but perhaps, as he has the rest of the year -to himself, he does not expect a vacation in the important -nesting season. But one thing is known to be true, -that Ostriches are very devoted to each other and that -the pairs when once mated remain together for life, an -attribute of many birds, especially the very long-lived -species. It is said that the wild Ostrich lives to be 100 -years old. This may be true, for Ostriches who have been -captives 40 years are still alive and healthy. In the -deserts Ostriches are supposed to be able to go without -water for days at a time, but in captivity they drink -freely every day. This either proves that the habits alter -<span class='pageno' title='77' id='Page_77'></span> -very much, or else, that those who reported their wild -life did not see correctly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When the young Ostriches are hatched, they are about -the size of a Plymouth Rock hen and are mottled and -fuzzy. They grow very rapidly, so that at nine months -old the bird will be nearly six feet tall, and after this the -plumes are plucked at intervals of nine months; the -feathers do not reach perfection, however, until the third -year, and the birds do not reach maturity and mate until -they are four years old,—and a fine male Ostrich of six -or seven years of age is worth $1000 and will yield from -$50 to $80 worth of feathers yearly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When a little over a year old, the mottled plumage that -the young birds wear slowly changes, the female becomes -a dusky gray, and the male glossy black, though they -both grow long white wing-plumes. By this you may learn -that all the gayly coloured plumes that you see are dyed, -and even those that remain black or white go through -many processes of cleansing and curling before they are -sold in the shops.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How do they get the feathers off?” asked Sarah -Barnes; “do they wait until they moult or pull ’em like -they do geese?—only that hurts some ’cause the geese -squawk something dreadful.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’m glad that you asked that question,” said Gray -Lady, “because it is one of the special points about -Ostrich feathers that should be made known to every one. -If they waited for the feathers to be shed, they would be -worn and broken. You all know how very shabby the -long tail-feathers of a rooster become before the summer -moulting time. When Ostriches were first raised in confinement, -<span class='pageno' title='78' id='Page_78'></span> -their owners used to pluck out the plumes. -But they soon found that not only was this troublesome, -for the pain of it made the birds struggle, but the next -crop of feathers suffered in consequence. Nature has -reasons for everything she plans and there is evidently -some substance in the butt of the old quill that, by keeping -the skin soft and open, prepares the way for the new -one that is to follow and causes it to be of better quality.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now the plumes are clipped off, and later on the stubs, -which are then dry, come out easily. The feathers of -these birds are much fuller and finer than those that came -from the wild Ostriches.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The picture shows an Ostrich in the little three-cornered -pen with the men holding up the tufts and preparing -to snip off the feathers. The pen is made in this -shape so that there will be standing-room for the men, -but not room enough for the Ostrich to turn round and -kick forward. A hood shaped like a stocking is drawn -over his head, and he is perfectly quiet, for he feels no -pain and no blood is drawn.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now you can judge for yourselves that Ostrich feathers -may be safely worn by every one who likes beautiful -things, for certainly there are no feathers so graceful as -a sweeping Ostrich plume with the ends slightly curled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In addition to the fact that the growing and taking of -these feathers is perfectly humane, their use encourages -a large industry which gives employment to many people -here in <span class='it'>our own country</span>.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wish my ma had an Ostrich plume in her Sunday -hat instead of that mean egret,” sighed Eliza Clausen, -half to herself. “I can take the smaller wings out of mine -<span class='pageno' title='79' id='Page_79'></span> -and leave the ribbon, but the feather’s the whole topknot -of ma’s.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Softly as Eliza had spoken, her words could be heard in -the silence that came when the reader closed her scrap-book.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bravo! bravo! little girl,” said Gray Lady, smiling -so brightly that Eliza forgot to be embarrassed. “You -see that your mother was right when she said, ‘When -people get to hearing about birds they stop caring to wear -them in their hats,’ even though she did not mean it quite -in this way. Very few people would wear the cruel -kind of feathers if they only understood. I will give you -a pretty little Ostrich tuft to take to your mother in -exchange for the egret, when you explain to her about it, -and I’m sure Anne can find something among Goldilocks’ -boxes to replace your Swallow’s wings.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Eliza’s eyes sparkled, and all signs of resentment left -her face.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But,” asked Gray Lady, “what will you do with the -poor little wings and the egret? You surely will not give -them to any one else.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, ma’am, I’ll have a funeral, and bury them down -in the meadow, where my kitten is that fell in the water -barrel and sister’s canary!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then all the children laughed, including Eliza herself, -and Gray Lady joined.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“School is over for this afternoon,” said Gray Lady, -“but before you go we must arrange for our next meeting. -I, myself, belong to the Humane Society. How would -you like to organize a little school society of your own to -help one another remember to be kind to everything that -<span class='pageno' title='80' id='Page_80'></span> -lives, and also to see and learn all you can about our -little brothers of the air, whose life and happiness depends -as much upon our mercy as our food and shade, beautiful -flowers, and luscious fruit depend upon their industry?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Let us call it ‘The Kind Hearts’ Club.’ Who will join -it? Goldilocks and Jacob Hughes are the first two members—how -many more are there here? Oh! Tommy -Todd! one hand is enough to raise, unless you expect to -work for two people!”</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='81' id='Page_81'></span><h1>VII<br/> <span class='sub-head'>THE KIND HEARTS’ CLUB</span></h1></div> - -<p class='pindent'>“While you were playing hide-and-seek in the orchard -this morning, Miss Wilde and I had a long talk about the -Friday afternoons at school,” said Gray Lady, “and what -do you suppose? She has given every other Friday afternoon -to us, to you and to me, not only that we may all -learn about birds and animals and how to be kind to them, -but other things as well.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That will be lovely!” exclaimed Sarah Barnes, but -suddenly her face clouded and she added; “that will only -be twice a month, though, and if, when it comes winter, -it’s such bad weather that school has to be closed up of a -Friday, then it would be once a month, and that would be -<span class='it'>very</span> long to wait!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ah! but you have not heard all of the plan yet,” -said Gray Lady. “Two Fridays of each month I will -go to your school, and two Saturday mornings in every -month you are to come to my house, that is, if you wish to,—of -course you are not <span class='it'>obliged</span> to come. And it will only -be a very bad snow-storm, deeper than horses’ legs are -long, that will keep me away from Foxes Corners, for did -not you and I become friends on a very dreary, rainy -afternoon?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“On the Friday afternoon at school I will either tell or -read you stories of the birds of the particular season, and -<span class='pageno' title='82' id='Page_82'></span> -I shall give you every chance to ask questions and tell -anything that you have noticed about birds or such little -wild beasts as we have hereabouts, for you know it is a -very one-sided sort of meeting where one person does all -the talking.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I may be a sober-minded Gray Lady, but I very well -know how tiresome it is to sit still for a couple of hours, -even if one is listening to something interesting. I think -that one can hear so very much better if the fingers are -busy. So, with Ann Hughes’ help, I am going to give the -girls some plain, useful sewing to do, patchwork, gingham -cooking-aprons, and the like. This plain sewing will be -Friday work. On the Saturday mornings that you come -to me you shall have something more interesting to work -upon,—that is, as many of you as prove that they know -a little about handling a needle. You shall learn to dress -dolls and make any number of pretty things besides.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I haven’t got any thimble,” said little Clara Hinks, -called “Clary” for short, in a quavering voice. “Grandma -is going to give me a real silver one when I’m eight, but -that won’t be until next spring, and now I have to borrow -my big sister Livvie’s when I sew my patchwork, and it’s -too big, and it wiggles, and the needle often goes sideways -into my finger. Besides, she wouldn’t let me bring it to -school, ’cause it’s got her ’nitials inside a heart on one side -of it, and George Parsons gave it to her, an’ anyways she’s -using it all the time, ’cause she’s sewing her weddin’ things -terrible fast.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady had great difficulty to keep from laughing -outright at this burst of confidence, but she never hurt -any one’s feelings, and her lips merely curved into a quizzical -<span class='pageno' title='83' id='Page_83'></span> -smile, as she said, “What Clara says about her -thimble reminds me to tell you that Ann has a large -work-box with plain thimbles of all sizes, scissors, needles, -and thread. This I used last winter in the city in teaching -some little girls to sew, who were about your ages. I will -lend you these things, and then later on, if you do well, -you will have a chance to earn work-boxes of your own.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Have we boys got to sew, too?” asked Tommy Todd, -with a very mischievous expression on his freckled face; -“ ’cause I know how to sew buttons on my overalls, and -I can do it tighter’n ma can, so’s they don’t yank off for -ever so long!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, I had thought of something quite different for you -boys, though it would not be amiss for you all to know -how to take a few stitches for yourselves, for you are all -liable at some time in your lives to travel in far-away -places, and even when you go down to the shore and camp -out in summer, buttons will come off and stitches rip.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It seemed to me that hammers and saws and chisels -and nails and jack-knives would be more interesting -to you boys than dolls and patchwork!” As Gray Lady -pronounced the names of the tools slowly, so that she -might watch the effect of her words, she saw five -pairs of eyes sparkle, and when the magic word “jack-knives” -was reached, they were leaning forward so eagerly -that Dave slipped quite off his chair and for a moment -knelt on the floor at Gray Lady’s feet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But what could we do with all those carpenters’ tools -down at school?” asked Dave, when he had regained his -chair and the laugh at his downfall had subsided. “Dad -says it’s a wonder Foxes Corners’ schoolhouse don’t fall -<span class='pageno' title='84' id='Page_84'></span> -down every time teacher bangs on the desk to call ’tention,—we -couldn’t hammer things up there.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, that is very true,” said Gray Lady, “but the tools -are to be used at the ‘General’s house’ on Saturdays, -and the jack-knives at school on Fridays! I see that you -cannot guess this part of the plan, so I will not tease you -by making you wait as I had first intended.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As you may remember, Goldilocks told you this morning -that Jacob Hughes, who now lives with us since he -has left the sea, and keeps everything in repair about -the place, besides being a good carpenter can whittle -almost anything that can be made from wood with a -knife.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In the attic of this house are two large rooms. One of -these Jacob is fitting up for a playroom for my little daughter, -now that she will soon be able to enjoy it. The other -room was the workroom where her father had his tools -and workbench when he was a lad like you, for the General -had him taught the use of all the tools and he used to make -bird-houses and boats and garden seats and even chairs -and such things for the house. He grew to be so skilful -that he learned to carve them beautifully.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Since he went away to his father and mother in heaven -no one has used the room; but it is not right to let things -be useless when others need them, and now Jacob is putting -that room in order also. Then for half of the time on -Saturday morning he will take you up there, teach you -the use of the tools, and show you how to make bird-houses -and many other things, while on the Friday afternoons, -when the girls are sewing, he will bring some pieces of -soft wood to school, and something that he has carved as -<span class='pageno' title='85' id='Page_85'></span> -a model, and each boy must strive to make the best copy -that he can!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’ll be bully!” cried Tommy Todd, adding, “and -I think it is just fine of you to let us use those tools that -belonged to—to—” And here Tommy faltered for the -right word.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“To my husband,” said Gray Lady, very gently, and -the children saw the little mist that veiled her eyes, and -understood better than words could tell them why gray -hair framed the face that was still young and why there -were no gay colours in her dress,—in short, it came to -them why their Gray Lady earned her name, and yet was -never sad nor wished to sadden others.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“S’pose we haven’t all got jack-knives—that is, ones -that’ll cut?” piped little Jared Hill, blushing red at having -dared to speak. He was the smallest boy in the school -and lived with his grandparents, who, though well-to-do, -evidently believed it sinful to spend money for anything -but food and clothing, for the only Christmas presents -Jared ever had were those from the Sunday-school tree, -and though he was seven years old he had never owned a -knife.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If I lend the girls thimbles and scissors, I must, of -course, lend the boys jack-knives, and give them an equal -chance of earning them for their very own!” And from -that moment Jared Hill firmly believed that angels and -good fairies had fluffy gray hair and wore shimmering -gray garments that smelled of fresh violets, like Gray -Lady.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Let me see,” said she, glancing at a little calendar in a -silver frame that stood upon her desk, “two weeks from -<span class='pageno' title='86' id='Page_86'></span> -to-day will be the 27th; then you come here again. I -should like every boy who can, to bring some bits of old -weathered wood with him. Either a few mossy shingles, -the hollow branch of a tree, a bundle of bark,—anything, -in short, that will make the bird-houses that you build look -natural to the birds, who dislike new boards and fresh -paint so much that they will not use such houses until -they are old and weathered.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Again Gray Lady consulted her calendar. “There -will be eight Saturday meetings before the Christmas -holidays, and we must all be very industrious so as to be -ready for our fair.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where? what?” cried Sarah Barnes and three or -four other girls together, for to these children on this -remote hillside the word “fair” meant visions of the -County Agricultural Fair, and this stood for the very -gayest of times that they knew.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A little fair of our own to be held in Goldilocks’ playroom -and the workroom where the ‘Kind Hearts’ Club’ -will offer its friends bird-houses, dolls, button-bags, -cooking-aprons, and home-made cake and candy. Then, -with the money thus earned, the Club will have a little -fund for its winter work, and each member will, of course, -have a vote as to how the money is to be spent.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady opened a small drawer in her desk, and -took from it two packages of picture cards. The picture -on the cards of the first pack was of a little boy releasing -a rabbit that had been caught in a trap. The picture of -the other cards was of a little girl standing in a doorway, -and scattering grain sweepings to the hungry birds on -the snow-covered ground.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='87' id='Page_87'></span> -“Now, who wishes to join the ‘Kind Hearts’ Club’? -We must have some members before we can elect our -officers and begin. The promise you make is very simple.” -On the cards they read only these words: “I promise to -be kind to every living thing.” Under this was a place -to write the name of the member.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How can we always tell what it is kind to do? Some -folks think different ways,” asked Eliza Clausen, the hat -feathers still fresh in her mind.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Our hearts must tell us that, Eliza,” said Gray Lady, -very gently. “We cannot carry rules about with us, but, -if we have kind hearts always in our breasts, we shall not -make mistakes. And even if our hearts do not feel for -others in the beginning, they may be taught by example, -just as our heads may learn from books. That is what I -wish our Kind Hearts’ Club to stand for—to be a reminder -that there is nothing better to work for in this world than -that our hearts may be kind and true to ourselves, each -other, and to God’s dumb animals that he has given for -our service and has trusted to our mercy, for this is true -worship and doing His will.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Each one of the children present signed silently and -Gray Lady copied the names in a book, but let the children -keep the cards, both as a reminder and to show their -parents.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Miss Wilde came forward at this moment and she and -their hostess explained the manner of electing officers. -Before they trooped out on to the lawn, even then reluctant -to go, Goldilocks had been made president, Miss -Wilde, vice-president, Sarah Barnes, treasurer, and -Tommy Todd, who wrote a very clear, round hand, -<span class='pageno' title='88' id='Page_88'></span> -secretary, Dave, Jared Hill, and the two Shelton boys, -a committee to collect old wood, and Eliza Clausen, Ruth -Banks, and Mary Barnes, a committee to collect odd -patterns for patchwork, something in which the older -country folks showed great ingenuity and took no little -pride.</p> - -<hr class='tbk101'/> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh my, do look at the Swallows—there’s hundreds of -them on the wires,” said Tommy, as Goldilocks was -wheeled out on to the front walk to tell the party -“Good-by,” her mother following.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wish I knew what really truly becomes of them,” -said Sarah Barnes; “father says nobody knows, though -some people say that they go down in pond mud and bury -themselves all winter like frogs, and though you see them -last right by water, I don’t believe it’s likely, do you, Gray -Lady? Though at the end they disappear all of a sudden.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is not only unlikely, but impossible. I think next -Friday we will begin our real lessons with these fleet-winged -birds of passage that are passing now every day -and night.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>After the good-bys were said again and again, the -children scattered down the road, talking all together, -very much like a twittering flock of Swallows themselves, -and like the birds they were neither still nor silent until -darkness fell. Miss Wilde followed, smiling and happy, -for she had found a friend who not only did not belittle -her work in the hillside school, but showed her undreamed-of -possibilities in it.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='89' id='Page_89'></span><h1>VIII<br/> <span class='sub-head'>THE PROCESSION PASSES</span></h1></div> - -<p class='pindent'>Time—September 20th. Place—The School at Foxes -Corners.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>These are the stories that Gray Lady told or read from -her scrap-book between September and Flag Day. She -allowed them to be copied at Miss Wilde’s request for the -pleasure of the other children in the township.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><a id='swal1'></a>THE SWALLOWS</h2> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:0.5em;'><span class='it'>Five Swallows and a Changeling</span></p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wonder if there is a child living in the real country -who does not know a Swallow by sight the moment its -eyes rest upon the bird? I think not, and a great many -people who are only in the country at midsummer and in -early autumn also know the Swallows, even though they -cannot tell the different kinds apart, for during the nesting -time, as well as the flocking period that follows, Swallows -are conspicuous birds of the air and leaders of the -birds that might be grouped as “The Fleetwings.” For -not only do Swallows get their food while on the wing, now -pursuing it through the upper air if the day is fair, now -sweeping low over meadow, pond, and river if the clouds -hang heavy and insect life keeps near to the ground, but -during the flocking season, when the separate families -<span class='pageno' title='90' id='Page_90'></span> -join in the community life that they live through the -winter, the Swallows are constantly on the wing.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The day that we had the orchard party you all noticed -the Swallows flying over the pond between the orchard -and river woods, sometimes alighting so close together on -the bushes as to be as thick as the leaves, and then again -stringing along the telegraph wires, above the highway, -some heading one way and some another until, evidently -at a signal, they flew off again and disappeared in the -distance, until they seemed but a cloud of smoke.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We agreed, I think, some time ago, that it is much better -to learn the real names of people, animals, and flowers than -to simply give general names. It is more definite to say, -“I saw a Swallow” flying over the moor or meadow, than -to say, “I saw a bird” flying over the meadow; but it would -be more interesting still if we tell the name of the particular -kind of Swallow that was seen, for among the many -kinds that exist at least five are quite common, according -to the part of the United States in which one lives.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Can any of you tell me the names of these Swallows, -how they differ in plumage, and where they live? I can -see by Dave’s face that he knows something about them -and I think Sarah Barnes does also, while as for Tommy -Todd, both hands are up in spite of jack-knife and the -windmill he is making and he can hardly wait for me to -stop.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now, Tommy, how many kinds of Swallows do you -know?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Three!” he replied promptly. “Barn Swallows, and -<a id='swift1'></a>Chimney Swallows, and Dirt Swallows!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have heard of Barn and Chimney Swallows, but -<span class='pageno' title='91' id='Page_91'></span> -never of a Dirt Swallow. Please describe it to me,” -said Gray Lady, looking interested.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Tommy hesitated for a minute, for it is one thing to -know a bird by sight, but quite another to carry a correct -picture of it in your mind’s eye and then put it into -words.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<a id='swalb1'></a>A Dirt Swallow is pretty small and a kind of a dirty -colour on top and a stripe across his chest, the rest white, -and his tail hasn’t sharp points, and he isn’t blue and -shiny like a <a id='barnsw2'></a>Barn Swallow. He doesn’t build a nice nest -like the others, but bores a hole right into a dirt bank, -ever so far in, like a Kingfisher does, just like he was a -ground-hog, and puts feathers in at the end for a nest. -That’s why we call ’em Dirt Swallows. There’s a bank -above Uncle Hill’s gravel-pit that’s full of the holes, and -another bank full right at Farm’s End above the sand -beach where we camped a week last summer. The way -I found out about the holes was by diggin’ down a piece -back of the edge of the bank, for sometimes they bore -as much as four feet. The eggs are real white, not -spotted like Barn Swallows’, ’cause we found a couple of -bad ones, that hadn’t hatched, among the feathers.” -Here Tommy paused for breath, his face all aglow -with eagerness.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That,” said Gray Lady, “is a very good and clear -description of the Bank Swallow, which is the English -name that the Wise Men have given the little bird that you -call the Dirt Swallow. As the bird always burrows its -nesting-hole in a bank and never in field earth or the flat -ground as a woodchuck does, Bank Swallow is decidedly -the better name.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='92' id='Page_92'></span> -Meanwhile Tommy had glanced hastily out of the -window to where birds were constantly leaving and settling -on the long-distance telephone wires that strung together -the long poles that walked by the door, and up the hillside, -striding across lots where they chose, regardless of -the road. Slipping from his seat to the window, he took a -second look and then said in a harsh whisper, as if afraid -that the birds would hear him and take fright, “Gray -Lady, there’s Bank Swallows mixed in with the Barn -Swallows on the wires, and I’m sure there’s another kind -besides, with a shiny back and all white in the breast. -Wouldn’t you please come out and look? If we go around -the schoolhouse, they won’t notice us from the other side, -but we can see them.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady gave a signal and the girls and boys dropped -the sewing and whittling quickly on their desks and, -following her lead, stole out on tiptoe, one after the other, -like the little pickaninnies when they sing, “The bogey -man’ll ketch yer if yer doant watch out!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There, to be sure, were the Swallows, hundreds of them, -all twittering cheerfully and none of them sitting still -even though they were perching, but pluming themselves, -and stretching their wings, the feathers of which they -seemed to comb with a peculiar backward movement of -one claw.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As Gray Lady scanned the rows she saw brilliant Barn -Swallows in little groups alternating with the sober-cloaked -Bank Swallows, and then half a dozen each of two other -species that were not so familiar.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bring me the opera-glasses from the little bag that is -with my hat and gloves,” she said softly to Sarah Barnes. -<span class='pageno' title='93' id='Page_93'></span> -Then, motioning the children to keep still, she crossed the -road to a point where, the sunlight falling behind her, she -could look up at the wires without becoming dazzled, but -as she did so the entire flock left the wires, and wheeling -went down over the corn-field toward the reeds and low -woods that bordered the mill-pond.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You were quite right, Tommy,” said Gray Lady, as -they still stood looking at the wires in the hope that the -birds might return; “there were not only three but four -kinds of Swallows in that flock. The birds with the -slightly forked tails, beautiful shining steel-blue and -green cloaks, and satiny white underparts are Tree Swallows -that do not nest near here, but stop with us on their -spring and fall journeys, and the others that you did not -notice, because in the distance they look somewhat like -Barn Swallows, except that they lack the forked tail, -are <a id='cliff1'></a>Cliff or Eaves Swallows, as they are called in this part -of the country, where they are rather uncommon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now we will go in and I will ask Tommy Todd, who -writes very clearly, to put on the board the names of these -four Swallows, and the particular thing about them that -will help you to tell them apart.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, I am afraid that they are not coming back,” said -Gray Lady, after they had waited a couple of minutes -more, “and they may all leave us suddenly any day now, -though the Barn Swallow often stays into October and the -<a id='whiteb'></a>White-Breasted almost to November.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A wagon loaded with rye straw and drawn by a yoke of -oxen came creaking up the hill and paused on the level -place in front of the school. The teamster was Jared -Hill’s grandfather,—the man who did not believe in play -<span class='pageno' title='94' id='Page_94'></span> -or playthings. As his far-sight was rather poor, he did not -notice that the lady with the children was not Miss Wilde.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wal, teacher,” he called, as he leaned against his load, -and tried in vain to discover the object at which the -group was gazing, “what’s up thet there pole, a possum -or a runaway hand-orgin monkey, or mebbe it’s the balloon -got loose from Newbury Fair grounds?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, nothing so unusual as that; we have been watching -the flocking of the Swallows,” said Gray Lady, her silvery -voice sounding clearly even in these deaf ears.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Swallers!—out er school watchin’ Swallers?” exclaimed -old Mr. Hill, taking the long straw that he was -chewing from between his teeth in questioning amazement. -“Shucks! what’s Swallers good fer, anyhow? Gee—haw, -Cain! Shish, Abel! We’d best move on; I reckon this -isn’t any place fer folks with something to do!” And thus -addressing his oxen, the load went slowly on.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>With the mischievous twinkle still lingering in her -eyes, Gray Lady asked Tommy Todd to go to the blackboard -as soon as the children settled down to their work -again, and this is what he wrote at Gray Lady’s dictation:—</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Barn Swallow.</span> You will know it by its glistening steel-blue -and chestnut feathers and <span class='it'>forked tail</span>. Builds mud nests in -barns and outbuildings. Comes in middle April; leaves in September -and early October. Nests all through North America -up to Arctic regions. Winters in tropics as far south as -Brazil.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><a id='tree1'></a><span class='sc'>Tree Swallow.</span> Glistening cloak—<span class='it'>pure white breast</span>. Nests -in hollow trees or, lacking these, in bird-boxes. Comes in April; -leaves in October. Nests in places up to Alaska and Labrador -and winters in our southern states south to the tropics.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='95' id='Page_95'></span> -<span class='sc'>Bank Swallow.</span> <span class='it'>Dull brown cloak with band across chest.</span> -Nests in deep horizontal holes in banks. Comes in April; leaves -in September and October. Nests like White Breast up to Alaska -and Labrador. Winters in the tropics. The smallest Swallow.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><a id='cliff2'></a><span class='sc'>Cliff or Eaves Swallow.</span> <span class='it'>Pure white band on forehead.</span> -Otherwise brightly coloured with steel-blue, chestnut, gray, rusty, -and white. Where there are no rocky cliffs for its nesting -colonies, they build under the eaves of barns, etc. Nests in -North America to Arctic regions. Winters in the tropics.</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>“Here you have a short description of four Swallows we -have seen this afternoon,” said Gray Lady, as Tommy came -to the end of the board and only finished by squeezing up -the letters. <a id='mart1'></a>“There is another Swallow, the big cousin of -these, called the Purple Martin, with shiny bluish black -cloak and light underparts. This beautiful Martin has a -soft, musical voice, and is very sociable and affectionate, -and even in spring, when the birds have mated, they still -like to live in colonies and are very good neighbours among -themselves. They were once plentiful and nested in tree -holes or houses made purposely for them, but, since the -English Sparrow has come, it has pushed its way into their -homes and turned them out, so now they are rare, and -perhaps you children may never have seen one.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There was always a high post with a Martin box holding -a couple of dozen families up at ‘the General’s’ as far -back as I first remember, but during our absence no one -watched to keep the Sparrows out, the Martins left, and -the house went to decay. Jacob has made a new house, -and we will not set it up until next Saturday, so that you -can see how it is divided—a room for each family and too -high from the ground for cats to reach. We shall keep the -<span class='pageno' title='96' id='Page_96'></span> -house covered with a cloth all winter, so that the Sparrows -cannot move in before the Martins return, and in this way -we may coax them to come back again and live with us. -Then, who knows, perhaps some one of the Kind Hearts’ -Club may have patience and take the trouble to build a -house and then <a id='mart2'></a>Purple Martins may become plentiful -in Fair Meadow township.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You heard what Farmer Hill asked a few minutes ago,—‘What’s -Swallers good fer, anyhow?’ I want you all -to be able to answer this question whenever you hear it -asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In the first place Swallows do no manner of harm; -they neither eat fruits nor useful berries, nor do they -disturb the nests and eggs of other birds. They are -beautiful objects in the air, and their laughing twitter -when on the wing is a sound that we should miss as much -as many real bird songs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ‘These are pleasant qualities,’ some may say, ‘but -not exactly useful.’ Listen! As these Swallows are -Fleetwings and always birds of the air, so they are sky sweepers, -living upon flying insects that few other birds -may take, and the large amount of these that they consume -is almost beyond belief; so watch when they come -back next spring on their return as they fly over the cattle -in the pasture, or over the pond surface teeming with -insect life. If they do nothing else, they earn their living -one and all by <span class='it'>mosquito-killing</span>, and the Wise Men of to-day -know that the sting of one sort of mosquito is not merely -an annoyance, but that it pushes the germ of malaria and -other bad diseases straight into the blood.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i127.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0008' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>THE PURPLE MARTIN</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not only are Swallows harmless and useful in the -<span class='pageno' title='97' id='Page_97'></span> -places where they nest, but are equally useful in all -their journeyings through the south. Some birds, like -the Bobolink, are both useful and harmless where they -nest, but do harm as they travel, for when the Bobolink -leaves for the south he goes into the rice-fields, eating the -rice grains in late summer and plucking up the young -rice in the spring. This, of course, gives him a bad name in -the rice-growing regions through which he passes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But the Swallow only destroys the evil insects as it -journeys through the south, and yet in spite of this, cruel, -or at best thoughtless, people kill them for the mere sport -of killing, for no white man could pretend to eat Swallow -pie, and the great flocks are tempting marks for ‘sportsmen’ -of this class. Then, too, the noise made at the places -where these birds roost, especially the Martins, has served -as an excuse for shooting them in numbers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If the people in the southern states would only fully -understand that Swallows destroy the boll-weevil that -damages the cotton in the pod, they surely would not allow -a feather of these little workers to be injured.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How I wish we could have a Kind Hearts’ Club in every -district school in the south, so that the children there -might help us to protect the birds during the time that they -are beyond our reach.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady paused and turned the leaves of her scrap-book, -as if she was searching for something. “Ah! -here it is!” she said at last, half to herself. “The Wise -Men at Washington who find out for us all the facts -about the useful birds have been writing about these -Swallows, and say that everything should be done not only -to protect them but in every way to aid their increase by -<span class='pageno' title='98' id='Page_98'></span> -providing homes for them. Let us hear what more they -say about these five that I have just described to you.”</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'><a id='tree2'></a><span class='sc'>Tree Swallow.</span> The Tree Swallow, as is well known, has been -persecuted by the English Sparrow until it has entirely abandoned -many districts where formerly it abounded. An energetic war -on the English Sparrow, and the careful protection of the Swallow -domiciles, in a few years would result in a complete change of -the situation, so far as this, one of the most beneficial of the -Swallow tribe, is concerned.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><a id='barnsw3'></a><span class='sc'>Barn Swallow.</span> The Barn Swallow formerly was abundant -throughout the northern states, especially in New England. -The tightly built modern barn, however, no longer invites the -presence of the Barn Swallow by affording it friendly shelter, -and the birds are becoming scarcer and scarcer. To provide -openings in modern barns, and to encourage the presence in them -of colonies by providing convenient nesting sites are easy and -effective methods by which this beautiful species may be greatly -increased in numbers. This bird also requires protection from -the English Sparrow, which in one foray has been known to kill -the young and destroy the eggs of a large colony.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><a id='swalb2'></a><span class='sc'>Bank Swallow.</span> The well known Bank Swallow, as its name -implies, nests in sand-banks in holes of its own digging. Some -farmers in the northern states take special pains to protect their -colonies of Bank Swallows from the marauding of the prowling -cat. Some even take pains to excavate suitable banks on their -farms and devote them to the exclusive use of the Swallows. -Gravel and sand-banks are so numerous throughout the north, -especially in New England, that at trifling expense the number -of colonies of Bank Swallows may be vastly increased, to the -advantage of every farmer north and south, and to that of every -nature lover as well.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><a id='cliff3'></a><span class='sc'>Cliff Swallow.</span> The curious pouch-shaped mud structures -of the Cliff Swallow, attached under eaves or to the face of cliffs, -are a sight familiar enough in the northern and western states, -but in the cotton states, save Texas alone, they are wanting, -<span class='pageno' title='99' id='Page_99'></span> -the bird that makes them being exclusively a migrant. The -English Sparrow persecutes also the Cliff Swallow; hence, in the -north, the bird is much less common than formerly. In Germany -the presence of Swallows around houses is so much desired that -artificial nests made of clay or other material are put up in -order to attract birds by saving them the labour of constructing -their own domiciles. No doubt our own Cliff Swallows would -be quick to respond to a similar offer of ready-made dwellings, -rent free, and in this way the range of this extremely useful -species might be materially increased. The Cliff Swallow is one -of the most indefatigable insect destroyers extant, and every -motive of patriotism and humanity should prompt communities -among which they live to protect and foster them in every possible -way.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Purple Martin.</span> <a id='mart3'></a>This, the largest and in many respects the -most beautiful of all our Swallow tribe, is the most local and the -least numerous. In New England and, perhaps, in most of the -northern states generally, this fine bird is steadily diminishing -in numbers. The English Sparrow often takes possession of its -boxes, ruthlessly kills the young Martins or throws out the eggs, -and usually succeeds in routing the colony and appropriating the -boxes. When measures are not taken to abate the Sparrow -nuisance in the immediate vicinity of Martin colonies, the usual -result is that the Martins are forced to abandon their houses. -The habit of putting up houses for the accommodation of Martin -colonies is not as common in the north as it formerly was, and -to this indifference to the Martins’ presence, to persecution by -the Sparrow, and to losses due to the prevalence of cold storms -during the nesting season, no doubt, is due the present scarcity -of the bird.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>From the standpoint of the farmer and the fruit grower, perhaps, -no birds more useful than the Swallows exist. They have -been described as the light cavalry of the avian army. Specially -adapted for flight and unexcelled in aërial evolutions, they have -few rivals in the art of capturing insects in mid-air. They eat -nothing of value to man except a few predaceous wasps and -<span class='pageno' title='100' id='Page_100'></span> -bugs, and, in return for their services in destroying vast numbers -of noxious insects, ask only for harbourage and protection. It is -to the fact that they capture their prey on the wing that their -peculiar value to the cotton grower is due. Orioles do royal -service in catching weevils on the bolls; and Blackbirds, Wrens, -Flycatchers, and others contribute to the good work; but when -Swallows are migrating over the cotton-fields they find the -weevils flying in the open and wage active war against them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>—<span class='sc'>H. W. Henshaw</span>, B.B.S., in <span class='it'>Value of Swallows as Insect Destroyers</span>.</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>“That Wise Man didn’t say anything about Chimney -Swallows, and, please, Gray Lady, you left them out, too,” -said Sarah Barnes, the moment the scrap-book closed, -“and I know they catch lots of flying bugs.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ah, Sarah!” exclaimed Gray Lady, laughing, “I did -not precisely forget, but I was waiting for some one of you -to ask the question. The bird that is called the Chimney -Swallow even exceeds the others in being forever on the -wing and never perching or ‘sitting down,’ as Sarah calls -it, and it is a brave insect destroyer. In fact, it never -perches even for one moment, but when it does rest makes -a sort of bracket of its sharply pointed tail-feathers and -rests against a tree or inside the chimney, somewhat as a -Woodpecker does when resting on an upright tree-trunk. -The Woodpeckers, however, have very strong feet, and the -feet of the Chimney Swallow are very weak. But here -comes the funny part—this chimney bird isn’t a Swallow, -and the Swallows would call him a changeling. He is a -Swift, first cousin to the tiny Humming-bird and the -mysterious Night Hawk and Whip-poor-Will, so we must -leave his story until we come to that of the family where -he belongs, for after we have learned the names of individual -<span class='pageno' title='101' id='Page_101'></span> -birds, it is well to know their family and kin. You -cannot always tell by the plumage of birds if they are -related. Louise Stone, Fannie White, and Esther Gray -here are cousins, and all live in one house, but as their last -names are different, and they do not look alike, a stranger -would have to be told, for he could not guess that they -belong to one household.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is three o’clock already, and I see that Tommy and -Dave have quite finished their windmills and Ruth’s -apron is waiting for the pocket, so in spite of Farmer -Hill’s remarks about ‘not working,’ every one has -something to show for this Friday afternoon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Before we go, let me see if you can tell the ‘<span class='it'>Things -to remember</span>’ about the five swallows.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sarah—the <a id='barnsw4'></a>Barn Swallow?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Shiny, steel-blue back and forked tail.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Dave—the <a id='swalb3'></a>Bank Swallow?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Dusty cloak fastened across the front.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ruth—the <a id='tree3'></a>Tree Swallow?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“White satin breast.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Roger—the Eaves Swallow?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“White on its forehead and all over mixed colours.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<a id='mart4'></a>And the Purple Martin? Who knows it?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s the biggest of all and doesn’t fly quite so sudden. -I’ve seen ’em up at Grandpa Miles’s in New York State,” -said little Clary Hinks, and then blushing because she had -dared to speak.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Next week in the playroom!” said Gray Lady, smiling -over her shoulder at them as they filed out the door to the -time beaten by Tommy’s drum.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='102' id='Page_102'></span><h1>IX<br/> <span class='sub-head'>TWO BIRDS THAT CAME BACK</span></h1></div> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:2em;'>(<span class='sc'>Birdland</span>, September 27th.)</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The rain had poured steadily all Thursday and Friday, -until Friday evening, and the wind blew so hard that -many a little window-pane in the older farm-houses fell -in with a crash and the owner, jumping up quickly to -snatch the lamp out of the draught, would exclaim, -“I do declare, we haven’t hed sech a genuine old-fashioned -line-storm for years!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The “line” being the short for equinox, the imaginary -line crossing the sun’s path over which, on March 21st, -old Sol is supposed to step from winter into spring. -Again, on September 21st, he steps from summer into -autumn, takes off his summer hat, with its crown of burning -rays, and tells his wife to ask North Star for the key to -the iceberg, where his winter flannels are kept in cold -storage, so that they may be ready for any emergency. -The fact that these storms seldom come upon the days -when they are due, simply proves that the solar system -prefers to measure time to suit itself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A little before dawn, on Saturday morning, the rain -stopped; the heavy clouds in the east broke up into bars -of blue steel, through which the sun peered cautiously, -as if uncertain whether or not to break them away. Then, -<span class='pageno' title='103' id='Page_103'></span> -suddenly deciding that it would, it signalled to the clear, -cool, northwest wind to blow and chase away the vapours -that made the clouds too heavy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>By the time Tommy Todd’s father came in, carrying -two milk-pails, Tommy following with a third, there was -promise of a fine crisp autumn day, and Grandpa Todd, -who had decided a week before, on his eightieth birthday, -that he would give up milking, at least for the winter, -came into the well-porch, and scanning the sky carefully, -with an air of authority, said: “To-night we’ll have hard -frost if the wind drops. We’d better get in those cheese -pumpkins jest as soon’s they’re dried off. Robins and -Blackbirds flockin’ powerful strong, and old Chief Crow -has brung his flock clear down to the ten-acre lot already.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Old Chief was the name that Grandpa Todd had given -to a particularly wise bird, whom he insisted was twenty-five -years old at the least, who was master of the roost in -the cedar woods and, by his wise guidance, kept his flock -the largest in the township, in spite of all the efforts of -the farmers, hired men, and boys in the vicinity to drive -them out.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There, also, on the slope south of the house, were fully -half a hundred Robins pluming themselves, shaking their -feathers out to dry, and acting in every way like travellers -pausing on a journey, rather than residents going out for a -stroll.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Tommy had paused to look at them, balancing the pail -carefully as he did so, and then the sight of the birds reminded -him that it was the day to go up to “the General’s,” -and he hurried in to eat his breakfast and finish the -Saturday morning “chores” that he always did for his -<span class='pageno' title='104' id='Page_104'></span> -mother. Then he went to the shed to look over the collection -of bits of old wood that he had both begged and -gathered far and near for the making of bird-houses.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A neighbour, who was re-covering his cowshed roof with -galvanized iron, had let Tommy pick up as many mossy -shingles as he could carry, and some of these were really -beautiful with tufts of gray lichens, some with bright red -tips, blending with mosses of many soft shades of green.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Tommy selected from the assortment as large a bundle -as he could carry, and, after cording it securely, went to -the house to tidy up, for Gray Lady had asked the children -of the Kind Hearts’ Club to come at nine o’clock this -first Saturday, for it would take them some time to look -at the play and work rooms before settling down to doll-dressing -and bird-house making. As he crossed the -kitchen, his mother, who was kneading bread, pointed a -floury finger toward a garment that hung over the back -of a chair. Tommy picked it up, and then his usual boyish -indifference, which he kept up at home even when he -was pleased, broke down and he gave an exclamation of -delight, for there was a new carpenter’s apron with a -pocket for nails in front, the whole being made of substantial -blue jean, precisely like the one worn by Jacob -Hughes himself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady had asked as many of the boys as owned -overalls to bring them. Tommy’s were very old and had -many patches, besides being smeared with paint, and he -hated to have dainty Goldilocks see them, so it seemed to -the boy that his mother must have seen straight into his -mind (as mothers have a way of doing) and read what -he most needed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='105' id='Page_105'></span> -Slipping his head through the yoke and fastening the -waist-band in place, Tommy suddenly grabbed his mother, -flour, bread, and all, in a rough embrace, and then clattered -up the backstairs, laughing at the two white hand-marks -that she had printed on his shoulder in her surprise.</p> - -<hr class='tbk102'/> - -<p class='pindent'>Up at “the General’s” house Gray Lady, Goldilocks, -Ann, and Jacob Hughes were as busy as possible making -preparations for the first regular meeting of the Club. -To the children, the whole performance in anticipation -seemed like the most delightful sort of play, but every -one who thinks will realize how much pains Gray Lady -was taking to have everything in order for the children’s -first view of the place. After this, like the wise friend -that she was, she had planned that the children themselves -would in turn take out the work, put it away, and -clear up threads or shavings as the case might be.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The playroom was on the southeast corner of the attic, -and had three dormer-windows with wide seats underneath. -Being an attic, the windows were set rather high -in the slanting room, but, if one stood on the wooden seats, -there was a beautiful view toward the river valley on the -south, while the east window looked down over the orchard, -and it seemed as if one might almost step out and -walk upon the tree-tops.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>On the chimney side was a small-sized cooking-stove, -and between this and the chimney-corner ran shelves with a -cupboard beneath, whereon and in a set of blue-and-white -dishes and various pots and pans were ranged. At either -end of the room was a stout table surrounded by chairs, one -being a kitchen table with a drawer, and the other a plain -<span class='pageno' title='106' id='Page_106'></span> -dining table with a polished top, suitable for playing -games, or holding books or work. It was upon this table -that the work-boxes and dolls were ranged, twelve in all, -and by each a little pile of clothes, all cut and ready-basted, -the whole being covered by a cloth. Gray Lady and -Ann had agreed between themselves that lessons in sewing -had better come first and garment-cutting follow later on.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>All the garments were to be made to put on and take -off like real clothes, and though they were very simple, -each doll when dressed would personate a different character, -for there was clothing for a baby doll, a schoolgirl, -a young lady, a trained nurse, little Red Riding-Hood, and -so on.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The workshop faced north and east, and was on the -opposite side of the stairs. This was of the same shape -as the playroom, but a small wood-stove, that could be -used for heating glue-pots, and to keep the room from -freezing in winter, took the place of the cooking-stove, -and there was a long workbench, with vise, lathe, and -mitre-box attachment under two of the windows where -the best light fell. Across one side of the room, various -tools were hung in racks, while at the end opposite the -windows was tacked a great sheet of paper upon which -many styles of bird homes were pictured. Below this -was a space painted black like a school blackboard, and -upon this Jacob had redrawn in rough chalk several -of the pictures to a working-scale.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady and Goldilocks were already upstairs when -the party arrived, for though Goldilocks could walk very -nicely when on a level, going up and down stairs was a -matter that took time.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i138.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0009' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -</div> - -<div class='blockquote0r9'> - -<p class='hang'><span class='bold'>BIRD-HOUSES AND NESTING-BOXES.</span> Fig. 1. hollow-limb nesting-box; -Fig. 2, birch-bark bird-house; Fig. 3, slab bird-box; Fig. 4, cat-proof box; -Fig. 5, old-shingle box; Fig. 6, chestnut-bark nesting-box; Figs. 7 and 9, boxes -with slide fronts; Fig. 8, house for Tree Swallow.</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:2em;'>From <span class='it'>Useful Birds and their Protection</span> by <span class='sc'>G. H. Forbush</span>.</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='107' id='Page_107'></span> -Tramp, tramp, came the feet up the stairs to the second -hall, with the rhythm of a marching regiment. Then -there was a pause and evidently some discussion, for, as -Gray Lady went forward and opened the door at the -head of the attic stairs, she heard Sarah Barnes’ voice -say, “Why, it’s a big Crow and a little one; but how -did they come in here? Don’t touch him, Tommy, he’ll -bite you. Crows bite like everything when they get -mad.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then Tommy’s voice said, <a id='crow3'></a>“The big one’s a Crow, sure -enough, but the little one couldn’t be any more’n mice’s -little rats. It’s one of those queer new birds that had -nests down in the Methodist Church steeple last spring; -I went up with Eb Holcomb one day when he was fixing -the bell-rope and I saw them, but nobody ’round here -knows what they’re called—unless Gray Lady may.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Looking down, Gray Lady saw the odd pair in question -and said to Goldilocks, “Your two pets have managed to -get in and are trapped between the top and bottom of -the stairs. Whistle for them, dearie, for the children are -waiting to come up.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Goldilocks gave two very good imitations of the quavering -call of a Crow, and then, using a little oddly shaped -silver whistle that hung about her neck on a ribbon, gave -a series of melodious whistles, when, to the surprise and -delight of the children below, Crow and Starling (for this -was the name of the smaller bird) immediately turned -about and went upstairs, the Crow hopping and flopping, -for one of its wings was deformed, and the Starling, as -soon as it had room enough for a start, flying straight and -true. When the children followed, they found the Crow -<span class='pageno' title='108' id='Page_108'></span> -perched on the back of Goldilocks’ chair and the Starling -flitting about the open rafters until he found a perch that -suited him upon a hook that had once held a hammock, -where he seemed quite at home. The Crow, however, -was anxious and uneasy when he saw the children trooping -up, and flopping from the chair-bar with a sidewise motion, -he scuttled across to the stove, under which he disappeared, -occasionally peering out with his head on one side -like a very inquisitive human being.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t wonder that you look astonished,” said Gray -Lady, “at seeing birds in this house that are apparently -captive, but the truth is that they will not go away, and -come back through every open window. So, as we have -not the heart to drive them away, we let them live here -in the playroom and about the barns, where they find -plenty to eat, and at any moment they wish to go, freedom -is close at hand for the taking.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But what made them come to begin with?” asked -Dave. “Crows are mostly the scariest things going.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Jacob found the Crow up in the cedar woods in May,” -said Goldilocks. “All the others were able to fly and take -care of themselves, but this one stayed in the low bushes -and its parents were feeding it. One morning, when -Jacob was up there cutting cedar posts for the gate he -made to Birdland, he heard a great commotion; the old -Crows and the young ones were cawing and screaming and -flying about in distress, while crouching in the bushes, -and just ready to spring upon the Crow, was a big half-wild -cat. It used to belong to the people up at the lumber -camp, but when they went away they left it, and all last -winter and spring it has lived by hunting.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='109' id='Page_109'></span> -“I know about that cat,” said Tommy. “The Selectmen -have offered five dollars’ reward for it, and it kills -more chickens, even big roosters, than all the Hawks -this side of Bald Hill.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“After Jacob had driven the cat away,” continued -Goldilocks, “he picked up the young Crow to try to find -out why it had not flown away like its brothers. At first -it was afraid and fought and pecked his fingers, but by -and by it let him handle it, and he found that one wing -was twisted, so that it was of no use. The point where -the long quill feathers grow was turned under, Jake said, -just the way it is in a roast chicken, and it must have -happened when the bird was little and had no feathers, -because those on that point of the wing were stunted and -twisted where they had tried to grow after it was hurt. -Jake straightened the wing as well as he could, and -clipped the feathers on the other one so that he shouldn’t -be so lopsided. The wing is stiff and doesn’t work rightly -yet, but Jake thinks that after next summer’s moult the -feathers may come in better; meanwhile I’ve called him -Jim, because that is the usual name for tame crows.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Jim likes to live about here and he does such a lot of -funny things. Why, the other day, out in the arbour, -he dropped the little afternoon-tea sugar-tongs into the -cream jug and took all the lumps of sugar in the bowl and -hid them in the empty robin’s nest overhead, and we -should never have dreamed that he had done it if Anne -hadn’t come in with fresh cakes and startled him so that -he dropped the last lump. He moves very quickly, for -he can fly a little and he uses his wings and beak to help -him climb, something like a parrot. Jacob has put him -<span class='pageno' title='110' id='Page_110'></span> -over in the woods by the Crow’s roost, time and time -again, but he always comes hopping back.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Sarah Barnes was going to ask what else the Crow had -done, when the <a id='star'></a>Starling flew across the room and out -through one of the windows that was opened from the top.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s gone!” she cried; “I’m dreadfully sorry, ’cause I -wanted to look at him so’s I’d know Starlings if I see them -again. Please, how did you get him? His wings seem -very strong, and he flew as straight as anything.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Larry has only gone out for a little fly,” laughed -Goldilocks; “he will be back before long, and if the window -should happen to be closed, he will rap on the glass -with his beak. No, his wings are well and strong, and -he is perfectly able to go away to his friends in the -church tower, for it was from one of those nests, that -Tommy saw up between the slats, that he fell.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Eben brought him up for mother to see, because a good -many people down at the Centre Village had been watching -these strange birds, and wanted to know their name and -where they came from. He was too little to be turned out -all alone, and Eben said that the nest had been upset and -the others that fell out were dead, so, as he ate soaked dog-biscuit -(because you know that there’s meat in it that -makes up for bugs to young birds), I thought I would bring -him up and then let him go; but you see the joke is that he -won’t go, and he acts as much afraid of being out-of-doors -after dark as a usual wild bird would if you put him in a -cage.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Who brought Starlings here, and do they belong to -the same family as Blackbirds? They look a lot like them, -only they’ve got shorter tails,” said Tommy Todd.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='111' id='Page_111'></span> -“I think I have a description of the bird, as well as the -date of his coming, in the scrap-book,” said Gray Lady, -“for he is an English bird and the only one of its family -in this country, so you can see why they may be lonely, -and like to flock in company with the Blackbirds.</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:0.5em;'><span class='sc'>The Common Starling</span>: <span class='it'>Sturnus magnus</span>.</p> - -<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Length</span>: 8.5 inches.</p> - -<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Male and Female</span>: Black plumage shot with metallic green and -blue lights. In full plumage upper feathers edged with -buff, giving a speckled appearance, which disappears as -the feathers are worn down, leaving the winter plumage -plain and dull. Yellow bill in summer; in winter, brown.</p> - -<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Note</span>: A sharp flock-call and a clear, rather musical, two-syllable, -falling whistle.</p> - -<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Nest</span>: Behind blinds in unoccupied buildings, in vine-covered -nooks in church towers; also in bushes.</p> - -<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Eggs</span>: 4-7, greenish blue.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This bird is a foreigner, imported to New York City some fourteen -years ago, some people are beginning to fear not too wisely, -for the birds are rather quarrelsome, and, being larger than -the English Sparrow, though not so hardy, are able to wage war -upon birds like Robins, and seize the nesting-places of natives.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The first birds, less than a hundred in number, were set free -in Central Park, New York City. Now these have increased to -numerous flocks that in Connecticut have gone as far east as -New Haven, and here in Fairfield and several villages near by -are acclimated and quite at home, though the bitter and lasting -cold of the winter of 1903-1904 thinned them out considerably.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Whether they prove a nuisance or not, they are very noticeable -birds, looking to the first sight, as they walk sedately across a -field, like Grackles with rumpled plumage. A second glance will -show that this is but the effect of the buff specks that tip all the -upper feathers, while the distinct yellow bill at once spells -Starling!</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='112' id='Page_112'></span> -In England they may be seen on the great open plains following -the sheep as they feed, very much as the Cowbird follows our -cattle, and in that country are very beneficial as insect destroyers.</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>“They are birds that will feed at the lunch-counter in -winter, for their food supply is cut off by snow, and, as -strangers, they have not yet the resources of the Crows -and Jays, neither are they as hardy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Boys, Jacob is ready for you in the workroom, and -he may keep you till quarter-past ten. I do not think -that you will really accomplish much to-day, except to -choose the kind of house you wish to make, and plan out -your work. Then you may all take a fifteen-minutes’ -recess in the orchard before you come up for the bird -lesson.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What birds are you going to tell about to-day? I -hope that they won’t be hat birds and Martyrs,” said -Eliza Clausen, with a sigh.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, not ‘hat birds’ this morning, although there are -plenty more of them, and always will be so long as people -insist upon wearing the feathers in their hats. I had -not quite decided what birds to take up next, but the recess -in the orchard gives me a new idea. Instead of -taking the birds in any set order, when you come in you -shall tell me what birds you have noticed this morning. -By this means we shall be able to take the birds as they -come with the seasons, and they will never grow tiresome. -Then, too, if, between times, you see any birds that you -cannot name, or about which you wish to know, remember -to tell me, and we will try to learn something about the -bird while it is fresh in your memory.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now,” as the boys went to the workroom, “the girl -<span class='pageno' title='113' id='Page_113'></span> -members of the Kind Hearts’ Club will please thread -needles and begin. If any one of you has sticky fingers, -Ann will show you where to wash them, because the very -beginning of good sewing lies in clean hands, for they mean -nice white thread and bright, shining needles.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When the cover was lifted from the table, and the girls -saw the dolls, and the little stack of clothes, they exclaimed -in delight,—even those like Katie Lee, who really -did not belong at school, for she had stopped playing -with dolls and was ready for the eighth grade. Only, -unfortunately, there was no eighth grade class at Foxes -Corners, and as it was too far for them to walk to the Centre -every day, they stayed on at school, and Miss Wilde -helped them as far as her time allowed so that they might -make up the required lessons at home.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>ENGLISH STARLING</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Here’s to the stranger, so lately a ranger,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Who came from far over seas;—</p> -<p class='line0'>Whatever the weather, still in high feather,</p> -<p class='line0'>    At top of the windy trees!</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Here’s to the darling,—brave English Starling,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Stays the long winter through;</p> -<p class='line0'>He would not leave us, would not bereave us,—</p> -<p class='line0'>    Not he, though our own birds do!</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Cold weather pinches—flown are the finches,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Thrushes and warblers too!</p> -<p class='line0'>Here’s to the darling, here’s to the Starling,—</p> -<p class='line0'>    English Starling true!</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Edith M. Thomas</span>, in <span class='it'>Bird-Lore</span>.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='114' id='Page_114'></span><h1>X<br/> <span class='sub-head'>SOME MISCHIEF-MAKERS</span></h1></div> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:1em;'><span class='it'>Crows and Jays, Starlings and Grackles</span></p> - -<p class='pindent'>The children came back very promptly after the mid-morning -recess, considering the attraction offered outside. -Though cheeks and all available pockets fairly bulged with -apples, they had sufficient appetite to enjoy the crisp -cookies, plates of which were set at intervals on the plain-topped -table in the playroom, together with pitchers of -milk or a delicious drink of Ann’s invention compounded -of oranges and lemons and sweetened with honey.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady breakfasted at eight, but she knew very -well that most of the folk of the Hill Country had their -first meal at six, except perhaps in the dead of winter, so -that a bit of luncheon between that time and noon was -what Goldilocks called “a comfy necessity.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now tell me what birds you saw this morning, and -what they were doing,” said Gray Lady, as soon as the -children had settled down. “Sarah Barnes, you may -begin.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We didn’t see anything new, that is nothing much; -but, oh, such a lot of common birds in flocks, <a id='crow4'></a>Crows and -Blue Jays and Blackbirds; why, there were enough Blackbirds -to make it dark for a minute when they picked up -<span class='pageno' title='115' id='Page_115'></span> -and flew over the tumble-down old house over there in -the corner. Of course, those birds aren’t very interesting, -’cause we all know about them, and I guess even Zella, -who hasn’t lived here long, can tell a Crow or a Jay and -Blackbird when she sees one.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, ma’am, Lady, I know him Crow,” cried Zella, in -delight at having some information to impart, “for my -papa he plant corn seed in the lot. Crows they come push -it out vit de nose and eat him. Then my papa and my -brudder shoot bang! bang! but they not get him, ’cause -him too wise. My Grossmutter say von time Crows was -people, bad thief people, and they was made in birds to -shame dem, but dey made bad thief birds, too, and dey -kept wise like dey was people yet, so dey is hard catching. -Den papa he made of ole clothes a man, and sat him the -fence on, and the Crows dey comes on trees near away, -and dey looks so at the mans and dey laughs together, but -dey not come no more very near yet.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes; I see that Zella knows and sees the Crow as almost -every one who owns a bit of land sees and knows him, but -there are sides to these birds that are so common hereabouts -that perhaps you do not know, for I did not at your -age, and it is only of late years that the wise men have -been trying to find good points in some birds that have -been always called bad. What they have discovered goes -to prove what an unfortunate thing it is for any one, bird -or person, to get a bad name.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My Grandma says a bad name sticks just like fly-paper,” -said Ruth Barnes, eagerly, “ ’cause even if you can -peel it off you, it always somehow feels as if it was there.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At this every one laughed, because almost every child at -<span class='pageno' title='116' id='Page_116'></span> -one time or another had been through some sort of an -experience with sticky fly-paper, and little Bobbie chuckled -so long that Gray Lady asked him what he knew about fly-paper, -and thus drew forth the explanation that his -father had sat on a sheet of fly-paper in the dark best -parlor one Sunday morning when he was waiting for the -family to get ready to drive to church, and nobody noticed -until he, being a deacon, got up <span class='it'>to pass the plate</span>!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What were the Crows and Jays and Blackbirds in -the orchard doing, Tommy; did you notice?” asked Gray -Lady, as she arranged some papers between the leaves of -her scrap-book.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<a id='jay2'></a>The Jays were hanging around your lunch-counter in -the old apple tree, that is, most of them; some seemed to be -bringing acorns or some sort of big seeds from the river-woods -way, and taking them into the attic of the old -Swallow Chimney house. I never saw so many Jays at -once; I counted sixteen of them,” said Tommy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Crows and Grackles were walking on the ground, -some in the grass meadow, and some in the open ploughed -field, and they were all searching about as if they had lost -something, and they kept picking and eating all the time.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Were they eating corn that had dropped, or rye?” -asked Gray Lady.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, no, there wasn’t any corn there, and the rye isn’t -sown yet. They were eating bugs and things like that, -I guess,” said Tommy, to whom a new idea had come as he -spoke.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is precisely what I hoped that one of you would -see for yourself—the fact that both of these birds eat -many things besides corn and grain.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='117' id='Page_117'></span> -“By the way, what kind of Blackbirds were they?—for -we have three sorts that are very common here. The Red-winged, -those with red shoulders that come in such numbers -about the swampy meadows early in spring. The -Cowbird of the pastures who is smaller than the Red-wing, -with a brown head, neck, and breast, the rest of him being -gloomy black, with what Goldilocks calls all the ‘soap-bubble -colours’ glistening over it, though the Wise Men -call this ‘iridescence.’</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<a id='grack1'></a>Then there is the Crow-Blackbird or Purple Grackle, -the largest of the three, who is quite a foot in length from -tail-tip to point of beak. This Blackbird has glistening -jet feathers, with all the beautiful rainbow colours on his -back and wings, that almost form bars of metallic hue, -and he is a really beautiful bird that we should certainly -appreciate better if it were not so common. Now, of -course, it is one step on the way to bird knowledge if you -can say surely this is a Blackbird, but it is necessary to go -on then and say <span class='it'>which</span> Blackbird.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They were the Purple Grackle kind,” said Tommy, -immediately, “for they were bigger than Cowbirds, and -they had handsome shiny feathers, and they did just creak -and grackle like everything while they walked around.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Very good,” said Gray Lady; “now I think that there -are several things that you do not know about these birds, -whom it is perfectly safe to call ‘mischief-makers’ and -undesirable garden friends, though our best knowledge -will not allow us to condemn them altogether as criminals, -as was once the custom.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At this moment Jim Crow, who had been on an excursion -first to the room, then, by way of the branches of an -<span class='pageno' title='118' id='Page_118'></span> -overhanging sugar-maple, quite down to the orchard lunch-counter -and back, had crept in at the window unobserved, -walked across the floor to the work-table, about which the -girls sat, and, going under it, was concealed by the cloth. -At this moment Eliza Clausen dropped her thimble. It -rolled under the table, and as she stooped to get it she -was just in time to see Jim seize it in his beak and half fly, -half scramble to the back of Goldilocks’ chair, with his -prize held fast.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, my thimble! Jim’ll swallow it!” she wailed, and -the boys, with one impulse, started in pursuit. They could -not have done a worse thing, for, seeing himself cornered, -Jim’s hiding instinct came to his aid, and sidling along to -the unceiled side of the attic, he quickly dropped the -thimble between the studs, and you could hear it rattle -down to the next story. Then he took refuge behind his -mistress’ chair, from which he peeped inquisitively, with -the sidewise look peculiar to Crows, so that it was impossible -not to laugh at his quizzical expression.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do not worry about the thimble, Eliza,” said Gray -Lady, “for those you are wearing for the sewing lessons -are not prize thimbles, but merely penny affairs. This -gives you a chance to see some of the little bits of mischief -that a tame young Crow can do in his first season, so that -you can imagine what a wild, old, wise, leader Crow -can plot and plan in other ways. You all know the Crow, -or rather, to be exact, the American Crow, for there is -the Fish Crow and a southern relation, the Florida Crow, -and in all there are twenty-five different kinds in North -America alone. This Common Crow is very plentiful here, -as he is in almost all parts of the United States, where -<span class='pageno' title='119' id='Page_119'></span> -he makes his home from the Mexican border up to the fur -countries.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But do you know that this Crow is cousin to the Blue -Jay?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How funny! What makes them cousins?—for they -don’t look a bit alike, and they’re not the same colour or -anything,” said Sarah, Tommy, and Dave, almost together.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, that is true, but colour and feathers have nothing -to do with bird relationship any more than coloured -hair has to do with human families, and you can see that -here among yourselves. The Baltimore Oriole, Meadowlark, -Bobolink, and Purple Grackle all belong in one -family, and yet how unlike they seem. It is the construction -of the bird’s body and its habits and traits that serve -the Wise Men as guides to their grouping, and in these -traits the two are much alike, for Mr. Chapman, who knows -all about these birds, whether as museum specimens, where -he can study their bones, or as wild birds in the trees, -where he watches them day in and day out, says, ‘Our -Crows and Jays inhabit wooded regions, and, although -they shift about to a limited extent, they are resident -throughout the year, except at the northern limits of -their range. They are omnivorous feeders, taking fruits, -seeds, insects, eggs, nestlings, etc. Crows and Jays exhibit -marked traits of character and are possessed of -unusual intelligence. Some scientists place them at the -top of the tree of bird-life, and if their mental development -be taken into consideration they have undoubted -claim to high rank.’</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You see, also, that here is a Wise Man who believes -that birds have intelligence that implies thinking, and -<span class='pageno' title='120' id='Page_120'></span> -this is different from the mere inherited instinct that -teaches animals how to obtain food, self-protection, etc. -There are people who believe that they are the only wise -animals, and deny that birds and beasts can think; while -there are others who try to make these birds and beasts -think on the same lines as ourselves rather than in their -own way. Both these are wrong; both are like blind men -that lead others into a ditch and leave them there. The -only way for you and me to do is to watch out for ourselves, -look carefully, and be very sure that we see what -is, and not merely what we would like to see.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now I will tell you what I, myself, have seen and know, -and what others, whose word is guaranteed by the Wise -Men, have seen concerning Crows and Jays. When I was -a child, twenty-five years ago, riding my pony, I wandered -all over the country-side with my father, and I knew -every Crow roost and Hawk’s nest for miles, and for many -years after I watched their comings and goings. Late -last winter, when I came back to the dear home to live, -I went out to the nearest of the old Crow roosts in the -cedar woods yonder across the river (you can see the -tree-tops plainly from this window), and, in spite of time -and changes, a flock of Crows was still there.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“To be sure, the flock was smaller, and there were -fewer Cedars, many having been turned into fence and -gate posts. But the Crows, big, black, solemn things as -they are, seemed to give me a welcome.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The life of the Crow is dull if judged, perhaps, from -the standpoint of the birds that make long journeys, such -as the Swallows, Humming-birds, and the Night Hawk -(that isn’t a Hawk at all), who nest in the far North and -<span class='pageno' title='121' id='Page_121'></span> -go back to spend the winter in Central or South -America.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yet all we stay-at-home people know how much can -happen even here in Fair Meadows township, and, if we -extend our territory from salt water, or the southeast, to -the hickory woods beyond the Grist-Mill on the northwest, -there is room enough for happenings that would -make an exciting life for any pair of Crows. For in considering -Crows, we must take the life of a pair, one of -their good traits being their personal and race fidelity, -and when they mate, it is usually for life.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is middle autumn now; what are the Crows doing? -All through August and early fall they have been feeding -good on grasshoppers, caterpillars, locusts, and cutworms. -This flock that roost in the cedar woods are doing that -which occupies most of a bird’s time in season and out, -working for a living, and in doing this they are searching -the grass meadows and ploughed fields for insects of every -sort and description.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Their time of mischief is over for the year. The corn -is cut and stacked; they may if they please tear the husks -from the cobs and then reach the corn, but they are not -fond of tough, dry corn, though, of course, they eat it when -really hungry. But just now there is plenty to be gleaned -from the field, and when the winter hungry time comes, -the good corn will be stored safe in the granaries.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Every night, before sunset, the Crows of the flock -leave the various feeding-places in twos and threes, and -flap across country in a leisurely fashion toward the roost, -where they spend their nights all the year except during -the nesting season. They return thus in little parties, if -<span class='pageno' title='122' id='Page_122'></span> -there is no cause for fear, but should a man with a gun, -a large Owl, or other suspicious object appear, either the -Crow on the watch, for there is always one of these who -guards the destiny of the flock, gives a signal by a sharp -quavering Ca-ca-w or, if this seems too rash, the leader -will simply take to wing and slip away silently, and, no -matter how quietly the leader slips away, the rest of the -flock know it and rise at once. How do they know -this?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Maybe they smell, just as our rabbit hounds do when -they start out after things that no one else sees or knows -about,” said Tommy Todd.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, birds are not guided by scent as animals are,” -said Gray Lady; “scent is held to the ground by moisture; -it would be difficult to follow when it is blown about by -air. Birds are led by their sight, which is many times -keener than that of man or the lower animals. Then, too, -they have another sense more fully developed than other -animals, and that is what is called the ‘sense of direction.’ -Knowing the spot to which they would go, they are able -to reach it in the quickest, most direct manner, so that -‘as the Crow flies’ has come to mean the most direct -way of reaching a place.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When morning comes they leave the roost, and, breaking -up into parties, begin the search for food again. As -the supply near home gives out, they go farther and farther -afield, sometimes going down to the shore, where they -pick up clams, mussels, and any scraps of sea-food that -they can find.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“After the corn has been taken in, they find scattered -kernels of that and other grain left in the field, but at the -<span class='pageno' title='123' id='Page_123'></span> -first snowfall hard times set in for the Crow. He cannot -search the bark crevices for insects like the small tree-trunk -birds with slender bills; people do not welcome him -to their farm-yards and scatter grain for him, or leave -him free to glean, as they do the other winter birds. It is -at this time, when the hand of man is turned against him, -that the Crow really works in man’s interest by catching -meadow-mice and many other small destructive animals.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“At this time, the Crow eats frozen apples, poison-ivy -berries, acorns, beech and chestnuts, and the like. But -now he grows poor and thin and his voice is querulous, -and from November to March the Crow is put to it for a -living. ‘Poor as a Crow’ is an apt saying.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE CROW</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Then it is a distant cawing,</p> -<p class='line0'>Growing louder—coming nearer,</p> -<p class='line0'>Tells of crows returning inland</p> -<p class='line0'>From their winter on the marshes.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Iridescent is their plumage,</p> -<p class='line0'>Loud their voices, bold their clamour.</p> -<p class='line0'>In the pools and shallows wading,</p> -<p class='line0'>Or in overflowing meadows</p> -<p class='line0'>Searching for the waste of winter—</p> -<p class='line0'>Scraps and berries freed by thawing.</p> -<p class='line0'>Weird their notes and hoarse their croaking</p> -<p class='line0'>Silent only when the night comes.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Frank Bolles.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'>“With the thawing out of the ground in spring, the -Crow begins to view the world differently. The search -for insects still continues, and the corn now gleaned is -<span class='pageno' title='124' id='Page_124'></span> -more palatable, for it has been well soaked, and though a -corn-eater by nature, the Crow does not like his too hard -and dry.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The flock life of the roost now ends. Every Jack -chooses his Jill, and mingled with the harsh warning cries -of the older birds are sounds that sometimes have a suggestion -that their makers are trying to sing. The funniest -thing in birdland is to see a Crow or a Purple Grackle -making love, standing on tiptoe on a branch, raising their -wings by jerks, like pump-handles that are stiff, while the -sounds they make stick in the throat in a manner that -suggests Crow croup.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Once in a long time, however, I have heard a Crow -begin with a high Caw, and then followed a series of soft, -almost musical, notes, though without tune or finish, but -this is the exception. But what, in his courting days, a -Crow lacks in song, he makes up by wonderful feats of -flight. For his size, the Crow is always a graceful bird on -the wing. When he flaps slowly up against the wind, -there is nothing laboured in his motions, but in the spring, -in company with a desired mate, his swift dives into the -air, wheels to right and left, circlings often finished by a -series of somersaults across the sky, are really marvellous.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now the pair of Crows that we will call Jack and Jill, -to save time, leave the cedar woods and begin hunting -for a nesting-site. At first they looked through the -hickory woods for an old Hawk’s nest for a foundation -upon which to build, but this year there were two Red-tailed -Hawks already in possession, and so they hurried -away as quickly as possible, for Hawks do not like Crows, -and tell them so very plainly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='125' id='Page_125'></span> -“Next day they spied the great white pine back of -Farmer Boardman’s barn. They liked the looks of the -tree, for it had a bunch of closely knit branches near the -top, and the neighbourhood in all respects promised good -feeding, but before they had carried more than a few coarse -sticks and put them in place, the farmer’s man saw them, -and not only fired his gun at them to drive them away, -but climbed the tree and threw the sticks away in order -to be sure that they should not rest there.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What did Jack and Jill do next? They came flying -over here. The place was attractive, and it was easy to -slip from the pine woods to the hickories, then across to -the orchard, and up to the spruce trees outside the window -here. Goldilocks was too ill to come up into the playroom -then, and so the windows on this side of the attic were -shut.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The nest-building began in earnest, both birds working -at it. First, a foundation of stout sticks, some of -them being half-dead twigs from these same spruces; then, -old weed stalks and vine tendrils, mixed with corn husks, -until a heap was collected that would fill a half-bushel -basket.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This was the outside of the house; the nursery itself was -hollowed in the centre of the moss and was about a foot -across and quite deep. This hollow was well lined and -soft; it had in it moss, soft grasses, and some horsehair. -In due time the nest was finished and held six very -handsome eggs, dull green with purplish brown markings, -two being more thickly spattered with them than the -other four. At this time I began to take an interest in -the household affairs of Jack and Jill Crow.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='126' id='Page_126'></span> -“How could you?—can you climb trees?” asked Eliza -Clausen, evidently much surprised.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, I couldn’t climb as far as this Crow’s nest, Eliza, -though I could have once,” laughed Gray Lady. “Stand -up on that seat by the corner window and look straight -down into the spruce with a crooked top and tell me what -you see.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Eliza jumped up on the seat, and, after gazing a minute, -cried, “Why, it’s a big ’normous nest, and I can see every -stick as plain as print.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Take this opera-glass, hold it to your eyes and move -the screw to and fro until everything is very clear, and then -tell me what you see,” said Gray Lady.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It took Eliza some time to manage the glass, but when -she at last succeeded she cried, “Oh, I can see the moss -and the grass and the hair; it comes as near as if I could -touch it.” And one after another the children learned to -adjust the focus and look, and it was the first, but not the -last, time that glasses would open a new world to them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was a little less than three weeks that the birds -sat upon the eggs, sharing the work between them, before -the little birds were hatched. Such ugly, queer little -things as they were, both blind and featherless. In three -weeks more they were well grown and able to fly, but their -tails were still shorter than their parents’, and they were -inclined to return to the nest on the slightest alarm.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“About this time Jacob Hughes told me that either -Crows or Hawks were taking little chickens early every -morning, for they could not get them during the daytime -without being seen.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I looked at the runs for the little chicks and saw that -<span class='pageno' title='127' id='Page_127'></span> -they stood in the open, not close to woods where Crows -and Hawks could spy them out and sneak up or dash -down according to their habits.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I well knew the bad name that Crows and Hawks have -among poultry-raisers, so Jacob roofed the chicken-runs -with wire, for, even if he had seen Crows there, I would not -allow shooting on the place during the nesting season.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Still the chickens disappeared, and for several nights -Jacob sat up and watched, and what do you suppose—cats -and weasels were the guilty ones, not the Hawks and -Crows!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But late in May the Crows prepared to raise their -second brood, mending their old nest, and Jacob said, -‘Something is robbing the nests in the orchard; I think -surely it is the Crows and Jays, for when they come -around all the song-birds chase them and say right out -as plain as possible, “They’re thieves—they’re thieves!” ’ -So I watched from behind the blinds yonder, and in every -spot where I could see into the tree-tops and be unobserved—and -then I knew it was true that the Crows -and Jays were detestable cannibals.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“One single morning I saw the Crow take three robin’s -eggs and bring a tiny little robin squab to his mate on -the nest, and one day, as a Crow flew high over my head, -I thought I saw something strange in its beak, and clapped -my hands sharply, when—what do you think? A poor -little half-dead Wood Thrush, big enough to have its eyes -open and some feathers, dropped almost on my upturned -face, and thus the Crow was caught in the very act of -killing. So, then, I said to myself, we can put tar on the -seed-corn and protect our young chickens with wire, but -<span class='pageno' title='128' id='Page_128'></span> -we cannot make up for the death of young nestlings and -the loss of eggs. I will not have the Crows shot, because -they do good in the far meadows and hayfields, but the -lonely woods, where few small birds nest, is the place for -them. I shall see that they never again build in my -garden orchard or woods, and if every one will do this, the -danger to song-birds will be less, and in the winter, when -they come about, there are no nestlings to be eaten.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was not long after that, owing to the evidence of -my own eyes, I was obliged to say the same thing to the -Blue Jay.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Wise Men say that, take it all in all, the Crow -should have a chance, and that part of his faults come -from our own shiftlessness. This is true, but if he feeds -upon song-birds the Crow must go.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><a id='jay3'></a><span class='it'>The Blue Jay</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“That the Blue Jay is a handsome fellow goes without -saying, as well as that he has plenty of assurance and is -somewhat of a bully. We may imagine that he knows -that his uniform of blue, gray, and white, with black bands -and markings, is very becoming, and if any one of you -should tell me that he had seen a Jay admiring his reflection -in a pond or little pool, I should be ready to believe -him. Certain it is that not one of our birds, not even the -glowing Scarlet Tanager, presents a more neat and military -appearance.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i161.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0010' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>BLUE JAY</span></p> -</div> - -<div class='lgc' style=''> <!-- rend=';' --> -<p class='line'>Order—<span class='sc'>Passeres</span> Family—<span class='sc'>Corvidæ</span></p> -<p class='line'>Genus—<span class='sc'>Cyanocitta</span> Species—<span class='sc'>Cristata</span></p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'>“The only awkward thing about the Blue Jay is his -flight. Although alert and agile in slipping through the -trees, when he takes to wing his progress seems laboured, -<span class='pageno' title='129' id='Page_129'></span> -as if either his body was too heavy for his wings, or that -the wings were stiff.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Like the Crow, his cousin, this Jay belongs to all -north-eastern America, making its home from Florida to -Newfoundland, and, like the Crow, we have some members -of its family with us in New England all the -winter, when it is certainly a pleasure to see them flying -through the bare trees or gathering food on the pure -white snow.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Jay does not annoy the farmer by pulling corn, nor -trouble the chicken yard; for eight or nine months he -earns an honest living, largely of vegetable food and -harmful insects, snails, tree frogs, mice, small fish, and -lizards, but in the breeding season, alas! he is a nest -robber, and here in my own garden and orchard I have -seen him this summer dodging and trying to avoid the -angry birds that were pursuing him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Twice I heard nestling Robins twittering as they do -when their parents come with food, but, like the wolf -disguised as Red Riding-Hood’s Grandmother, it was a -Jay who came to the nest and seized a squab, as my -eyes saw and the cries of the parent birds told.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then I said to Jacob, ‘We will not let the Jays build in -Birdland; they must be outcasts and go out and live in -the far-away woods with the Crows, where there are few -small birds.’</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How can we keep them out, you ask? It does take -a little time and patience, to be sure, but if we watch when -they begin to build and take away the sticks, you may be -very sure that they will take the hint and go elsewhere, -for they are quick-witted birds. So, perhaps, in time they -<span class='pageno' title='130' id='Page_130'></span> -would learn, at least in some regions, to inhabit places -where mice and other harmful rodents and bugs are -more plentiful than song-birds.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then in the winter we of the Kind Hearts’ Club can -make up for this seeming unkindness, and pay them for -the real good they do by feeding them through the hungry -time, when nuts, berries, and even frozen apples are not -to be found.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is a Blue Jay’s nest like? I don’t think I’ve -ever seen one,” asked Tommy Todd.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is not very easy to find, for they usually build rather -high up, in a place where the limb is crotched and has -many small branches. The nest itself is well made of -fibres and roots, and is usually quite cleverly hidden, and -the eggs are dull green, very thickly spotted.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Aside from the Jay’s unaccountable cannibal habit of -egg and squab hunting, he has many good qualities, both -as a parent and a friend to those of his own kind, and -though his call is harsh, and, like the creaking of the -Grackles, a reminder of coming frosts and bare trees, in -spring he has some pretty melodious notes and another -call totally different from the harsh jay, jay. This cry -is like the resonant striking of two bits of metal, a clink -without exactly the ring that a bell has,—yet I call it the -‘bell note,’ though perhaps the double sound produced -by hammer and anvil is a better comparison.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In the fall, however, the Jay’s voice is certainly harsh, -and not only lacks anything like musical quality, but is -so harsh that when there are many about the noise is -really annoying. The poet Lathrop describes the change -so well that I will read it to you.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='131' id='Page_131'></span></p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>O JAY!</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>O Jay!</p> -<p class='line0'>Blue Jay!</p> -<p class='line0'>What are you trying to say?</p> -<p class='line0'>I remember, in the spring</p> -<p class='line0'>You pretended you could sing;</p> -<p class='line0'>But your voice is now still queerer,</p> -<p class='line0'>And as yet you’ve come no nearer</p> -<p class='line0'>To a song.</p> -<p class='line0'>In fact, to sum the matter,</p> -<p class='line0'>I never heard a flatter</p> -<p class='line0'>Failure than your doleful clatter.</p> -<p class='line0'>Don’t you think it’s wrong?</p> -<p class='line0'>It was sweet to hear your note,</p> -<p class='line0'>I’ll not deny,</p> -<p class='line0'>When April set pale clouds afloat</p> -<p class='line0'>O’er the blue tides of sky.</p> -<p class='line0'>And ’mid the wind’s triumphant drums</p> -<p class='line0'>You in your white and azure coat,</p> -<p class='line0'>A herald proud, came forth to cry,</p> -<p class='line0'>“The royal summer comes!”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'> * * * * * *</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Sometimes your piping is delicious,</p> -<p class='line0'>And then again it’s simply vicious;</p> -<p class='line0'>Though on the whole the varying jangle</p> -<p class='line0'>Weaves round me an entrancing tangle</p> -<p class='line0'>Of memories grave or joyous:</p> -<p class='line0'>Things to weep or laugh at;</p> -<p class='line0'>Love that lived at a hint, or</p> -<p class='line0'>Days so sweet they’d cloy us.</p> -<p class='line0'>Nights I have spent with friends:—</p> -<p class='line0'>Glistening groves of winter,</p> -<p class='line0'>And the sound of vanished feet</p> -<p class='line0'>That walked by the ripening wheat:</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'> * * * * * *</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Such mixed-up things your voice recalls,</p> -<p class='line0'>With its peculiar quirks and falls.</p> -<p class='line0'>      Well, I’ll admit</p> -<p class='line0'>There’s merit in a voice that’s truthful;</p> -<p class='line0'>Yours is not honey sweet nor youthful,</p> -<p class='line0'>But querulously fit.</p> -<p class='line0'>And if we cannot sing, we’ll say</p> -<p class='line0'>Something to the purpose, Jay!</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>George Parsons Lathrop.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='132' id='Page_132'></span> -“The Blue Jay makes as good a forest watchman as -the Crow. Steal along ever so quietly, and if he chances -to spy you, good-by to seclusion; his cry of alarm rouses -every bird within ear-shot. But it is in their family life -the Jays show to the best advantage, for they will stay -by the nest and fight to the death, if necessary, while big -cousin Crow, though he makes a precious racket, takes -good care to keep himself well out of harm’s way.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“One trait belongs to this bird that I have never seen -recorded of any other, though, of course, it may be common -to all, and that is the care of the aged.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“To care for the young, even among people, is an instinct -as strong as self-protection. To care for the aged implies -a good heart and a certain amount of unselfishness. This -story is written down by Major Bendire, in his book on the -<span class='it'>Life Histories of American Birds</span>. He lived much with the -birds, and saw so truly that the Wise Men believe what he -records.</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='it'>Mr. Firth to Major Bendire</span>,—</p> - -<p class='pindent'>I made some observations last summer on the habits of the -Blue Jay, which certainly show a degree of sympathy and -kindness worthy of imitation of animals of a higher order. Last -August (1887), on an old farm in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, -<span class='pageno' title='133' id='Page_133'></span> -my attention was attracted by the notes of a Blue Jay, not the -ordinary cry, but a series of regular calls, followed by answers -from a neighbouring tree. There was something so peculiarly -like a communication of thought about the sound that I went -to the place, and saw an old Blue Jay perched on a fence some -distance from the tree where there were others.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>On my nearing the bird, the calls from the others became -more frequent and loud, changing from a low, pleasant communicative -tone to shrill alarm. Thinking that he was injured in -some way, I went up to him and found that at least he was -partially blind. The eyes were blurred and dim, the beautiful -blue feathers were faded; in fact, the general appearance of the -bird was so different as to be seen at a glance; the claws were -worn, the bill dulled, and the wings and tail ragged. Every -feature suggested old age and feebleness. Yet he was watched -and cared for as tenderly as ever a growing bird in the nest.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>No sooner had I caught him than there were at least a dozen -Jays close at hand whose sympathy and interest were manifest -as clearly as could be with words.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>After a thorough examination I let him go, when he flew in -the direction of the sound of the others, but did not succeed in -alighting among the smaller branches of the tree, and finally -settled on a large limb near the ground. I saw him, after that, -every day for a week, and never did his companions desert him, -some one of them being always near and warning him of danger, -when he would fly toward the sound of their voices.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They guided him regularly to a spring near by, where I saw -him bathe daily, always, however, with some of his companions -close by.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They not only watched and guided him, but they fed him. -I had noticed, some days before, Jays carrying food and thought -it strange at that season, as there were no young to feed, but -found afterwards, to my surprise and pleasure, that the poor, -blind bird was being fed by those he could no longer see.</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>“So you see the Jay, with all his bad tricks and nest-robbing, -has his good points, and we will not shoot him, -<span class='pageno' title='134' id='Page_134'></span> -but hint very strongly, if necessary, that he had better -nest away from the temptation that garden and orchards -offer in the shape of eggs and fresh meat.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As Gray Lady ended, a great commotion arose in the -neighbourhood of the orchard. Jays screamed and Crows -cawed, as if, Goldilocks said, they knew that they were -being talked about, and didn’t like it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady opened one of the windows and looked out. -Below stood Jacob, waving his hat to attract attention, -saying through his hands, “There are some Screech -Owls on a branch of the old willow back of the orchard, -and the other birds have found it out. The Crows are -mixing in and there’s a great how-de-do. I thought maybe -you would all like to see them, only I couldn’t go up -for fear they might shift away.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Of course they wished to see, and it was quite remarkable -how fifteen usually noisy children managed to tiptoe -through the orchard and avoid sticks and dry leaves.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='135' id='Page_135'></span></p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE WISE OLD CROW</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Not all the people know</p> -<p class='line0'>The wisdom of the Crow:</p> -<p class='line0'>As they see him come and go,</p> -<p class='line0'>    With verdict brief,</p> -<p class='line0'>    They say, “You thief!”</p> -<p class='line0'>And wish him only woe.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>That he’s selfish we admit,</p> -<p class='line0'>But he has a lot of grit,</p> -<p class='line0'>And on favour not a bit</p> -<p class='line0'>    Does he depend;</p> -<p class='line0'>    Without a friend,</p> -<p class='line0'>He must live by mother-wit.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>The Crow is rather shy,</p> -<p class='line0'>With a very watchful eye</p> -<p class='line0'>For danger coming nigh,</p> -<p class='line0'>    And any one</p> -<p class='line0'>    Who bears a gun</p> -<p class='line0'>He’s pretty sure to spy.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>The clever farmer’s plan</p> -<p class='line0'>Is to make a sort of ban,</p> -<p class='line0'>By stuffing clothes with bran,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Topped with a tile</p> -<p class='line0'>    Of ancient style,</p> -<p class='line0'>—A funny old scarecrow man.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>The Crow looks on with scorn,</p> -<p class='line0'>And early in the morn</p> -<p class='line0'>Pulls up the farmer’s corn:</p> -<p class='line0'>    He laughs at that,</p> -<p class='line0'>    The queer old hat,</p> -<p class='line0'>Of the scarecrow man forlorn.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Garrett Newkirk</span>, in <span class='it'>Bird-Lore</span>.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='136' id='Page_136'></span><h1>XI<br/> <span class='sub-head'>THE FLIGHT OF THE BIRD</span></h1></div> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1em;'><span class='it'>How do Birds find their Way?</span><a id='r1'/><a href='#f1' style='text-decoration:none'><sup><span style='font-size:0.9em'>[1]</span></sup></a></p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1em;'>(Told at Foxes Corners School)</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<a id='mig'></a>I was telling Grand’ther about how far away the birds<a id='travels'></a> -go in the winter, and how they fly against the lighthouses -and get killed,” said Tommy Todd, “and he said I couldn’t -tell him anything about their going away and coming back, -’cause he’d seen that going on, boy and man, these seventy -years. Grand’ther knows how the same kind of birds -come back to the place every spring, ’cause he says there -were Phœbe Birds had a nest on the end beam of the cowshed -over where the last cow stands,—way back when he -was learning to milk. Then when that old shed blew -down, and they built a new one like it, back the birds came, -and they are coming yet; first nest over Black Bess, and -second nest way out over the box-pen where the little -calves live.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What Grand’ther wants to know is how they find -the way to go so far, and how they know where to -stop and find something to eat, and if they get hungry, -’cause he says nobody seems to know just what they do -between times, and what people do tell seems like Jack-and-the-Beanstalk -fairy-stories, and he said maybe you -had some book that told about it so’s you could explain.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='137' id='Page_137'></span> -Gray Lady smiled in a half-puzzled way, as Tommy -spoke, for the questions that the children asked often -gave her as much cause for study and wonder as the -stories that she told them. She was finding out that -there were three or four members of the Kind Hearts’ Club -who had been seeing correctly and trying to think out -things for themselves before they had a chance to ask -questions, or had any books to consult.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Your grandfather’s question cannot be answered in a -few words,” she said, “neither is there any one book that -tells everything about these wonderful journeys, because, -as yet, not the very wisest of the Wise Men know it all, -though they wait and watch, and every spring and fall -many of them are scattered through the country upon -the course of the flying birds to watch them as they -pass.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“All the information that they collect is printed and -kept as evidence of what is known, a little here and a -little there, until we hope some day that the history will -be complete, when it will be one of the most wonderful -stories in the world, for even the little we know sounds -like a fairy-tale.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of course,” continued Gray Lady, “I know very little -from my own sight, but I will tell you what I have learned -of the Wise Men, who believe it to be the truth. I had -intended telling you about Owls and Hawks to-day, as I -promised you last week, when we saw the Screech Owl -up in the orchard, but that story can wait until the next -time you visit Birdland, for the Owls are still about; there -are pictures of them in the library, and others that are -stuffed and mounted in the glass case in the hall.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='138' id='Page_138'></span> -“All that we need, or that can help us with the story of -the bird on its travels, is that large map of North and -South America, for this will be a geography, as well as a -bird, lesson.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>(A fine map of the western hemisphere having been -the first thing that Gray Lady had given Miss Wilde for -the use of the school at Foxes Corners, the little old one -being out of date and indistinct.)</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Clary, you may take charge of the pointer to-day and -sit here by me, for this will be a rather long lesson, and you -will need help with the binding of your iron-holder, for -I’m afraid if you draw the stitches so very tight it will -pucker and not lie flat and smooth like the model that Ann -Hughes made.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And what work has Jacob given you boys for your -penknives to do?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wooden spoons out of white wood,” answered Dave, -“big strong ones such as’ll beat up cake and apple-sauce, -and, when they’re shaped, we are to smooth them down -fine with sandpaper. I’m going to give mine to my -mother; she broke hers yesterday, the handle snapped -right in two. She says the bought spoons are sawn out -crossgrain, any which way. There was an old man who -used to come down from the charcoal camp with wooden -spoons and butter-scoops and hickory baskets, and he -sold lots of ’em all through the town, but he died last -winter.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then surely wooden spoons and butter-scoops will be -very good things for the Kind Hearts’ Club to make for -its Christmas sale, and we shall be interfering with nobody, -for that is one of the things that we must remember when -<span class='pageno' title='139' id='Page_139'></span> -we are working for charity, not to make articles for sale -that shall interfere with others who make them to get an -honest living, for that sort of thing is a species of robbery -in disguise.</p> - -<hr class='tbk103'/> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><span class='it'>The Travels of Birds</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“What becomes of the birds that are with us in summer? -Where and how do they spend the winter? By what -roadways do they travel to their winter haunts? Do they -prefer to journey by land or by water, and how do they -find the way?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We need not think that we, or anybody else of our day, -are the first to ask these questions, for it is many hundreds -of years since they first began to puzzle thinking -people. At first, lacking any real knowledge of the simplest -facts of nature, and not having as yet trained the -eye to correct seeing, the people did as the ignorant do -to this day,—they imagined fabulous reasons. The more -impossible and wonderful or unnatural, the better, for -it takes a trained mind oftentimes to realize that the -most natural way is the best, and that the simplest way -is the most natural.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was in these far-back times that the foolish idea was -started that the Swallows dived into the mud and there -spent the winter, like the frogs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Another stranger idea was that small birds crossed -large bodies of water as passengers on the backs of large -birds, such as Cranes, Ducks, and Geese, for people did -not know enough of the structure of birds to realize that -the machinery of the tiny Humming-bird is as fit for flying -<span class='pageno' title='140' id='Page_140'></span> -long distances as that of the biggest birds that grow. -Ideas like this have been believed until a comparatively -short time ago, and it is only within the last fifty years -that there has been much real progress toward the truth -of it all. And this is the way it has been brought about. -In our country the band of Wise Men at Washington, -forming the United States Biological Survey, have for -twenty years been gathering facts about the migration -of birds. This body has sent out naturalists to travel -through the North American continent from Guatemala -to the Arctic Circle, to meet with other scientific men on -their way, and keep careful notes of what they see, so that -reports are had in the spring and fall each year from -hundreds of observers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“These reports give the date upon which each particular -kind (or species, as they call it) of bird is seen, when -it becomes plenty, and when it moves on again. The -lighthouse keepers also give much information by noting -the times at which they find the birds that are dashed to -death against the lanterns in the tower. In short, the -Wise Men have more material at hand than ever before -from which to shape the story that day by day increases -in wonder.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><span class='it'>Causes of the Migrations</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is more than two thousand years since the wonders -of bird travel have been noted; and while the distances -and routes of travel are better known, we cannot yet give a -positive answer to the question, ‘Why do birds migrate?’ ”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Please, Gray Lady,” said Sarah Barnes, “I thought -you said it was because in fall the insect food begins to -<span class='pageno' title='141' id='Page_141'></span> -freeze and give out, and they go south after it and in -spring they want to go back home.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, Sarah, that is one of the reasons, and yet birds -start off oftentimes when food is still plenty, and every -naturalist knows of the rush of the water-fowl northward -so early every spring that they are often turned back by -storms and have to retrace their flight, and they have -all seen that Robins, Bluebirds, and Swallows, following -too closely in the wake of the water-fowl, sometimes -lose hundreds out of their flocks by cold and starvation.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If the fall journey is caused by lack of food, why -does it begin when food is most plenty? At some of -the Florida lighthouses the Wise Men have seen that -the southward trip with some birds begins between the -first and middle of July, at the time when the crop of -insects and ripe seeds and berries is at its height. So -the best answer that can be made is that ages ago, when -the migrations began, they were connected with a food -supply that changed more suddenly than at the present -time, and that, even when the direct motive is lost, the -habit remains fixed.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s it; that’s a bully reason!” cried Tommy -Todd, excitedly. “They’ve got the notion that they’re -going travelling just so often and they can’t calculate -the time right and so they get ready too soon; likely -they haven’t got very good heads for planning. That’s -the reason, Pop says, that every fall, when Ma and Aunt -Hannah go up to Kent to visit Grandma Tuck, they are -all ready on the stoop by half-past seven, when there’s -never been a train from here to there before ’leven. If -they were birds, they’d probably fly off as soon as it was -<span class='pageno' title='142' id='Page_142'></span> -light, and get to Grandma’s for breakfast, when they’d -written on a picture postal, with tea-cups and a cat on -it, that she might expect them for supper.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When the laugh at Tommy’s comparison had subsided, -Gray Lady said, “Your idea is by no means a -foolish one, and it may be that a boy like you, who -watches and thinks, will some day piece the facts together -that will finally settle the question.”</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><span class='it'>How do Birds find their Way?</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“How do the birds find their way over the hundreds -or thousands of miles between the winter and summer -homes? Sight is probably the chief guide of those who -fly by day, and it is known that these day travellers -seldom make the long single flights that are so common -with the birds that journey at night. Sight, undoubtedly, -also guides them, to a large extent, in the night journeys, -when the moon is bright. Migrating birds fly high, so -that one can hardly hear their faint twittering. But -if the sky is obscured and the clouds hang low, the flocks -keep nearer to the earth, and their calls are more distinctly -heard; while on very dark nights, the vibration -of their wings can be heard close overhead.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i176.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0011' style='width:100%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>TERNS AND SKIMMERS ON THE WING</span><br/><span style='font-size:smaller'>(Summer Bird-Life, Cobbs Island, Va. Am. Museum Nat. Hist., N.Y.)</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>“Notwithstanding this, something besides sight guides -these travellers in the upper air. (Here is a route -for you to trace on the map.) In Alaska, a few years -ago, members of the Biological Survey on the Harriman -expedition went by steamer from the island of Unalaska -to Bogoslof Island, a distance of about sixty miles. A -dense fog had shut out every object beyond a hundred -<span class='pageno' title='143' id='Page_143'></span> -yards. When the steamer was halfway across, flocks -of <a id='murre'></a>Murres, returning to Bogoslof after long quests for -food, began to break through the fog wall astern, fly -side by side with the vessels, and disappear in the mists -ahead. By chart and compass, the ship was heading -straight for the island; but its course was no more exact -than that taken by the birds. The power which carried -them unerringly home over the ocean wastes, whatever -its nature, may be called ‘a sense of direction.’ We -recognize in ourselves the possession of some such sense, -though imperfect and easily at fault. Doubtless a -similar, but vastly more acute, sense enabled the Murres, -flying from home and circling wide over the water, to -keep in mind the direction of their nests and return to -them without the aid of sight. It is probable that this -faculty is exercised during migration.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Reports from lighthouses in southern Florida show -that birds leave Cuba on cloudy nights when they cannot -possibly see the Florida shores, and safely reach their -destination, provided no change occurs in the weather. -But if meantime the wind changes or a storm arises to -throw them out of their reckoning, they become bewildered, -lose their way, and fly toward the lighthouse -beacon. Unless killed by striking the lantern, they -hover near or alight on the balcony, to continue their -flight when morning breaks, or, the storm ceasing, a -clear sky allows them once more to determine the proper -course.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Birds flying over the Gulf of Mexico to Louisiana, -even if they ascended to the height of five miles, would -still be unable to see a third of the way across. Nevertheless -<span class='pageno' title='144' id='Page_144'></span> -this trip is successfully made twice each year by -countless thousands of the warblers of the Mississippi -Valley.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Probably there are many short zigzags from one favoured -feeding-spot to another, but the general course -between the summer and winter homes is as straight as -the birds can find without missing the usual stopping-places.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><span class='it'>Accidents during Migration</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“Migration is a season full of peril for myriads of winged -travellers, especially for those that cross large bodies of -water. Some of the shore-birds, such as Plover and -Curlew, which take long ocean voyages, can rest on the -waves if overtaken by storms, but woe to the luckless -warbler whose feathers once became water-soaked,—a -grave in the ocean or a burial in the sand of the beach -is the inevitable result. Nor are such accidents infrequent. -A few years ago on Lake Michigan a storm -during spring migration piled many birds along the -shore.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If such a disaster could occur on a lake less than a -hundred miles wide, how much greater might it not be -during a flight across the Gulf of Mexico. Such a catastrophe -was once witnessed from the deck of a vessel, -thirty miles off the mouth of the Mississippi River. -Large numbers of migrating birds, mostly warblers, -had accomplished nine-tenths of their long flight, and -were nearing land, when they were caught by a ‘norther’ -with which most of them were unable to contend, and, -falling into the Gulf, were drowned by hundreds.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='145' id='Page_145'></span> -“Then, as I have told you before, birds are peculiarly -liable to destruction by striking high objects. A new -tower in a city kills many before the survivors learn to -avoid it. The Washington Monument has caused the -death of many little migrants; and though the number -of its victims has decreased of late years, yet on a single -morning in the spring of 1902 nearly 150 lifeless bodies -were strewn around its base.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bright lights attract birds from great distances. While -the torch in the Bartholdi Statue of Liberty in New -York Harbor was kept lighted, the sacrifice of life it -caused was enormous, even reaching a maximum of -700 birds in a month. A flashing light frightens birds -away, and a red light is avoided by them as if it were -a danger signal, but a steady white light looming out of -mist or darkness seems to act like a magnet and draws -the wanderers to destruction. Coming from any direction, -they veer around to the leeward side, and then, -flying against the wind, dash themselves against the -pitiless glass.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><span class='it'>Distance of Migration</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“The length of the migration journey varies enormously. -Some birds do not migrate at all. <a id='card1'></a>Many a Cardinal, -Carolina Wren, and <a id='bobW1'></a>Bob-white rounds out its whole -contented life within ten miles of its birthplace. Other -birds, for instance, the Pine Warbler and the Black-headed -Grosbeak, do not venture in winter south of -the breeding range, so that with them fall migration is -only a withdrawal from the northern and a concentration -in the southern part of the summer home—the -<span class='pageno' title='146' id='Page_146'></span> -Warbler in about a fourth and the Grosbeak in less than -an eighth of the summer area.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The next variation is illustrated by the Robin, which -occurs as a species in the middle districts of the United -States throughout the year, in Canada only in summer, -and along the Gulf of Mexico only in winter. Probably -no individual Robin is a continuous resident in any section; -but the Robin that nests, let us say, in southern Missouri -will spend the winter near the Gulf, while his hardy -Canada-bred cousin will be the winter tenant of the -abandoned summer home of the southern bird.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Most migrants entirely change their abode twice -a year, and some of them travel immense distances. -Of the land-birds, the common eastern Night Hawk seems -to deserve the first place among those whose winter -homes are widely distant from their breeding-grounds. -Alaska and Patagonia, separated by 115 degrees of -latitude, are the extremes of the summer and winter -homes of the bird, and each spring many a Night Hawk -travels the 5000 miles that lie between. But some of -the shore-birds are still more inveterate voyagers. These -cover from 6000 to 8000 miles each way, and appear to -make travelling their chief occupation.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><span class='it'>Routes of Migration</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“Birds often seem eccentric in choice of route, and many -land-birds do not take the shortest line. The fifty -species from New England that winter in South America, -instead of making the direct trip over the Atlantic, involving -a flight of 2000 miles, take a slightly longer route -<span class='pageno' title='147' id='Page_147'></span> -which follows the coast of Florida, and passes thence, -by island or mainland, to South America. What would -seem, at first sight, to be a natural and convenient migratory -highway extends from Florida through the Bahamas -or Cuba to Haiti, Porto Rico, and the Lesser Antilles, -and thence to South America.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><span class='it'>The Bobolink Route</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“Chief among these dauntless voyagers is the <a id='bobo3'></a>Bobolink, -fresh from despoiling the Carolina rice-fields, waxed -fat from his gormandizing, and so surcharged with -energy that the 500-mile flight to South America on -the way to the waving pampas of southern Brazil seems -a small hardship. Indeed, many Bobolinks appear to -scorn the Jamaican resting-point and to compass in -a single flight the 700 miles from Cuba to South America. -With the Bobolink is an incongruous company of travelling -companions—a Vireo, a King Bird, and a <a id='nhawk1'></a>Night -Hawk that summer in Florida; the queer Chuck-will’s-widow -of the Gulf States; the two New England Cuckoos; -the trim Alice’s Thrush from Quebec; the cosmopolitan -Bank Swallow from frozen Labrador, and the Black-poll -Warbler from far-off Alaska. But the Bobolinks -so far outnumber all the rest of the motley crew that -the passage across the Caribbean Sea from Cuba to -South America may with propriety be called the ‘Bobolink -route.’ Occasionally a mellow-voiced Wood Thrush -joins the assemblage, or a green-gold Tanager, which will -prepare in its winter home its next summer livery of -flaming scarlet. But the ‘Bobolink route,’ as a whole, -is not popular with other birds, and the many that -<span class='pageno' title='148' id='Page_148'></span> -traverse it are but a fraction of the thousands of North -American birds that spend the winter holiday in South -America.</p> - -<hr class='tbk104'/> - -<p class='pindent'>“Have you patience to follow the history of the flight -of one bird? The longest migration route is taken by -some of the wading-birds, especially the <a id='plovg'></a>American Golden -Plover, <a id='curl'></a>the Eskimo Curlew, and the Turnstone. The -journey of the Plover, in itself like a fable, is wonderful -enough to be told in detail.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In the first week of June, they arrive at their breeding-grounds -in the bleak, wind-swept ‘barren grounds’ -above the Arctic Circle, far beyond the tree line. Some -even venture 1000 miles farther north (Greely found -them at latitude 81 degrees). While the lakes are still -ice-bound, they hurriedly fashion shabby little nests -in the moss only a few inches above the frozen ground. -By August, they have hastened to Labrador, where, in -company with Curlews and <a id='turn'></a>Turnstones, they enjoy a -feast. Growing over the rocks and treeless slopes of -this inhospitable coast is a kind of heather, the crowberry, -bearing in profusion a juicy black fruit. The -extravagant fondness shown for the berry by the birds, -among which the Curlew, owing to its greater numbers, -is most conspicuous, causes it to be known to the natives -as the ‘curlewberry.’ The whole body of the Curlew -becomes so saturated with the dark-purple juice that -birds whose flesh was still stained with the colour have -been shot 1000 miles south of Labrador.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i183.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0012' style='width:90%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>GOLDEN PLOVER</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>“After a few weeks of such feasting, the Plovers become -<span class='pageno' title='149' id='Page_149'></span> -excessively fat, and ready for their great flight. -They have reared their young under the midnight sun, -and now they seek the southern hemisphere. After -gaining the coast of Nova Scotia, they strike straight -out to sea, and take a direct course for the easternmost -islands of the West Indies. Eighteen hundred miles of -ocean waste lie between the last land of Nova Scotia -and the first of the Antilles, and yet 600 more to the -eastern mainland of South America, their objective -point. The only land along the route is the Bermuda -Islands, 800 miles from Nova Scotia. In fair weather, -the birds fly past the Bermudas without stopping; indeed, -they are often seen by vessels 400 miles or more east of -these islands.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When they sight the first land of the Antilles, the flocks -often do not pause, but keep on to the larger islands -and sometimes even to the mainland of South America. -Sometimes a storm drives them off the main track, -when they seek the nearest land, appearing not infrequently -at Cape Cod and Long Island.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A few short stops may be made in the main flight, for -the Plover swims lightly, and easily, and has been seen -resting on the surface of the ocean; and shore-birds -have been found busily feeding 500 miles south of Bermuda -and 1000 miles east of Florida, in the Atlantic, -in that area known as the Sargasso Sea, where thousands -of square miles of seaweed teem with marine life.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Though feathered balls of fat when they leave Labrador -and still plump when they pass the Bermudas, the Plovers -alight lean and hungry in the Antilles. Only the first, -though the hardest, half of the journey is over. How -<span class='pageno' title='150' id='Page_150'></span> -many days it has occupied may never be known. Most -migrants either fly at night and rest in the day or vice -versa, but the Plover flies both night and day.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“After a short stop of three or four weeks in the Antilles -and on the north-eastern coast of South America, the -flocks disappear, and later their arrival is noted at the -same time in southern Brazil and the whole prairie region -of Argentina and Patagonia. Here they remain from -September to March (the summer of the southern hemisphere), -free from the responsibilities of the northern -summer they have left. The native birds of Argentina -are at the time engrossed in family cares; but, <span class='it'>remember -this well, no wayfarer from the north nests in the south; he -has a second summer free from care!</span></p> - -<p class='pindent'>“After a six months’ vacation the Plovers resume the -serious affairs of life and start back toward the Arctic -zone, but not by the same course. Their full northward -route is a problem still unsolved. They disappear from -Argentina and shun the whole Atlantic coast from Brazil -to Labrador. In March they appear in Guatemala and -Texas; April finds their long lines trailing across the -prairies of the Mississippi valleys; the first of May sees -them crossing our northern boundary; and by the first -week in June they reappear at their breeding-grounds -in the frozen North. What a journey! Eight thousand -miles of latitude separates the extremes of their course, -and 3000 miles of longitude constitutes the shorter -diameter, and all for the sake of spending ten weeks on -an Arctic coast! Do you realize this endurance when -you see birds passing that window?</p> - -<hr class='tbk105'/> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='151' id='Page_151'></span> -“As to the fatigue of the bird from travel, this is now -thought to be very slight, as bird flocks that have crossed -great bodies of water do not stop to rest, but usually -continue many miles inland. It is, undoubtedly, accident -or illness that sometimes causes birds to stop for rest on -the rigging of vessels or offshore islands.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><span class='it'>The Unknown</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“Interest in bird migration goes back to a far distant -period. Marvellous tales of the spring and fall movements -of birds were spun by early observers, yet hardly less -incredible are the ascertained facts. Much remains to -be learned, and it may be of interest to note a few of the -mysteries which still occupy attention. Even the daily -flight of a bird is a wonderful thing apart from the endurance -required in the long migrations. Though the -wings of birds are built on very much the same plan, few -species use them in precisely the same manner; while -on a windy day the wings assume a dozen different -positions in as many seconds, and to watch the flight of a -sea-bird, as it rises and trims itself to the wind and then -shapes its course, is to be awe-struck by this mysterious -power of flight.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Snap shot pictures of birds on the wing will show you -this better than many words. Some birds, like the Hawks -and Eagles, can sustain themselves in the air for hours, -sailing against the wind without any visible motion of the -wings. Others fly both by swift beating and sailing, -like the Terns in one of these pictures.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In short, the differences are so great that the Wise Men -<span class='pageno' title='152' id='Page_152'></span> -can often identify a bird by the sharp outline of its shadow -in flight.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This power of flight has been a subject of wonder for -many thousand years; we think and we speculate, but no -one has yet learned the secret in its fulness.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ‘The way of an eagle in the air! This is too wonderful -for me!’ is an expression of this feeling of mystery, recorded -in the book of Proverbs. One thing seems quite -certain, however—if man ever succeeds in conquering the -air and sailing through it, it will not be by the power of any -invention of his own, but because he has at least in -some degree mastered the knowledge of the flight of the -bird and adapted it to his own use.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><a id='swift2'></a>“The Chimney Swift, that you all know as the Chimney -Swallow, is one of the most abundant and best-known birds -of the eastern part of the United States. With troops of -fledglings, catching their winged prey as they go, and lodging -by night in some tall chimney, the flocks drift slowly -south, joining with other bands until, on the northern coast -of the Gulf of Mexico, they become an innumerable host. -Then they disappear. Did they drop into the water and -hibernate in the mud, as was believed of old, their obliteration -could not be more complete. In the last week in -March a joyful twittering far overhead announces their -return to the Gulf coast, but the intervening five months -is still the Swifts’ secret.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i188.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0013' style='width:100%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>THE WINGS IN FLIGHT</span><br/><span style='font-size:smaller'>(Birds of the San Joaquin Valley, Cal. Am. Museum Nat. Hist., N.Y.)</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>“The mouse-coloured Bank Swallows, that we saw here -in flocks a few weeks ago, are almost cosmopolitan, and -enliven even the shores of the Arctic Ocean with their -graceful aerial evolutions. Those that nest in Labrador -allow a scant two months for building a nest and raising -<span class='pageno' title='153' id='Page_153'></span> -a brood, and by the first of August are headed southward. -Six weeks later they are swarming in the vicinity of Chesapeake -Bay, and then they, too, pass out of the range of our -knowledge. In April they appear in northern South -America, moving north, but not a hint do they give of how -they came there. The rest of the species, those that -nest to the south or west, may be traced farther south, but -they, too, fail to give any clew as to where they spend the -five winter months.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Which one of the Wise Men can tell us? No one. -Look out the window now; there are two Night Hawks, -first flying high and then dropping suddenly through -the air. Is it not hard to realize that, while you are going -to and fro every day between your homes and school, -and by and by having to dig paths through the snow in -order to get there, those two slender birds will have flown -5000 miles to find a new summer, and will be having a -vacation absolutely free from family cares?”</p> - -<hr class='footnotemark'/> - -<div class='footnote'> -<table summary='footnote_1'> -<colgroup> -<col span='1' class='footnoteid'/> -<col span='1'/> -</colgroup> -<tr><td style='vertical-align:top;'> -<div class='footnote-id' id='f1'><a href='#r1'>[1]</a></div> -</td><td> - -<p class='pindent'>Condensed and adapted from <span class='it'>Some New Facts about the Migration of -Birds</span>, by Wells W. Cooke, United States Biological Survey.</p> - -</td></tr> -</table> -</div> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='154' id='Page_154'></span><h1>XII<br/> <span class='sub-head'>SOME SUSPICIOUS CHARACTERS</span></h1></div> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><span class='it'>Owls and Hawks</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'>Frost had come. Real frost, with black, nipping fingers. -White frost, at its first appearance, is a decorator who casts -a silver spell upon the meadows, turning them into shimmering -lakes and touching the ripe leaves until each one -becomes a banner of scarlet, gold, or russet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Chrysanthemums and tufts of self-sown pansies, huddling -in warm nooks, were the only flowers left about the -farm-houses or in Gray Lady’s garden, and both of these -would hold their own until Thanksgiving Day gave praise -for the year’s growth and bade growing things sleep the -long sleep of winter.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Birdland showed the change less than either the hickory -or the river woods, for the old orchard held its leaves as -apple trees usually do, and the belt of spruces and pines, -that ran from the north side of it quite up to the house, -made a cheerful green barrier and wind-break as well; but -the Swallows and Night Hawks were no longer skimming -the air, and high above, <a id='hawk5'></a>a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks -were sailing majestically, occasionally giving their cry -Kee-o—Kee-o!</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i191.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0014' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>RED-SHOULDERED HAWK</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>Jacob had finished the Martin house the week previous, -and a stout smooth pole like a flagstaff had been planted, -not in Birdland itself but on a slight rise in the ground -<span class='pageno' title='155' id='Page_155'></span> -that overlooked both the barns and the orchard. The -setting up of the house itself had been reserved for this -special Saturday, so that the children might take part -in the ceremony.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The top of the pole, on which there were fastened crosspieces -to make a foundation for the house, was thirty feet -above the ground. In this pole stout spikes were driven -at intervals. This not only would prevent cats from -climbing up to the house, but made a sort of ladder by -which a man or boy could go up and pull out the nesting -material of English sparrows if they tried to take possession. -For, if we are to keep the useful insect-eating birds about -our houses, we must try our best to keep this Sparrow -from living amongst us.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Hard as it seems, he must be classed with animals that -the kindest heart knows must be destroyed. But no one -wishes to hurt nestlings, so the best way to do is to prevent -the old birds from building in the haunts of the useful -song-birds, and then in winter, when the old Sparrows -gather in flocks about the barnyard, have some grown -man, with good judgment and aim, shoot them. Children -should never be let do this for amusement, for it is not well -to allow a painful necessity to become a sport.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Tommy Todd was quite late on this Saturday morning, -so that it was thought that he was not coming, and when -he did arrive he found the others gathered about the pole,—Dave, -who had a steady head for climbing, having been -allowed to go up with Jacob, after the house had been -raised with a block and falls, to hold hammer and nails -while it was securely fastened to the braces.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>They were all so busy that it was not until Jacob and -<span class='pageno' title='156' id='Page_156'></span> -Dave had come down, that Gray Lady noticed the box -that Tommy had brought and which stood beside him, -the slats on top telling that it contained some live thing.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As she turned to ask Tommy what he had brought, -Goldilocks came down the path in her chair, for though -she could walk quite well by this time, she was obliged to -be very careful, and Ann would not allow her to be on her -feet for more than an hour or two each day.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The little Owls are back again and all sitting in a row -on a branch of the old russet beyond the lunch-counter. -There is a hollow in the trunk of the tree that I never -noticed before, and do you know, mother, I shouldn’t be -surprised if the nest had been in there, so, perhaps, if we -have something that they like on the lunch-counter, they’ll -come back next year.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Come back? Aren’t you going to shoot them before -they get away?” asked Dave. “Because they might not -come back.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We don’t want them to come back to be shot, but to -make more nests and live here,” said Goldilocks.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Live! why, folks <span class='it'>always</span> shoot Owls and Hawks! They -are very bad things, though I guess Hawks are the worst; -anyhow, there’s more of ’em. Just look at those big Hen-hawks -flying up yonder now; maybe you’d like them to -come and live in the orchard. If they did, they’d eat the -lunch off’n your counter, other birds and all.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady, seeing by the expression of Dave’s face that -he could not quite understand any other view of the matter, -said: “Yes, Dave, you are right; people usually shoot -Hawks and Owls on sight—and have been doing so for -years. In fact, my own husband used to shoot them as a -<span class='pageno' title='157' id='Page_157'></span> -matter of course, and he was one who never killed a song-bird -and who greatly preferred to hear the Grouse drumming -in the forest, the Woodcock singing and dancing in -the spring woods (yes, they both dance and sing and I will -tell you of them some day), and Bob-white telling his name -from the fence-rail, than to have them come on the table -ever so deliciously cooked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<a id='hawk1'></a>But within the last ten or fifteen years the Wise Men -have found out a great deal more about these Owls and -Hawks—or Birds of Prey, as they are called, and they -know exactly what the work of these birds is in the great -plan of nature. Many of the facts they tell us of we can -see for ourselves if we have the patience to watch. Before -the country was settled by white men, and became what -we call ‘civilized,’ all of these birds of prey had their place, -but even now many of them are not only not hurtful to us, -but of distinct benefit. The difficulty is that we do not -stop to sift the facts and separate the good from the bad. -To the farmer, and particularly the poultry-raiser, the cry of -Hawk brings him out, quick as a flash, shot-gun in hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But if he will only realize that for every chicken or -pigeon one of these Hawks destroys, it in all probability -takes fifty rats, field-mice, short-tailed meadow-mice, -weasels, and red squirrels, he will see that he owes the -Hawk a debt of gratitude; for it is easier by far to protect a -poultry-yard from conspicuous things that fly above—like -Hawks and Owls—than to keep out the things that -crawl and creep.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now, before we go down to the orchard to see Goldilocks’ -little <a id='owl1'></a>Screech Owls, let us see what Tommy Todd -has in this box.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='158' id='Page_158'></span> -<a id='screech'></a>“It’s only a Screech Owl that I found up in the pigeon-coop -this morning, but it’s such a different colour from the -gray ones we have here, that I brought it up for you to -see if it was a rare kind. I daren’t take it out because it -claws and bites so.” And Tommy took away the cloth that -partly covered the box, and there sat the bird with open, -yellow-rimmed eyes, with which he seemed to see with -difficulty.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Owl was no taller than a Robin, but his large, round -head and thickset body made him appear to be a much -larger bird. He had two ear tufts (or horns) of feathers, -a strong, curved beak, and powerful toes, lightly feathered, -ending in the hooked talons that mark the birds of prey, -that is, birds that prey, or feed, upon forms of animal life -other than defenceless insects, worms, etc. Its feathers -were a bright rusty red colour, streaked with black; its -underparts being more or less white, mixed with red and -black.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Owls in the orchard are like this one, only they -are all gray and black,” said Goldilocks, after taking a -long look.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Perhaps this is the father bird; you told us that if one -bird is a gayer colour than the other, it is generally the -father,” said Sarah Barnes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, that is often the case, as I am glad to find that -you remember, but not with the Screech Owl, the most -common of American Owls, and one that is known under -many names—Mottled Owl, Gray Owl, and Red Owl.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i196.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0015' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>SCREECH OWL</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>“There may be some gray birds and some red ones in the -same brood, but this does not depend upon sex, season, or -age. The strange difference is called by a long name, -<span class='pageno' title='159' id='Page_159'></span> -‘dichromatism’ or two-colour phase, and this is one of the -things for which the Wise Men can give no positive reason; -so it is another question like those about the flight and -travels of the birds for one of you to find out in future.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bring the box up to the orchard, Tommy, and, after we -have seen the gray Screech Owls, you can open the door -and put the box in the tree and see what will happen.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Before they reached the gate of Birdland, they heard -a commotion inside; Jays were screaming in a great state -of rage and alarm, and, as they drew nearer, another sound -blended with the screaming, a hissing sound like “shay—shay—shay,” -and the snapping of beaks.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Jays have found the Owls out, and they’re hopping -mad,” said Jacob, who was standing in the shelter of a -tree-trunk, enjoying the scene. “The Jays daren’t -really touch the Owls, only jeer, and the Owls only snap -their beaks and hiss in return because they don’t like to -fly out in bright light; all you get back by the fence and -watch out.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The children did as Jacob suggested and Tommy put -his box on top of the wall and, at a signal from Gray Lady, -unfastened the slats. At first the little Red Owl stretched -his neck and snapped his beak; then, as he heard the voices -of the Jays, he backed into the corner of the box and drew -himself up thin and long, so that he did not look like the -same bird that had been so plump and fluffy a few seconds -before.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s just the way he did this morning when I found -him in the pigeon-house,” said Tommy; “in the dark he -didn’t look a bit like a bird, but more like a corn-cob on end.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There! look there, Gray Lady.” And Tommy pointed -<span class='pageno' title='160' id='Page_160'></span> -at a tree behind that in which the five Owls were roosting. -“There is another Owl all by itself that the Jays haven’t -found out, and it’s all drawn up thin just like my red one.” -And, following the direction of his finger, the Owl was -plainly to be seen, but so rigid and motionless that it -might have been a moss-covered branch stump.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We would better go in now,” said Gray Lady, after -they had watched for a few moments. “The Owls are -beginning to notice us, and I do not wish them to be driven -away until I have had a chance to photograph them. -Leave the box there, Tommy; with all this noise your -Owl cannot be expected to come out before night.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But if they are good birds, what was the red one doing -in Tommy’s pigeon-house?” asked Dave.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Probably looking for mice or other vermin, or perhaps -shelter,” said Gray Lady, “for though they sometimes -eat large game, mice or smaller animals are easier food for -a tribe of Owls that sometimes grow only six inches high -and never to a foot in length. I will tell you a way to -convince yourselves and make sure of what Owls feed -upon without killing the Owls,” said Gray Lady, as, on -their way up to the play and work rooms, they went into -the library to look at some of the mounted birds in one -of the cases.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As Owls usually swallow their food whole, they take in -bones, fur, feathers, etc., that they cannot digest; these -portions are made up into little pellets called ‘Owl balls,’ -and these are spit up before the real process of digestion -is begun, and if you search under the trees where owls -roost, you may often find these pellets for yourselves.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Maybe that is what these things are that I’ve found, for -<span class='pageno' title='161' id='Page_161'></span> -ever so many days, below the porch of the pigeon-house,” -said Tommy, pulling a bunch of paper from his pocket; -“I guess the Red Owl meant to live there this winter.” -He spread out the paper before Gray Lady, who was now -sitting at the table turning over the pages of a large book -in red covers. It was a reference book, in two volumes, -that she often used to look up stories of the birds about -which the children asked. The name of the book was -<span class='it'>Life Histories of North American Birds</span>, and they were -written and collected by Major Bendire, who was both one -of the Wise Men and an officer in our army. Putting in a -mark at the page where Screech Owl began, she closed the -book and looked at the contents of the paper.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, Tommy,” she said presently, “these are not only -Owl balls, but there is the fur and bones of a mouse in -each.” And deftly separating the wads with the point of -a pair of scissors and taking out a tiny skull, she motioned -the children to look at it through a reading-glass, each one -in turn.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Does the Screech Owl live everywhere in the United -States?” asked Dave, after he and Tommy had picked -out enough of the tiny bones from the fur to piece out the -entire skeleton of a mouse.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This same species of Screech Owl that we have here is -found all through the eastern part of North America, but -there is a Screech Owl, of some sort, to be found in the -other parts of the country; thus, there is a Florida -Screech Owl; one for California; another for the Rocky -Mountains; one for Mexico, and one for Puget Sound, -besides several others, and, of them all, the Rocky Mountain -Owl is said to be the handsomest.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='162' id='Page_162'></span> -“We have several other owls that live hereabouts and -do good work by killing rats, mice, snakes, lizards, etc. -Of course, they also eat some birds, but they are so valuable -to the farmer that he can ill spare them, and if he cannot, -neither can we. Do you realize that it is really the farmer -that holds the life of the country in his hand? What good -would money and houses and clothes do us if we had no -food?—and it is the farmer who, by carrying out the -workings of nature, makes food possible.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“These birds of prey divide time between them, the -Hawk works by day and the Owls at night and in the early -dawn; thus, ‘Nature, in her wisdom, puts a continuous -check upon the four-footed vermin of the ground.’</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Our little Screech Owls love old orchards and the -hollow trees to be found there, and they are well suited -to be guardians of the fruit trees. In hard winters, mice -and rabbits will often eat the bark of young peach, pear, -plum, and apple trees in such a way as to ruin them. -Who can keep a constant watch upon them by day and -night so well as the Hawks and Owls?—and if they do -take an occasional chicken or pigeon, these are more -easily replaced than fruit trees.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then, too, our little Screech Owl is a destroyer of cutworms, -those dreadful worms that do their work by night. -For this alone, should the farmer call this Owl his friend, -and let him nest in any little hollow under the barn eaves, -or in the old willow or sycamore, as he chooses. That is, -if the few sticks and feathers that line the hollow can be -called a nest.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The courtship of the Owl begins late in March, for -Owls, living, as they do, permanently in their homes, -<span class='pageno' title='163' id='Page_163'></span> -nest early; the <a id='horned1'></a>Great Horned Owl, of deservedly savage -reputation, beginning in February, and the round-faced -<a id='owlbar1'></a>Barred Owl in March. I have only seen the young Owls -on their first coming from the nest—queer, fuzzy little -balls, awkward in flight and noisy, who perch on a branch -like a row of clothes-pins all day, and then spend their -nights being fed, and in awkward attempts at learning to -fly. Once, in my girlhood, I kept an Owl with a sprained -wing in an outdoor cage for a couple of months, and he -grew quite tame and was very clever and clean apparently, -from the evidence of spilled water, taking a bath in his -pan every night and keeping his feathers in good -condition.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Major Bendire tells of the courtship of these songless -birds in a way that proves that where voice is lacking, -gesture takes the place of speech, as with Grackles and -Crows. ‘The female was perched in a dark, leafy tree, -apparently oblivious of the presence of her mate, who -made frantic efforts to attract her attention through a -series of bowings, wing-raisings, and snapping of the beak. -These antics were continued for some time, varied by -hops from branch to branch near her, accompanied by -that forlorn, almost despairing, wink peculiar to this bird. -Once or twice I thought that I detected sounds of inward -groanings as he, beside himself at lack of success, sat in -utter dejection. At last the lady lowered her haughty -head, looked at and approached him.’</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The young Owls when first hatched are blind and -featherless, and are so ravenous that not only do their -parents feed them at night but also put away enough -food in the nest to last through the day as well, so you can -<span class='pageno' title='164' id='Page_164'></span> -easily see how useful a family of these Owls would be -the neighbourhood of any farm.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE SCREECH OWL’S VALENTINE</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>A Screech Owl once set out to find</p> -<p class='line0'>      A comely mate of his own kind;</p> -<p class='line0'>Through wooded haunts and shadows dense</p> -<p class='line0'>      He pressed his search with diligence;</p> -<p class='line0'>              As a reward</p> -<p class='line0'>              He soon espied</p> -<p class='line0'>              A feathered figure,</p> -<p class='line0'>              Golden-eyed.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>“Good-night! my lady owl,” said he;</p> -<p class='line0'>      “Will you accept my company?”</p> -<p class='line0'>He bowed and snapped, and hopped about,</p> -<p class='line0'>      He wildly screamed, then looked devout.</p> -<p class='line0'>              But no word came,</p> -<p class='line0'>              His heart to cheer,</p> -<p class='line0'>              From lady owl,</p> -<p class='line0'>              That perched so near.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>The suitor thought her hearing dull,</p> -<p class='line0'>      And for her felt quite sorrowful.</p> -<p class='line0'>Again by frantic efforts he</p> -<p class='line0'>      Did try to woo her from her tree;</p> -<p class='line0'>              “Pray, loveliest owl,</p> -<p class='line0'>              The forest’s pride,</p> -<p class='line0'>              Descend and be</p> -<p class='line0'>              My beauteous bride.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>“A wedding feast of mice we’ll keep,</p> -<p class='line0'>      When cats and gunners are asleep;</p> -<p class='line0'>We’ll sail like shadows cast at noon,</p> -<p class='line0'>      Each night will be a honeymoon.”</p> -<p class='line0'>              To this she answered</p> -<p class='line0'>              Not one breath;</p> -<p class='line0'>              But sat unmoved</p> -<p class='line0'>              And still as death.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Said he, “I guess that she’s the kind</p> -<p class='line0'>      That people in museums find;</p> -<p class='line0'>Some taxidermist by his skill</p> -<p class='line0'>      Has stuffed the bird, she sits so still.</p> -<p class='line0'>              Ah me! that eyes</p> -<p class='line0'>              Once made to see</p> -<p class='line0'>              Should naught</p> -<p class='line0'>              But ghostly spectres be.”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>At this she dropped her haughty head</p> -<p class='line0'>      And cried, “I’m neither stuffed nor dead.</p> -<p class='line0'>Oh! weird and melancholy owl,</p> -<p class='line0'>      Thou rival of the wolf’s dread howl,</p> -<p class='line0'>              Since fate so planned,</p> -<p class='line0'>              I’ll not decline</p> -<p class='line0'>              To be for life</p> -<p class='line0'>              Your valentine.”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Florence A. Van Sant</span>, in <span class='it'>Bird-Lore</span>.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='165' id='Page_165'></span> -“Are any of these other Owls here useful?” asked Sarah, -who had been looking at the birds in the glass case while -Gray Lady talked. “This great big one with feather -horns looks as if he could eat a little lamb or a big rooster -if he tried.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<a id='horned2'></a>That is the Great Horned Owl,” said Gray Lady, -“and fortunately he is very uncommon here in New England, -for he is a cruel and wasteful bird, unsociable and -sulky, killing chickens, and even turkeys and geese, and -often merely eating the head of its victim and then killing -<span class='pageno' title='166' id='Page_166'></span> -again; it is the worst of all the birds of prey, and no excuse -can be found for its behaviour.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The <a id='owlbar2'></a>Barred Owl on the shelf beside the Great Horned, -though having a smooth head, is sometimes mistaken for -the fierce Owl and shot for its sins. Aside from sometimes -killing birds, it is a useful Owl, eating mice, rabbits, red -squirrels, etc. This is a remote, lonely sort of an Owl, -with a dismal hoot, as one man described it: ‘Hoo-ooo-ooo-ho-ho-ho-too-too-to-to!’ -sometimes interspersed by -a laugh and then a wail. I disturbed a young bird once, -causing one of its parents great uneasiness. It is impossible -to describe all the notes uttered by it at this time; -they were rendered in a subdued muttering and complaining -strain, parts of which sounded exactly like ‘old-fool, -old-fool, don’t do it, don’t do it!’</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There are two other owls that are very useful; one is -found all through the United States, and the other is a -more southern species, found usually south of New -England. The first is the <a id='short'></a>Short-eared or Marsh Owl, and -the other is the Barn Owl.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“All Owls, in a way, look very much alike, in spite of -difference in colour and size. They have round, feathered -heads, which they are obliged to turn around when they -wish to look, as their eyes are so fixed in their sockets -that they cannot roll them as other birds and animals do; -some have feather horns and some do not. They all have -talons, either covered by scales or feathers, with which -they seize their food, which they swallow whole. But -between the <a id='barn1'></a>Barn Owl and his kin, the Horned, Hoot, -and Screech Owls, there is a striking contrast.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i205.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0016' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'></span>BARN OWL</p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>“Look at those two in the case; they have round faces -<span class='pageno' title='167' id='Page_167'></span> -and circles of feathers about the eyes. The Barn Owl has -a heart-shaped face-disk, about which the head-feathers -cluster, making the bird look like a funny old lady in a -cap. This is the Owl that is usually described in poetry—the -Church Tower Owl, the Monkey-faced Owl, etc.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“While you look at this bird listen to some of the things -that the Wise Men say of it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Barn Owl, strictly speaking, makes no nest. If -occupying a natural cavity of a tree, the eggs are placed -on the rubbish that may have accumulated at the bottom; -if in a bank, they are laid on the bare ground and among -the pellets of fur and small bones ejected by the parents. -Frequently, quite a lot of such material is found in their -burrows, the eggs lying on, and among, the refuse. Incubation -usually commences with the first egg laid, and -lasts about three weeks. The eggs are almost invariably -found in different stages of development, and downy -young may be found in the same nest with fresh eggs. -Both sexes assist in incubation. One of the best methods -of studying the food habits of Owls is to gather the pellets -which they disgorge. These consist of the undigested -refuse of their food, hair, bones, feathers, etc. Sometimes -enormous quantities of this refuse are found in the nesting-place -of the Barn Owl, one recorded instance being two or -three cubic feet. When the tired farmer is buried deep -in slumber, and nature is repairing the waste of wearied -muscles, this night-flying bird commences its beneficial -work, which ceases only at the rising of the sun. All that -has been written regarding the food of the Barn Owl -shows it to be of inestimable value to agriculture. Major -Bendire says: ‘Looked at from an economic standpoint, -<span class='pageno' title='168' id='Page_168'></span> -it would be difficult to point out a more useful bird than -this Owl, and it deserves the fullest protection; but, as is -too often the case, man, who should be its best friend, is -generally the worst enemy it has to contend with, and it is -ruthlessly destroyed by him, partly on account of its odd -appearance and finely coloured plumage, but oftener -from the erroneous belief that it destroys the farmer’s -poultry.’</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In the West, the food of the Barn Owl consists very -largely of pouched gophers, a specially destructive mammal, -also ground-squirrels, rabbits, and insects. In -the southern states large numbers of cotton rats are -destroyed, a fact which should be appreciated by every -planter.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So you see, children, that those farmers who live within -the range of the Barn Owl can not only safely let it nest -under their roofs, but give the barn mice into its keeping, -for it will do more good and less harm than the usual -prowling cat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Short-eared Owl is unlike his brethren in that -his nest, lined with a few feathers or grass, is in a hollow -in the ground or in a bunch of tall weeds or grasses. He -is also what is called a cosmopolitan Owl, which means -that he is equally at home in all parts of the country, -and, during the migrations and in the winter, these Owls -sometimes live in flocks of one hundred or more, which, -considering the usual solitary habits of Owls, is something -to remember particularly.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i208.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0017' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>SHORT-EARED OWL</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>“As its nest is in moist, grassy meadows, so also does it -spend much of its time in the open, shunning the deep -woods beloved of other Owls, while it flies freely by day, -<span class='pageno' title='169' id='Page_169'></span> -except in the brightest weather. On cloudy days it -flies low over the meadows, in which it searches carefully -for its food. On the wing, it is easy and graceful, its flight -being more like that of a Hawk than the heavy swoop of -the Owl. Its wings are long in proportion to its body, -which makes it appear very large when in flight.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Short-eared Owls delight in carrying their food to -a hayrick or some such object, where they eat it at leisure. -This same food of the Short-eared Owl, in itself, is a letter -of recommendation,—for it consists of meadow-mice, -gophers, and shrews (that are such a nuisance in the West), -grasshoppers, insects, and occasionally a bird,—so that, -like the Barn Owl and the Long-eared or Cat Owl, his -brother, this bird deserves full protection.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Another cause has done many an owl to death,—not his -‘fatal gift of beauty,’ that has made so many birds become -bonnet martyrs, but the fact that the Owl looks so wise that -he was supposed to be the favourite bird of Minerva, the -goddess of wisdom. For this reason, people like to have -stuffed Owls in their libraries to sit and look wise on a -bookcase top.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thus many of the birds that have escaped the farmers -have been shot by collectors for the taxidermists or bird-store -folk. Now the Wise Men are making laws which will, -we hope, protect the useful birds of prey from this fate as -they do the beautiful songsters; but it is not enough to -make laws, it is the business of each one of us to see that -they are carried out.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have a very amusing poem about an Owl in my -scrap-book. When you have read it, you may guess, if -you can, to which Owl the author refers.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='170' id='Page_170'></span></p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE EARLY OWL</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>An Owl once lived in a hollow tree,</p> -<p class='line0'>And he was as wise as wise could be.</p> -<p class='line0'>The branch of learning he didn’t know</p> -<p class='line0'>Could scarce on the tree of knowledge grow;</p> -<p class='line0'>He knew the tree from branch to root,</p> -<p class='line0'>And an Owl like that can afford to hoot.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>And he hooted until, alas! one day</p> -<p class='line0'>He chanced to hear in a casual way</p> -<p class='line0'>An insignificant little bird</p> -<p class='line0'>Make use of a term he had never heard.</p> -<p class='line0'>He was flying to bed in the dawning light,</p> -<p class='line0'>When he heard her singing with all her might:</p> -<p class='line0'>“Hurray! hurray! for the early worm!”</p> -<p class='line0'>“Dear me,” said the Owl, “what a singular term!</p> -<p class='line0'>I would look it up if it weren’t so late.</p> -<p class='line0'>I must rise at dusk to investigate.</p> -<p class='line0'>Early to bed and early to rise</p> -<p class='line0'>Makes an Owl healthy, and stealthy, and wise!”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>So he slept like an honest Owl all day,</p> -<p class='line0'>And rose in the early twilight gray,</p> -<p class='line0'>And went to work in the dusky light</p> -<p class='line0'>To look for the early worm at night.</p> -<p class='line0'>He searched the country for miles around,</p> -<p class='line0'>But the early worm was not to be found;</p> -<p class='line0'>So he went to bed in the dawning light</p> -<p class='line0'>And looked for the “worm” again next night.</p> -<p class='line0'>And again and again, and again and again,</p> -<p class='line0'>He sought and he sought, but all in vain,</p> -<p class='line0'>Till he must have looked for a year and a day</p> -<p class='line0'>For the early worm in the twilight gray.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>At last in despair he gave up the search,</p> -<p class='line0'>And was heard to remark as he sat on his perch,</p> -<p class='line0'>By the side of his nest in the hollow tree:</p> -<p class='line0'>“The thing is as plain as the night to me—</p> -<p class='line0'>Nothing can shake my conviction firm;</p> -<p class='line0'>There’s no such thing as the early worm.”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Oliver Herford.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i211.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0018' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>MARSH HAWK</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='171' id='Page_171'></span> -“I can’t tell exactly which it was,” said Tommy Todd, -when he was through laughing; “but I know which it -wasn’t—it wasn’t the Short-eared Owl, for he doesn’t -get up to breakfast at night, and so if he had looked for the -early worm he would have found him.”</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THREE USEFUL HAWKS</h2> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'><a id='hawk3'></a><a id='hawk4'></a><span class='it'>The Marsh Hawk, Harrier, Blue Hawk.</span></p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Length</span>: 17-19 inches; female averaging two inches longer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='172' id='Page_172'></span></p> -<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Male</span>: Above, bluish gray; below, white mottled with brown; -wings brownish, long, and pointed; tail long; upper tail-coverts -white.</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>The Marsh Hawk is the most harmless and beneficial -of its family; it feeds upon reptiles, locusts, grasshoppers, -and small mammals, and never disturbs domestic poultry.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In this locality it is more plentiful in the bogs near -fresh ponds, and in the vicinity of rivers, than in the -salt-marshes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It is the summer-day Hawk, and the species most -frequently seen in the warmest months. It flies by night -as well as day, however, and is often a companion of the -Screech Owl in its nocturnal rambles.</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-top:1em;'><a id='hawk6'></a><span class='it'>The Red-shouldered Hawk</span></p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Length</span>: 18-19 inches. Also miscalled “Hen-hawk.” The -Sharp-shinned Hawk and Cooper’s Hawk are the real -“Hen-hawks.”</p> - -<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Male</span>: Grayish brown above; feathers edged with rusty brown; -wings barred black and white; “shoulder” rusty red; tail -black, and barred and tipped with slate; black streaks on -throat; underparts buff.</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>One of the large Hawks; to be distinguished by a rust-red -shoulder patch; is the most common of the long, -broad-winged Buzzard Hawks that are seen flying in -circles in the days of autumn and early spring. It kills -field-mice and other gnawers.</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-top:1em;'><a id='hawk2'></a><span class='it'>The American Sparrow Hawk</span></p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Length</span>: 10 inches.</p> - -<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Male</span>: Reddish back barred with black; reddish tail, with black -band and white tip; head with reddish spot on crown, -slaty blue, as are also wings, the latter having white bars; -a black mark back and front of ear; underparts varying -from cream to buff.</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>A very handsome bird, though somewhat of a cannibal; -the Wise Men wish him protected for the following -reasons:—</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When in doubt regarding the identity of a small -Hawk, give the benefit of the doubt to the Hawk, and -refrain from killing it, for you may thus spare a valuable -bird, belonging to a species that during every twelve -months renders service to the agricultural industry of -the country that is far beyond computation, but if -measured in dollars and cents would reach to very high -figures.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This appeal for protection of the Sparrow Hawks, -and the statements as to their value, would be worthless -if they could not be supported by <span class='it'>facts</span>.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='173' id='Page_173'></span> -“Dr. Fisher summarizes as follows: ‘The subject of -this Hawk is one of great interest, and, considered in its -economic bearings, is one that should be carefully studied. -The Sparrow Hawk is almost exclusively insectivorous, -except when insect food is difficult to obtain. In localities -where grasshoppers and crickets are abundant, these -Hawks congregate, often in moderate-sized flocks, and -gorge themselves continuously. Rarely do they touch -any other form of food until, either by advancing season -or other natural causes, the grasshopper crop is so lessened -that their hunger cannot be appeased without undue -exertion. Then other kinds of insects and other forms -of life contribute to their fare, and beetles, spiders, mice, -shrews, small snakes, lizards, or even birds may be required -to bring up the balance.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ‘In some places in the West and South, telegraph poles -pass for miles through treeless plains and savannas. -For lack of better perches, the Sparrow Hawks often use -these poles for resting-places, from which they make -short trips to pick up a grasshopper or mouse, which they -carry back to their perch. At times, when grasshoppers -are abundant, such a line of poles is pretty well occupied -by these Hawks. In the vicinity of Washington, D.C., -remarkable as it may appear to those who have not -interested themselves specially in the matter, it is the -exception not to find grasshoppers or crickets in the -stomachs of the Sparrow hawks, even when killed during -the months of January and February, unless the ground -is covered with snow. It is wonderful how the birds -can discover the half-concealed, semi-dormant insects, -which in colour so closely resemble the ground or dry -<span class='pageno' title='174' id='Page_174'></span> -grass. Whether they are attracted by a slight movement, -or distinguish the form of their prey as it sits -motionless, is difficult to prove, but, in any case, the -acuteness of their vision is of a character which we are -unable to appreciate.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ‘In the spring, when new ground or meadow is broken -by the plough, they often become very tame if not -molested. They fly down, even alighting under the very -horses, for an instant, in their endeavour to capture an -unearthed mouse or insect.’ ”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Aren’t there any <span class='it'>bad</span> Hawks, then?” asked little -Bobby, incredulously, for to him the cry of “Hawk!” -and the sight of the hired man with the gun came together.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, Bobby, plenty of them, even hereabouts; the -Sharp-shinned and the Chicken or Cooper’s Hawk, both -of them flash out of the sky and pounce cruelly on both -game- and song-birds. And, let me tell you all something, -though I do not wish to kill any birds needlessly, yet -I would not let any of these Hawks, useful or otherwise, -nest or feed near Birdland, and I should have Jacob -frighten them away with blank cartridges, because the -very sight of them terrifies the beautiful song-birds that -we love, and that trust us and confide in our protection.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The little Screech Owls may play about if they will, -but neither Crows, Jays, Hawks, nor English Sparrows can -ever be welcome garden guests.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Something to remember about Hawks and Owls.—<span class='it'>The -female is always larger than the male!</span></p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i216.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0019' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>SPARROW HAWK</span></p> -</div> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='175' id='Page_175'></span><h1>XIII<br/> <span class='sub-head'>TREE-TRUNK BIRDS</span></h1></div> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='it'>Woodpeckers—Nuthatches and the Brown Creepers</span></p> - -<p class='pindent'>By the time November came in but few birds were to -be seen about the schoolhouse at Foxes Corners. For -until Gray Lady came, no one had taken an interest -either in the appearance of the schoolbuilding itself or -the ragged bit of ground upon which it stood. Now -four sugar-maples had been transplanted from the near-by -woods, and set where they would shade the windows in -the warm days of early summer and fall and yet not -interfere with winter sunshine; and Gray Lady had -promised that by spring there should be some benches -along the north fence, where there was shade from the -white birches in the wood-lot beyond. That is, she had -promised the wood for the benches and Jacob’s aid in -their planning; for the rest, the boys were to do the work -themselves, for after Thanksgiving four or five large boys -would come to school,—Tommy Todd’s brother Everett, -who was sixteen, and the two Judds, his cousins,—Walter, -also sixteen, and Irving, fourteen,—being among them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>All of these boys knew something about the handling -of tools, and, if they chose to join the Kind Hearts’ Club, -would be valuable allies. Sometimes, however, big -boys, even though they are not cruel, laugh at such -<span class='pageno' title='176' id='Page_176'></span> -societies, and so Gray Lady had made up her mind to let -them ask to come to the class in the workroom as if it was -a privilege they desired rather than as a favour to herself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>One bit of carpentry she asked Jacob to undertake, -that no time should be lost, and that was the bird lunch-counter -for the school grounds. As the flagpole was -fastened to the schoolhouse, Jacob had utilized the gnarled -stump of a half-dead wild-apple tree, the bark of which -was seamed and scarred by the initials cut on it by many -generations of scholars. Above the platform, to hold -the crumbs and grain, he had fastened, between the two -remaining branches, a slanting roof made of some old -mossy shingles, and at the edge of this he had stuck half -a dozen crooked spikes to hold bacon rind or suet or -anything, like chicken bones, that might be left from the -dinner-pails, as many of the children, owing to distance -from home, always brought their lunch to school during -the winter and spring terms.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This lunch-counter was in place when Gray Lady went -to the school the first Friday afternoon in November, -and she brought an additional surprise with her,—two -pictures or charts that could be unrolled and hung on the -wall like the great map.<a id='r2'/><a href='#f2' style='text-decoration:none'><sup><span style='font-size:0.9em'>[2]</span></sup></a> Each of these charts held -the pictures of some twenty-five birds done in colours and -of natural size, and with each there was a little book -telling about the birds.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The charts were to be lent to the five other schools -in the township in turn, but the children at Foxes Corners -were so delighted with them that they resolved that the -<span class='pageno' title='177' id='Page_177'></span> -first money that the Kind Hearts’ Club earned should -go to buy other pairs of the charts, so that they could -not only have some for their very own, but that the -other schools, who had no Gray Lady for their fairy god-mother, -could have them also.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>After the first few weeks, Gray Lady found that it -would be best, on the Fridays when she visited the school, -simply to read to the children stories of the birds that -they had either seen at Birdland or that they already -knew by sight, from various books and magazines; as -she had at her house so many books, pictures of birds, -and the mounted birds themselves, that it was much -easier for them to name unknown birds there than at -school.</p> - -<hr class='tbk106'/> - -<p class='pindent'>“The singing-birds have all gone,” said Sarah Barnes, -the second Saturday of November, as she went to work -upon the last piece of her doll’s outfit—the cloak for -the Red Riding-Hood that she was dressing.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We still have a Song Sparrow down in the meadow,” -said Goldilocks, “and there are plenty of Bluebirds -and Robins about, and Grackles and Cowbirds, but the -Song Sparrow is the only one that pretends to sing a nice -little song.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I guess we’ll have to go ahead to the spring birds or -there won’t be anything to learn about until they come -back,” chimed in Eliza Clausen, who was at work on -a doll baby, and as her fingers were long and slender, -she succeeded in hemming the fine lawn, of which the -dress was made, very nicely.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='178' id='Page_178'></span> -“No birds?” said Gray Lady, raising her eyebrows. -“Open the window nearest you, Sarah, and do both you -and Eliza look out and listen.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I don’t see anything, and I only hear different kinds -of squeaks,” said Eliza.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I hear the squeaks,” said Sarah, “but I see a gray bird -out here on the roof, with black on top of his head and -white underneath, and he’s got a long beak and a short -tail. Why, he’s just stuffed something that he had in -his beak in between the shingles. Now he’s crying -‘quank-quank’ and flying toward the orchard.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><a id='nut1'></a>“That,” said Gray Lady, “is the White-breasted -Nuthatch, one of our best winter friends, for though he -summers with us, like the Chickadee and the Woodpeckers, -it is not until the other birds have gone, and -the trees are bare of leaves, that we really seem to see -and appreciate him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This Nuthatch is one of the tree-trunk birds that you -will learn to know so well, before winter is over, that -you will never forget them; for, though they have no -song to speak of, their cleverness and the good they do -when other birds have gone more than make up for -lack of music.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What do you mean by tree-trunk birds?” asked -Clary; “I thought that birds liked leafy branches the -best.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Most birds do prefer the leafy branches,” said Gray -Lady; “that is why I call this little group, who do not, -‘tree-trunk birds,’ for all their little lives are spent so -close to the heart of the wood that they seem almost to -be parts of the tree.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i221.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0020' style='width:100%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='credit'>R. H. Beebe, Photo.</p> <p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='179' id='Page_179'></span> -“These birds not only make their nests in the wood -itself by hollowing out partly decayed places in branch -and trunk, but they gain the greater part of their food -by searching the cracks in the tree bark for insects that -live there, and which other birds, that spend their lives -among the leafy twigs, cannot find.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This quarrying food from the bark makes it possible -for them to stay about the vicinity of their nesting-haunts -all winter; for many forms of insect life winter in the -bark crevices of forest as well as fruit trees where the -eggs hatch out, and the larvae undergo transformation -early in the season and begin to do mischief before the -migrant birds return.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If it were not for sleet storms, that cover the tree -with a coating of ice for days at a time, these hardy, -sociable little birds would be sure of a good living in -a neighbourhood like this, with many orchards and -strips of woodland. But when ice puts a lock on the -pantry doors, what can the poor birds do?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Owing to their frail structure and warm blood, they -require more constant fuel to keep the life-fire alive than -the four-footed animals, so that when hunger and cold -travel hand in hand, they have to make a brave fight -for life. For generations this freezing up has happened -to them, and so, by experience, they have learned when -food is plenty to try and save it up.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Nuthatch, that Sarah has just seen stowing -something away under the shingles, is living very well -at present. In spite of hard frost, wild food is plentiful; -then, too, the lunch-counter is amply supplied with -suet. The birds do not really need help as yet, but we -<span class='pageno' title='180' id='Page_180'></span> -put the food there so that they may know where to find -it when hard times come.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I should think the lunch-counter, with lots of easy -food, would make the birds lazy so’s they wouldn’t work -for a living,” said Dave. “Pop says, feeding tramps -everywhere only makes more folks turn tramp, so now -he can’t get anybody to work at haying or wood-cutting -for food and fair pay.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ah, but that shows the difference between wild -birds and what is called ‘civilized’ man,” said Gray Lady. -“The Nuthatches do not sit still and gorge themselves, -but are busy providing for the future. Yesterday, I -saw one of these same birds packing away little bits of -suet in a crevice under the roof of the side porch, and -another using the thatch on the summer-house for a -larder. So it would seem that they distribute the food -in different places. If one cupboard is frozen up, one -of the others may be in the sun.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A pair of Nuthatches found that the cornice of the -main roof, under the tin gutter, was in poor shape, and -kindly called my attention to it by boring into the wood -and nesting in the space within. Five little birds were -hatched, and I believe that the party of seven, that are -so tame and come about the house so freely, are the birds -hatched in the cornice and their parents.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I shouldn’t think that you would like them to -make holes in the house,” said Tommy, “for the water -might get in and do lots of harm, just the same as -Woodpeckers that make holes in the trees and spoil -them.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is where people make a mistake about these -<span class='pageno' title='181' id='Page_181'></span> -tree-trunk birds that bore holes, and think that they -are mischievous and destructive, whereas they never -pierce bark unless an insect lurks beneath, and when -they bore a nest-hole in a tree, it is the same as saying -to its owner, ‘See, this wood is dead; I am making use -of what is otherwise useless to you and I will pay you -rent by protecting your other trees from harm. If you -watch well, you will see how many hairy caterpillars, -birch-lice, and wood-boring beetles I will kill in the -year.’ ”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The gutter is all mended and painted now, so the -Nuthatches can’t nest there next season, and I guess -they will be very sorry,” said Clary, who had taken her -turn at looking out the window.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, the cornice has been mended, but Jacob has -hollowed out a bit of hickory branch with the bark on -it, and has fastened it firmly under the cornice with -screws, so that when the birds look up their home in -spring, they will find a new one so close to the old place -that I hope they will move into it. In fact, those pictures -in the workroom, of bird-homes made of hollowed-out -logs, were designed especially to attract these tree-trunk -birds and their little companions, <a id='cdee2'></a>the Chickadees, who, -though they search the twigs for food, love the trunk -also, and nest in a wood hollow like the Woodpeckers, -themselves.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He’s come back again, but he hasn’t brought suet -this time; it’s some kind of a big seed that won’t stay -in the shingle crack, so he’s pounding it in,” said Sarah, -looking over Clary’s shoulder and dropping her sewing, -so interested was she in the movements of the bird. -<span class='pageno' title='182' id='Page_182'></span> -“There, he’s going away and walking down the roof -head first; I don’t see why he doesn’t slip and fall, the -same as I did once when I tried to walk down the back -stairs on my hands and knees head first, ’cause brother -dared me.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady hurried to the window in time to see the -Nuthatch give a final pound to the object that was -wedged between the shingles. With her opera-glasses, -she discovered that it was the empty shell of a beechnut.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This little bird has been kind enough to write the -meaning of its singular name here on the roof, evidently -for the benefit of the Kind Hearts’ Club, for I have been -expecting that some of you would ask from what the -term ‘Nuthatch’ came.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I thought it was a funny name, but then lots of -birds’ names seem queer, until you hear about them,” -said Eliza Clausen.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This bird is very fond of nuts,” continued Gray -Lady, “not the very hard ones like butternuts, but the -smaller acorns, chestnuts, and especially the little three-cornered -beechnuts, with the sweet meat. Having no -teeth to crack them like a squirrel, and not being able -to use his beak for a nutcracker, he wedges the nut fast -and then uses his sharp, strong bill for a hatchet and -hatches the nut open; by this he has earned his name, -‘Nuthatch.’</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There is another name that Goldilocks once gave -him that is quite as good, and that would remind you of -him wherever you hear it,—the ‘Upside-down’ bird!—for -what other bird that you know can climb about as -he does?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='183' id='Page_183'></span> -“Woodpeckers do,” cried Tommy and Dave, together.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, and there’s another bird, little and brown and -striped, that’s only here in winter and goes up and down -all over the tree-trunks. I saw one this morning when -I was coming up,” said Sarah, “and I guess Chickadees -can go upside down, too, for I saw one hanging on to -a fir cone yesterday, and it was head down.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady laughed. <a id='nut2'></a>“You all doubtless <span class='it'>think</span> that -all these other birds climb like the Nuthatch, but this -is a case of wrong seeing, which is simply another form -of not really paying attention; for not one of them -walks upside down in the same way. Hear what one of -our poets says of this:—</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>TO A NUTHATCH</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Shrewd little hunter of woods all gray,</p> -<p class='line0'>Whom I meet on my walk of a winter day,</p> -<p class='line0'>You’re busy inspecting each cranny and hole</p> -<p class='line0'>In the ragged bark of yon hickory bole;</p> -<p class='line0'>You, intent on your task, and I, on the law</p> -<p class='line0'>Of your wonderful head and gymnastic claw!</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>The Woodpecker well may despair of this feat—</p> -<p class='line0'>Only the fly with you can compete.</p> -<p class='line0'>So much is clear; but I fain would know</p> -<p class='line0'>How you can so reckless and fearless go,</p> -<p class='line0'>Head upward, head downward, all one to you,</p> -<p class='line0'>Zenith and nadir the same to your view.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Edith M. Thomas</span>, in <span class='it'>Bird-Lore</span>.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'>Even the woodpeckers, supplied, as they are, with a reversed -toe and a stiff, supporting tail, cannot compete with the Nuthatches -in descending head first. The Woodpecker, in going down -the trunk, finds itself in the same predicament as the bear,—its -<span class='pageno' title='184' id='Page_184'></span> -climbing tools work only one way. It is dependent on its -stiff tail for support, and so must needs hop down backwards. -The Creeper is still more hidebound in its habits, and its motto -seems to be “Excelsior.” It begins at the foot of its ladder, and -climbs ever upwards. But the climbing ability of the Nuthatch -is unlimited. It circles round the branches, or moves up, down, -and around the trunks, apparently oblivious to the law of gravitation. -Its readiness in descending topsyturvy is due, in part, -to the fact that, as the quills of its tail are not stiff enough to -afford support, it is obliged to depend upon its legs and feet. -As it has on each foot three toes in front and only one behind, -it reverses the position of one foot in going head downward, -throwing it out sidewise and backward, so that the three long -claws on the three front toes grip the bark and keep the bird from -falling forward. The other foot is thrown forward, and thus, -with feet far apart, the “little gymnast has a wide base beneath -him.” The Nuthatch not only straddles in going down the tree, -but spreads its legs widely in going around the trunk, but bird -artists generally seem to have overlooked this habit. The -slightly upturned bill of the Nuthatch, and its habit of hanging -upside down, give it an advantage when in the act of prying -off scales of bark, under which many noxious insects are secreted.</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:2em;margin-top:0.5em;'>—<span class='sc'>E. H. Forbush.</span></p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>“<a id='brown'></a>The little, brown-striped bird that Sarah saw this -morning, that somewhat resembles a Wren, is the <a id='bcreeper'></a>Brown -Creeper, for it creeps like a veritable feathered mouse. -Though it is a true tree-trunk bird, in that it lives and -nests as close to the heart of wood as possible, it has a -slender needle-like bill for picking out insects; but it cannot -bore wood with it, so it has to be content to make -its home between the wood and the bark.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This bird comes to us in middle New England only -as a winter visitor, and well does it pay its way by eating -<span class='pageno' title='185' id='Page_185'></span> -grubs and insect eggs. It does not seem very shy, hereabouts, -but in the nesting time it loves deep, silent forests -and the cedar swamps of the North, and it is only in these -places that its strange, sweet song may be heard, which -is something that I have never heard successfully imitated -or put into syllables, but Mr. Brewster, who is -one of the Wise Men who knows, says it is like the soft -sigh of the wind among the pine boughs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is in these deep woods, also, that it nests. Discovering -a tree where the bark is loose and yet does not strip -off too easily, this little Creeper finds a nook of the right -size, which he lines with soft bark, moss, or bits of wood -so thoroughly decayed that it is like sponge, and in this -bed are laid six or eight pretty little lavender eggs with -brown spots wreathed about the larger end.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When the Creeper comes to us, he has evidently forgotten -home and family cares as well as his beautiful -song, for he only favours us with a very scratchy squeak, -as if a file at work on a wire and a couple of crossed tree -branches were striving to see which could sing the better. -But he is as busy as busy can be, and acts as if he were -practising for a race in climbing the stairs of a lighthouse -tower.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“At the bottom of the tree, he starts and goes up and -around without a pause until he is two-thirds of the way -up and the more frequent branches bother him. Then -he stops a moment to rest, bracketing himself against -the tree by the sharp point of his tail-feathers, which -arrangement he possesses in common with the Chimney -Swift and the Woodpeckers. Next, without warning, he -flits with a backward tilt either to the base of another -<span class='pageno' title='186' id='Page_186'></span> -tree, or to the same one, and again begins to climb; so for -him the Stair-climber would be a good name.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He, also, when the trees are ice-plated, will come -gladly to the lunch-counter, I know, for as a girl, long -before I left home, this Creeper used to feed upon the -scraps that I put upon my window-ledge; for, though -people here have been feeding birds in winter this long -while, it has only been since the Wise Men have told us -of the particular needs of each bird family that we have -been able to do it intelligently, and to the best advantage.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There are some verses in my scrap-book about this -tree-trunk bird, also, and it seems as if our poets were -very fond of these songless birds who inspire them -as much by their friendliness as the others do by melody. -I hope that a couple of you will learn this to -recite at Christmas. As there are four verses, each can -learn two, and then alternate in repeating them.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE LITTLE BROWN CREEPER</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>“Although I’m a bird, I give you my word</p> -<p class='line0'>    That seldom you’ll know me to fly;</p> -<p class='line0'>For I have a notion about locomotion,</p> -<p class='line0'>    The little Brown Creeper am I,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Dear little Brown Creeper am I.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>“Beginning below, I search as I go</p> -<p class='line0'>    The trunk and the limbs of a tree,</p> -<p class='line0'>For a fly or a slug, a beetle or bug;</p> -<p class='line0'>    They’re better than candy for me,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Far better than candy for me.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>“When people are nigh I’m apt to be shy,</p> -<p class='line0'>    And say to myself, ‘I will hide,’</p> -<p class='line0'>Continue my creeping, but carefully keeping</p> -<p class='line0'>    Away on the opposite side,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Well around on the opposite side.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>“Yet sometimes I peek while I play hide-and-seek</p> -<p class='line0'>    If you’re nice I shall wish to see you;</p> -<p class='line0'>I’ll make a faint sound and come quite around</p> -<p class='line0'>    And creep like a mouse in full view,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Very much like a mouse to your view.”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Garrett Newkirk</span>, in <span class='it'>Bird-Lore</span>.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='187' id='Page_187'></span> -“I guess I know what the other tree-trunk birds are, -Gray Lady; <a id='woodp'></a>they’re Woodpeckers,” said little Bobby, -who seemed to have grown taller and broader ever since -the day that Jacob had put a jack-knife in his hand and -taught him to carve a wooden spoon, and he felt himself -to be a full-fledged boy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Some Woodpeckers are pretty bad, though, ’cause -grandpa caught a whole bunch of ’em early last spring -sucking the juice out of the apple trees in the young -orchard, and Uncle Bill, over the mountain, said they did -the same to his sugar-maples. I saw what they did, -myself, and you can see, too, if you stop up at our house -some time when you are passing, for the marks are there,—little -round holes, all in rows so as they make squares -like the peppery holey plasters grandma wears for a lame -back. They were awfully pretty birds, too—all red on -the head and neck, and black and white speckled on top, -and yellow underneath, and black across the front. -I had a good chance to see it, ’cause grandpop was hoppin’ -mad and tried to shoot them, and he did get one of the -prettiest of them all. Some of them that were on the -apple tree didn’t have so many colours in their feathers.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='188' id='Page_188'></span> -“Perhaps those were females,” said Sarah Barnes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, <a id='sap1'></a>the paler ones are the females and lack the red -throat and sometimes the red head-feathers, also,” said -Gray Lady, “for this bird is called the Sapsucker, Yellow-bellied -Sapsucker, because it has, as Bobby has -told us, the bad habit of not only boring into trees for -insects, but sucking the sap as well, and when a number -of them are found together, of course, they are likely to -do harm. Still, to my mind, the very worst that they -do is to give a bad name to the family of the most -industrious insect-eating birds that we have.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Even though this Sapsucker takes enough sap to -have earned his title, he keeps up the family record as -an insect eater, for he has a form of the pointed tongue -with hooked bristles on the end, like all Woodpeckers, -and this weapon acts both as a spear and trap to catch -insects. Then, too, the Sapsucker is not a permanent -resident, like many of his family, but nests early in the -most northerly states and travels about during a great -part of the year. As he can only suck sap during the -growing season, and eats insects the year around, besides -many wild berries—such as those of poison ivy, dogwood, -etc.—that are of no use to us, I think he should be forgiven -his sip of fresh spring sap, except where, as in the -case of Bobby’s grandfather, he is caught in the act of -hurting valuable trees.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE SAPSUCKER</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>A bacchant for sweets is the Sapsucker free!</p> -<p class='line0'>“The spring is here, and I’m thirsty!” quoth he:</p> -<p class='line0'>“There’s good drink, and plenty stored up in this cave;</p> -<p class='line0'>’Tis ready to broach!” quoth the Sapsucker brave.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>A bacchant for sweets! “ ’Tis nectar I seek!”</p> -<p class='line0'>And he raps on the tree with his sharp-whetted beak;</p> -<p class='line0'>And he drinks, in the wild March wind and the sun,</p> -<p class='line0'>The coveted drops, as they start and run.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>He girdles the maple round and round—</p> -<p class='line0'>’Tis heart-blood he drinks at each sweet wound;</p> -<p class='line0'>And his bacchanal song is the tap-tap-tap,</p> -<p class='line0'>That brings from the bark the clear-flowing sap.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Edith M. Thomas</span>, in <span class='it'>Bird-Lore</span>.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='189' id='Page_189'></span> -“How many kinds of Woodpeckers are there around -here?” asked Eliza Clausen. “I didn’t know there was -but one, the great big one, thick like a Pigeon, all speckled -black and brown on top, with a red spot on his head and -a big white spot over his tail. We had two down at our -farm this summer, and they lived in a hole in the old -wild cherry, and they laid real nice white eggs, just as -white as our Leghorns.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How’d you know they had white eggs?” asked Clary. -“You can’t see into a Woodpecker’s hole.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No; I could reach in, though. I didn’t keep the egg, -and only looked at it, and one of the old birds bit me -something fierce. They’re real plucky birds, anyway, -whatever they are called, for nobody seems to give them -the same name. Mother says they are Pigeon Woodpeckers, -and Dad calls them Yallerhammers, and both -names fit pretty well.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There are half a dozen Woodpeckers to be found -here, but the one that Eliza has described and the little -black-and-white streaked Downy Woodpecker are the -most familiar as well as the most useful of them all. -As to Eliza’s <a id='flick'></a>Pigeon Woodpecker or Yellowhammer, -<span class='pageno' title='190' id='Page_190'></span> -the poor bird is weighed down by over thirty popular -names,—Northern Flicker, Golden-winged Woodpecker, -Wake-up, Gaffer, and Partridge Woodpecker being -among them, though the Wise Men who settle these -things for us have decided to call him merely ‘the -Flicker.’</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In spite of the fact that, owing to his size and plumpness, -the Flicker has been until recently allowed to be -shot as a game-bird, he is our commonest Woodpecker, -and spring would not be the same in this woodland -region if we did not hear the roll of the drum, as he beats -on a branch, that announces the coming of the feathered -procession of migrants.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then, too, it is such a jolly bird, it calls out ‘wick, -wick, wick,’ as soon as the ponds are free of ice, and -this call he changes to ‘wicker-wicker’ as soon as the -courting begins; at this time the birds show to the best -advantage. The rival birds are perfectly friendly, but -‘they play curious antics, each trying to outdo the other -in the display of his golden beauty, that he may thus -attract and hold the attention of the female. There is -no fighting, but, in its place, an exhibition of all the airs -and graces that rival dandies can muster. Their extravagant, -comical gestures, rapidly changing attitudes, -and exuberant cries, all seem laughable to the onlooker, -but evidently give pleasure to the birds.’—<span class='sc'>Forbush.</span></p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i234.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0021' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>FLICKER</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Flicker spends more time on the ground, itself, -than the others of its family; and it has a slightly curved -beak, but its tongue is very long, and the fine points -on the end are set backward like the barbs of a fish-hook. -<span class='pageno' title='191' id='Page_191'></span> -Its most valuable work is as an ant-eater, and as -one of the Wise Men says: ‘This bird is more of an ant-eater -than a Woodpecker. It may be seen in fields and -open spaces, in woods and orchards, where it strikes its -long bill into ant-hills, and then thrusts out its still longer -tongue coated with sticky saliva and licks up the out-rushing -ants by the dozen. Many kinds of ants are -decidedly harmful, as they attend, protect, and help to -spread plant-root, or bark-lice, which are among the -greatest enemies of garden plants, also shrubs and trees. -These lice the ants keep as cows to nourish their young -with green, sappy milk. Ants also infest houses and -destroy timber.’</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Some people complain that the Flicker bores holes -in the attics of houses, and also under eaves when searching -for nesting-places, and also for winter shelter. This -is true, doubtless, but as the Nuthatch told me that my -cornice was decayed and needed mending, so the working -of a Flicker about any building should be a warning -to the owner to look and see if repairs are not needed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Our neighbour, Mr. Burwood, the florist, on the next -hill, who, in spite of the fact that he must keep his eyes -indoors on the splendid carnations and roses he grows, -still has a glance or two to spare for the birds, told me, -not long ago, this story of a Flicker. It was in early -spring, and he was thinking of turning the water into a -great covered tank, mounted on high trestles, that supplies -water for the houses, that had been empty all winter; -in fact, he had given the men orders so to do. Early in -the morning he heard a vigorous tapping high up in the -air, and tried in vain to locate it. The next morning, the -<span class='pageno' title='192' id='Page_192'></span> -same sound came, when he traced it to a Flicker, hammering -away at one of the stout oaken staves of which -the tank was made.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thinking that the bird was trying an impossible task, -he continued about his work, but, after the hammering -had continued for several days, his suspicions were aroused, -the tank was examined, and two holes were found, -drilled entirely through the stave, which, in spite of -appearances, was unsound and would, probably, have given -out without warning at some inconvenient season when -repairs would have cut off the water supply.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Always deal kindly with the Flicker, and never make -the mistake of confusing it with the Sapsucker; look for -the <span class='it'>white spot on the rump</span> and the <span class='it'>yellow wing-linings</span>, and -you will know it, and, though the young of the year lack -these marks at first, they have no yellow upon their -breasts that can excuse you for making a mistake.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='193' id='Page_193'></span></p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>MR. FLICKER WRITES A LETTER</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>  <span class='it'>People</span>:</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>            Tell me where you scare up</p> -<p class='line0'>Names for me like “Flicker,” “Yarup,”</p> -<p class='line0'>“High-hole,” “Yucker,” “Yellowhammer”—</p> -<p class='line0'>None of these are in my grammar—</p> -<p class='line0'>“Piquebois jaune” (Woodpick yellow),</p> -<p class='line0'>So the Creoles name a fellow.</p> -<p class='line0'>Others call me “Golden-wings,”</p> -<p class='line0'>“Clape,” and twenty other things</p> -<p class='line0'>That I never half remember,</p> -<p class='line0'>Any summer till September.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Many names and frequent mention</p> -<p class='line0'>Show that I receive attention,</p> -<p class='line0'>And the honour that is due me;</p> -<p class='line0'>But if you would interview me</p> -<p class='line0'>Call me any name you please,</p> -<p class='line0'>I’m “at home” among the trees.</p> -<p class='line0'>Yet I never cease my labours</p> -<p class='line0'>To receive my nearest neighbours,</p> -<p class='line0'>And ’twill be your best enjoyment</p> -<p class='line0'>Just to view me at employment.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>I’m the friend of every sower,</p> -<p class='line0'>Useful to the orchard grower,</p> -<p class='line0'>Helping many a plant and tree</p> -<p class='line0'>From its enemies to free—</p> -<p class='line0'>They are always food for me.</p> -<p class='line0'>And I like dessert in reason,</p> -<p class='line0'>Just a bit of fruit in season,</p> -<p class='line0'>But my <span class='it'>delicacy</span> is <span class='it'>ants</span>,</p> -<p class='line0'>Stump or hill inhabitants;</p> -<p class='line0'>Thrusting in my sticky tongue,</p> -<p class='line0'>So I take them, old and young.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Surely, we have found the best</p> -<p class='line0'>Place wherein to make our nest</p> -<p class='line0'>Tunnel bored within a tree,</p> -<p class='line0'>Smooth and clean as it can be,</p> -<p class='line0'>Smallest at the door,</p> -<p class='line0'>Curving wider toward the floor,</p> -<p class='line0'>Every year we make a new one,</p> -<p class='line0'>Freshly bore another true one;</p> -<p class='line0'>Other birds, you understand,</p> -<p class='line0'>Use our old ones, second-hand—</p> -<p class='line0'>Occupying free of rent,</p> -<p class='line0'>They are very well content.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>To my wife I quite defer,</p> -<p class='line0'>I am most polite to her,</p> -<p class='line0'>Bowing while I say, “kee-cher.”</p> -<p class='line0'>Eggs we number five to nine,</p> -<p class='line0'>Pearly white with finish fine.</p> -<p class='line0'>On our nest we sit by turns,</p> -<p class='line0'>So each one a living earns;</p> -<p class='line0'>Though I think I sit the better,</p> -<p class='line0'>When she wishes to, I let ’er!</p> -<p class='line0'>                  <span class='sc'>Flicker.</span></p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Garrett Newkirk</span>, in <span class='it'>Bird-Lore</span>.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='194' id='Page_194'></span> -“Then, last and least in size, but chief in importance -among the tree-trunk birds, come the little <a id='downy'></a>Downy Woodpeckers, -only as big as the Tree-sparrow or Winter Chippy, -as it is called, plump, all neatly patterned in black and -white, a scarlet band on the back of the neck, while Mrs. -Downy and the children lack even this bit of colour. -You cannot mistake this Woodpecker for any other, for -his big brother the Hairy Woodpecker, who has somewhat -similar markings, is almost as big as a Robin, besides being -a more timid bird of the woods that does not come about -houses like the confiding and cheerful Downy. The Hairy -Woodpecker has a more harsh and screaming call-note -than the clear, sharp cry of the Downy. In watching -birds, you should remember to keep the ears open and -trained to hearing as well as the eye to seeing, as a bird that -keeps too far away for the sight may oftentimes be recognized -by its note.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i239.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0022' style='width:100%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='credit'>F. M. Chapman, Photo.</p> <p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>DOWNY WOODPECKER</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Downy’s life is spent in the tree-trunks and -hollow limbs, where he merely chisels his doorway -large enough, but with not a bit to spare, and the -hole within is nicely finished with a few soft chips by -way of a bed for the eggs; nice white eggs like all the -Woodpeckers, and this would seem to prove that thrifty -<span class='pageno' title='195' id='Page_195'></span> -Nature, knowing that the eggs would be hidden in the -dark nesting-hole, did not think it necessary to decorate -them for their better protection as she does the eggs laid -in open nests.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“To name the injurious insects, moths, and caterpillars -our little Downy eats would require a long list, but, as he -is a lover of orchards in spring and summer, we may -mention the apple-tree borer as one against whom he -wages war, and here, by his delicate sense of touch, he -locates the larvæ of the codling-moth. ‘Every stroke -with which he knocks at the door of an insect’s retreat -sounds the crack of doom. He pierces the bark with his -beak, then with his barbed tongue drags forth an insect, -and moves on to tap a last summons on the door of the -next in line.’</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Boring beetles, bark beetles, weevils, caterpillars, ants, -and plant-lice, the imagoes of night-moths, as well as -the eggs of many insects, are also on his bill of fare. -Sometimes he has been accused of boring holes for -sap-sucking, but this is disproven; where a hole exists -it is because insect prey, in one of its many forms, hide -beneath.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Fortunately, we have many families of the little Downy -in the old orchard, and the fact that they are good patrons -of Goldilocks’ lunch-counter does not seem to make them -relax their vigilance about the apple trees, so that I -wonder if it may not be their care, together with the other -tree-trunk birds, to which we owe the keeping of the trees, -during the ten long years they have been neglected by -man. For, though the trees in Birdland are old, gnarled, -and vine-draped, yet they are neither worm-eaten nor -<span class='pageno' title='196' id='Page_196'></span> -unsightly, but merely picturesque, and from the birds’ point -of view cosy and homelike.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now, boys, back into the workroom, and if any one -of you has not made a house for a tree-trunk bird, I am -sure that he will begin one to-day.”</p> - -<hr class='footnotemark'/> - -<div class='footnote'> -<table summary='footnote_2'> -<colgroup> -<col span='1' class='footnoteid'/> -<col span='1'/> -</colgroup> -<tr><td style='vertical-align:top;'> -<div class='footnote-id' id='f2'><a href='#r2'>[2]</a></div> -</td><td> - -<p class='pindent'>These fine charts may be purchased from the Audubon Society, -State of Massachusetts.</p> - -</td></tr> -</table> -</div> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='197' id='Page_197'></span><h1>XIV<br/> <span class='sub-head'>FOUR NOTABLES</span></h1></div> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1em;'><span class='it'>Grouse, Quail, Woodcock, and the Wood Duck</span></p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Saturday before Thanksgiving Tommy Todd came -trudging up the road toward “the General’s,” with an -extremely contented expression on a face that was usually -more than cheerful, while he kept turning his head to admire -something that he carried in his right hand, twisting and -swinging it as he walked. <a id='ruff1'></a>The something was a beautiful -male Ruffed Grouse, or Partridge, as it is commonly called, -in all the bravery of its glossy neck-ruff and tail that when -spread looks like that of a miniature Wild Turkey.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Together with the Grouse was a pair of Quail in rich, -brown autumn coats and snowy throats that excel those -of the White-throated Sparrow itself. Tommy’s father -and his elder brother Joe, the Fair Meadows blacksmith, -had taken two “days off,” and gone a-hunting up to the -upland brush-country beyond the river woods, and these -birds, a part of the result, were a gift for Gray Lady and -Goldilocks. Not only were the birds in fine condition, -but they were nicely tied together with some sprays of -trailing ground-pine and a little tuft of pungent wintergreen -with its coral berries.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady took the birds, and as she thanked Tommy -for them, glanced toward Goldilocks, who sat in the -library window watching for the children to come. When -<span class='pageno' title='198' id='Page_198'></span> -the young girl saw the birds, she gave an exclamation, -half of pleasure at their plumage, half of sorrow that -they were dead, for to keep everything alive and as happy -as possible was her inherent nature. But she knew that -these were game- or “chicken-birds,” as she had once called -them when a mere baby, whose fate was to be eaten, and -that Tommy’s father had only followed a legitimate desire -for outdoor life and its sports when he had tramped more -than thirty miles for the hunting. So she merely said, as -she smoothed the beautifully shaded feathers, “I wish -the Kind Hearts’ Club could do something to make game-birds -have a <span class='it'>very</span> comfortable, good time, the part of the -year when they are not hunted; do you think we could, -mother? For I don’t think that this shy kind of bird -will come to the lunch-counter, and I’ve been wondering -lately what they find to eat in such cold winters as the -last. Miss Wilde has told me that for weeks last winter -the snow was so deep that in going, from where she lived, -a mile to school, she never even saw a fence top, so if -game-birds ‘feed chiefly on the ground after the manner -of barnyard fowls, roosting in low trees and bushes,’ as -one of my books says, I do not see why they do not freeze -and starve.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That’s what Pop and Grand’ther and Joe were talking -about last night,” said Tommy; “they said that they -travelled over miles of stubble-fields and brush-lots where -there used to be lots of birds, and now, in spite of the laws -in our place that are down on pot-hunters and won’t let -game be sold or carried away, and our having a keen -county warden, the birds seem to be melting away just -the same.”</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i244.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0023' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='credit'>Dr. C. K. Hodge, Photo.</p> <p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>RUFFED GROUSE</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='199' id='Page_199'></span> -“What did your father think was the reason?” asked -Gray Lady, for she remembered as a young girl that the -General used to say, “Get a farmer interested in a subject -enough to make him really think, and you cannot get -better advice.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Pop said all these new stiff-edged stone roads that are -pushing out the dirt and grass lanes may be mighty fine -for automobiles and all the other dust-raisers, but they’re -poor trash for horses’ feet and game-birds, ’cause the -brush along the old roads both sides of the fences made -good cover and kept the snow, when it drifted, sort of -loose, so that the birds could get in and out to look for -food. But when everything is trimmed smooth, the snow -lies flat and hard and crusty, and the birds can’t get under -to grub for food, and if they’re under and it freezes on top -of ’em, they can’t get out.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Grand’ther said that was so, but he reckoned there -wasn’t so much for the game-birds to eat, anyhow, because -folks that used to raise just so many acres of rye and -wheat and oats and buckwheat had mostly given it up -and put their land down to meadows for hay, because that -is the only crop that there is a sure market for everywhere. -Then Grand’ther said that, between freezing and -starving, and what was left being shot down close, it’s a -wonder there’s any Grouse left, or <a id='bobW2'></a>Bob-whites either.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There, Goldilocks, you have your answer as to what -the Kind Hearts’ Club can do to make these food-birds -comfortable during the ten months of the year (in this state, -Connecticut), when they may roam without fear of hunting -by honest sportsmen. The dishonest hunters and pot-hunters, -who do not care for law and order, we must -<span class='pageno' title='200' id='Page_200'></span> -watch and bring to justice, just as we do any other class -of criminals.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Some very good people are extremely careless about -this, and would arrest a hungry man for stealing a bottle -of milk from a doorstep, and yet even buy game from -poachers whom they knew had taken it against the law; -doing this is a far more serious offence, for one of our Wise -Men has said that wild birds are not the property of the -individual, but of the Commonwealth.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wish these birds need never be shot; don’t you?” -said Sarah Barnes. “They are much prettier than some -song-birds, and I’m sure that Bob-white’s call is just as -pleasant to hear as a song.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, Sarah, I should like to protect the game-birds -also, unless in cases where people, living away from places -where other food can be had, are really hungry. But -there are two sides to this question, and the Kind Hearts’ -Club must always try to look at both, so as to be sure that -in being just to one, the other may not be misjudged. -All over the country there are hundreds of men who, for -nearly all the year, are tied to desks in offices, and their -heads are weary and their bodies cramped. The love of -hunting is born in man, probably an inheritance from -his ancestors, who hunted for their living, just as the -bird inherits the instincts of migration from its parents -and performs the journeys even when there is no -need.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This love of hunting leads the men out into the woods -for a few weeks, or even days, each year, and, besides the -hunting, they meet Nature face to face, and, whether they -know it or not, come back better able to take up the work -of life, which is a harder struggle as the world gets older -and older.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i247.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0024' style='width:100%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='credit'>Dr. C. K. Hodge, Photo.</p> <p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>JUST OUT<br/>(Chicks of Domesticated Ruffed Grouse)</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='201' id='Page_201'></span> -“Some people may not agree with me, but I had a good -warm-hearted father, who gave his life in the cause of -humanity; yet he loved fair hunting, and Goldilocks’ father -did, also. So I think that the Kind Hearts’ Club will not -only be doing the game-bird a service, but man also, if it -can make and carry out a plan to feed and shelter these -birds, even in the space of Fair Meadows township.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have been talking this over with some men who -know the haunts of these birds, and next month, if the -big boys join us, I will tell you my plan; for it will need -sturdy fellows to carry it out, though you can all help.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where do the Grouse nest, in bushes or on the ground?” -asked Dave; “I’ve never seen one, though I’ve found a -<a id='cock1'></a>Woodcock’s nest, and touched the bird on it, she was so -tame.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They make their nest on the ground, Dave,” said Gray -Lady; “not much of a nest, merely a few leaves scratched -together in a tree hollow. Now we have these real birds -here (for later I know that Tommy will let me share them -with Miss Wilde’s mother, who has been so ill, and her -appetite needs tempting), let us spend the morning with -the game-birds; Dave shall tell us of his Woodcock’s nest, -and I have many little bits in the scrap-book about the -others, besides remembrances of my own.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Children, can you realize that when I was a girl of -twelve, I could stand of a May morn, by the old orchard -bars, where the Birdland gate is now, and hear twenty or -thirty Bob-whites calling all the way across the fields -and brush-lots, until the Ridge shut off the sound?</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='202' id='Page_202'></span></p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>BOB-WHITE</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>“I own the country hereabout,” says Bob-white;</p> -<p class='line0'>“At early morn I gayly shout, ‘I’m Bob-white!’</p> -<p class='line0'>From stubble-field and stake-rail fence</p> -<p class='line0'>You hear me call without offence,</p> -<p class='line0'>‘I’m Bob-white! Bob-white!’</p> -<p class='line0'>Sometimes I think I’ll nevermore say Bob-white;</p> -<p class='line0'>It often gives me quite away, does Bob-white;</p> -<p class='line0'>And mate and I, and our young brood,</p> -<p class='line0'>When separate, wandering through the wood,</p> -<p class='line0'>Are killed by sportsmen I invite</p> -<p class='line0'>By my clear voice—‘Bob-white! Bob-white!’</p> -<p class='line0'>Still, don’t you find I’m out of sight</p> -<p class='line0'>While I am saying ‘Bob-white, Bob-white’?”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Charles C. Marble.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'>“They rested in the orchard bushes and the edge of -brush-lots, so that I was as sure of seeing broods of little -Quail as of our own little barnyard chicks. In the autumn -they seemed to know about the hunting as soon as a gun -was fired in the distance; then they grew shy, but by -Christmas the survivors, and they were many, would -come about the hay-barns for food as familiarly as the -tree-trunk birds come to the lunch-counter, and I have -seen them eating cracked corn with the fowls in the barnyard.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i250.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0025' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='credit'>Dr. C. K. Hodge, Photo.</p> <p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>DOMESTICATED BOB-WHITE CALLING</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not only is Bob-white a beautiful object in the landscape, -when he sits on a fence top overlooking the fields, but -his voice is a delight to the ear, when he either tells his -own name, or gives the beseeching ‘covey call,’ in autumn, -to gather his scattered flock for the night. Then, on the -more useful or material side of the question, not only is -<span class='pageno' title='203' id='Page_203'></span> -his flesh good for food, but, all through the year, he is one -of the farmer’s good friends, gleaning, day in and day out, -besides the waste grain that he loves, weed seeds, harmful -beetles, such as the cucumber beetle, potato and squash -bugs, leaf beetles, the dreaded weevils, and the click -beetles, that are wire worms in a further stage of their -development.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ah me, but poor Bob-white, as he calls himself (bringing -out the words with peculiar jerks of the head), works -for his living, and when you think of the dangers he braves -from foxes and snakes, rats and weasels, birds of prey with -wings, and the two-legged birds of prey,—the poachers,—does -it not seem that where his tribe is growing -swiftly less, he should not only be fed and sheltered, but, -for a term of years, there should be no open season, until -this fertile and vigorous bird should again increase and -be able to hold its own against even fair hunting? <a id='ruff2'></a>If the -Quail needs this protection, doubly so does the Ruffed -Grouse, who is larger and can with greater difficulty -conceal himself.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>PARTRIDGES<br/>(Ruffed Grouse)</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Under the alders, along the brooks,</p> -<p class='line0'>Under the hemlocks, along the hill,</p> -<p class='line0'>Spreading their plumage with furtive looks,</p> -<p class='line0'>Daintily pecking the leaves at will;</p> -<p class='line0'>Whir! and they float from the startled sight—</p> -<p class='line0'>And the forest is silent, the air is still.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Crushing the leaves ’neath our careless feet,</p> -<p class='line0'>Snapping the twigs with a heavy tread,</p> -<p class='line0'>Dreamy October is late and sweet,</p> -<p class='line0'>And stooping we gather a blossom dead;</p> -<p class='line0'>Boom! and our heart has a thunderous beat</p> -<p class='line0'>As the gray apparition flits overhead.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Alonzo Teall Worden.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='204' id='Page_204'></span> -“I will read you his story, written by a Wise Man of -Massachusetts who knows the game-birds from all sides.”</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Ruffed Grouse, the ‘King of American game-birds,’ -was abundant in all our woods, and was often seen in -fields and orchards, until its numbers were decimated by -the gunner and the survivors driven to the cover of the -pines. The characteristic startling roar of its wings, -with which it starts away when flushed from the ground, -and its habit of drumming on a log, have been often -described. The speed with which the wings are beaten -in drumming makes it impossible for the human eye to -follow them and make sure whether they strike anything -or not. Naturalists, after long discussion, had come to believe -that the so-called ‘drumming,’ of the Ruffed Grouse -was caused by the bird beating the air with its wings, -as described by Mr. William Brewster; but now comes -Dr. C. F. Hodge and reopens the controversy by exhibiting -a series of photographs, which seem to show that the -bird, in drumming, strikes the contour feathers of the body. -Strange as it may seem, there are many people who often -take outings in the country, yet have never heard the -drumming of this bird. This tattoo is most common in -late winter and early spring, but may be heard occasionally -in summer and not uncommonly in fall. While -sounded oftenest during the day, it may fall on the ear at -any hour of the night. In making it, the bird usually -<span class='pageno' title='205' id='Page_205'></span> -stands very erect on a hollow log or stump, with head -held high and ruffs erected and spread, and, raising its -wings, strikes downward and forward. The sound produced -is a muffled boom or thump. It begins with a few -slow beats, growing gradually quicker, and ends in a -rolling, accelerated tattoo. It has a ventriloquial property. -Sometimes, when one is very close to the bird, the drumming -seems almost soundless; at other times it sounds -much louder at a distance, as if, through some principle -of acoustics, it were most distinctly audible at a certain -radius from the bird. It is the bird’s best expression of -its abounding vigour and virility, and signifies that the -drummer is ready for love or war.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The female alone understands the task of incubation -and the care of the young. Once, however, when I came -upon a young brood, the agonized cry of the distressed -mother attracted a fine cock bird. He raised all his -feathers and, with ruffs and tail spread, strutted up to -within a rod of my position, seemingly almost as much -concerned as the female, but not coming quite so near. -The hen sometimes struts forward toward the intruder in -a similar manner, when surprised while with her young. -She can raise her ruffs and strut exactly like the cock.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Grouse has so many enemies that it seems remarkable -how it can escape them, nesting as it does on the -ground. Instances are on record, however, where birds, -that probably have been much persecuted, have learned -to deposit their eggs in old nests of Hawks or Crows, in -tall trees. Whenever the mother bird leaves the nest, the -eggs are easily seen, and, while she sits, it would seem -impossible for her whereabouts to remain a secret to the -<span class='pageno' title='206' id='Page_206'></span> -keen-scented prowlers of the woods. But her colours -blend so perfectly with those of the dead leaves on the -forest floor, and she sits so closely, and remains so motionless -among the shadows, that she escapes the sharp-eyed -Hawk. She gives out so little scent that the dog, skunk, -or fox passes quite near, unnoticing.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Grouse does not naturally fear man; more than -once, in the wilderness of the northwest, a single bird has -walked up to within a few feet of me. They will sit on -limbs just above one’s head, almost within reach, and -regard one curiously, but without much alarm. Usually, -in Massachusetts, when a human being comes near the -nest, the mother bird whirs loudly away. She has well -learned the fear of man; but, in a place where no shooting -was permitted, a large gang of men were cutting under-brush, -while a Partridge, sitting there, remained quietly -on her nest as the men worked noisily all about her. -Another bird, that nested beside a woods road, along which -I walked daily, at first would fly before I had come within -a rod of her; but later she became confiding enough to -sit on her nest while six persons passed close beside her. -Evidently the bird’s facility in concealing her nest consists -in sitting close and keeping her eggs well covered. Her -apparent faith in her invisibility is overcome only by her -fear of man or her dread of the fox. When the fox is seen -approaching directly toward her, she bristles up and flies -at him, in the attempt to frighten him with the sudden -roar of her wings and the impetuosity of her attack; but -Reynard, although at first taken aback, cannot always be -deceived by such tricks; and the poor bird, in her anxiety -to defend her nest, only betrays its whereabouts. Probably, -however, the fox rarely finds her nest, unless he -happens to blunder directly into it.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i255.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0026' style='width:100%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='credit'>Dr. C. K. Hodge, Photo.</p> <p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>GROUSE, SHOWING RUFF AND TAIL</span></p> -</div> - -<hr class='tbk107'/> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='207' id='Page_207'></span> -“During the fall the Grouse keep together in small -flocks. Sometimes a dozen birds may be found around -some favourite grape-vine or apple tree, but they are -usually so harried and scattered by gunners that toward -winter the old birds may sometimes be found alone.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As winter approaches, this hardy bird puts on its -‘snow-shoes,’ which consist of a fringe of horny processes -or pectinations that grow out along each toe, and help -to distribute the weight of the bird over a larger surface, -and so allow it to walk over snows into which a bird not -so provided would sink deeply. Its digestion must resemble -that of the famous Ostrich, as broken twigs and -dry leaves are ground up in its mill. It is a hard winter -that will starve the Grouse. A pair spent many winter -nights in a little cave in the rocky walls of an old quarry. -Sumacs grew there and many rank weeds. The birds -lived well on sumac berries, weed seeds, and buds.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sometimes, but perhaps rarely, these birds are imprisoned -under the snow by the icy crust which forms in cold -weather following a rain, but usually they are vigorous -enough to find a way out, somewhere. The Grouse is perfectly -at home beneath the snow; it will dive into it to -escape a Hawk, and can move rapidly about beneath the -surface and burst out again in rapid flight at some unexpected -place.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Ruffed Grouse is a bird of the woodland, and -though useful in the woods, it sometimes does some injury -<span class='pageno' title='208' id='Page_208'></span> -in the orchard, by removing too many buds from a single -tree. In winter and early spring, when other food is -buried by the snow, and hard to obtain, the Grouse lives -largely on the buds and green twigs of trees; but, as spring -advances, insects form a considerable part of the food. -The young feed very largely on insects, including many -very destructive species.”</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:2em;margin-top:0.5em;'>—<span class='sc'>E. H. Forbush</span>, in <span class='it'>Useful Birds and Their Protection</span>.</p> - -</div> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE RUFFED GROUSE</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>When the pallid sun has vanished</p> -<p class='line0'>Under Osceola’s ledges,</p> -<p class='line0'>When the lengthening shadows mingle</p> -<p class='line0'>In a sombre sea of twilight,</p> -<p class='line0'>From the hemlocks in the hollow</p> -<p class='line0'>Swift emerging comes the Partridge;</p> -<p class='line0'>Not a sound betrays her starting,</p> -<p class='line0'>Not a sound betrays her lighting</p> -<p class='line0'>In the birches by the wayside,</p> -<p class='line0'>In her favoured place for budding.</p> -<p class='line0'>When the twilight turns to darkness,</p> -<p class='line0'>When the fox’s bark is sounding,</p> -<p class='line0'>From her buds the Partridge hastens,</p> -<p class='line0'>Seeks the soft snow by the hazels,</p> -<p class='line0'>Burrows in its sheltering masses,</p> -<p class='line0'>Burrows where no Owl can find her.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Frank Bolles.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'>“You all know the path that runs by the grist-mill -and up through the river woods. In spring, I could -almost count upon seeing a Grouse or two when I took -that walk, and very early, of September and October -<span class='pageno' title='209' id='Page_209'></span> -mornings, I have seen the <a id='cock2'></a>Woodcock probing, with their -long, sensitive, pointed bills, with which they can feel -like fingers, in the muddy ground back of the river woods -for the worms, and such like, upon which they feed. It -was my father, himself, who took me one evening, even -though it was bedtime, to these same woods to hear the -Woodcock’s courting dance and song.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I didn’t know any game-birds could sing,” said -Tommy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They are not classed with song-birds, and yet in courting -time, most birds have some sort of musical speech in -addition to their call-notes; you know that even Crows -sometimes succeed in singing. But this love-song varies -with the individual bird more than it does with the birds -that are real vocalists.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Woodcock feed chiefly at dawn and twilight, -and it is easy to tell where they have been by the little -holes in the mud left by the bill. This spring night -father took me to the wood edge, and drew me to him, to -keep me still while we waited—for what? I was soon to -know.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Presently a half-musical cry came out of the gathering -darkness, and was repeated and echoed by several -others. Then a rush, as if a bird had flung himself into -the air and opened his wings at the same time; next, a -whirring sound as the bird circled skyward and vanished, -his notes falling behind him, but before I realized what -was going on, the bird dropped straight as a Hawk, -balanced on his toes, gave a low, musical cry, and began -again; for thus it is that the Woodcock tries to please -and win his mate.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='210' id='Page_210'></span></p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE WOODCOCK’S WOOING</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Peent, -peent, -peent, -peent,</p> -<p class='line0'>  From the thick grass on the hill;</p> -<p class='line0'>Peent, -peent, -peent, -peent,</p> -<p class='line0'>  At eve when the world is still.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Then a sudden whistle of whirring wings,—</p> -<p class='line0'>  A rush to the upper air,—</p> -<p class='line0'>And a rain of maddening music falls</p> -<p class='line0'>  From the whole sky,—everywhere!</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Winifred Ballard Blake</span> in <span class='it'>Bird-Lore</span>.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'>“Dave, please tell us about the bird that you saw on -the nest,” said Gray Lady, “and how you came to find it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Half a dozen of us went out to hunt for May-flowers -(Trailing Arbutus) one Wednesday along the first part of -April last year. Miss Wilde thought Zella had measles, -and school was closed two days, but doctor found it -was only a cold and eating too much sausage meat and -sweet pickles, and so they broke out, and he gave her -rhubarb.” (Dave, having been asked to tell all about it, -was bound to omit no detail.)</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The others of our crowd stayed along by the path that -runs through the wood, where you saw the birds dance, -because there are black snakes through the brush there -that begin to crawl out to sun in April, and the girls were -scared of them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I went on ahead a little piece, and turned up a side hill -where there was an old rail fence that divides our woods -from the Cobbs’ piece. Right in front of me I found a -bully patch of May-flowers, and I sat down and began -cutting them with my knife (’cause they have wiry sort -<span class='pageno' title='211' id='Page_211'></span> -of stems) and made them in a nice even bunch, when -something ahead sort of made me keep my eyes glued to -it. It was under the slant of the lowest fence rail. I -thought it was a striped snake curled up round, at first, -because I felt eyes were looking at me, though it was -too dark to see them, at first. Did you ever have that -feeling, Gray Lady?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, I have had it, Dave, and I know what a strange -sensation it is. The last time I had it I felt no better -when I saw the eyes; in fact, little cold shivers went all -over, for I was far away from here, and the eyes were -those of a rattlesnake that was coiled up, amid the stones -of a ledge, where I was gathering some rare wild flowers.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, what <span class='it'>did</span> you do?” cried all the children, together.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I backed away as fast as I could, keeping my eyes -upon the snake, until I was at a safe distance, where he -could not spring at me, and then I very foolishly ran! -What did you do, Dave?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I crept up nearer until I got a good look, and then I -saw that it was a bird. It was sitting ever so still, with -its head well down on its shoulders and its long beak -close to its breast. It had queer, big eyes set up on top -of its head, and round like a frog’s, not like any other -bird that I know of.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The eyes of the Woodcock and its cousins, the Snipe, -are set in this way, so that, when they are boring in the - mud for food, they can keep watch behind them as well -as in front,” said Gray Lady.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“First, I thought the bird was dead, it kept so still,” -continued Dave, “but I could see its breast raised a little -with its breathing.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='212' id='Page_212'></span> -“If it had been dead, its eyes would have been closed,” -said Gray Lady. “It is one of the many mysterious and -unaccountable facts about a bird, that it is the only -animal that closes its own eyes when death touches it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It wasn’t afraid, so I thought that I would just smooth -its feathers,” said Dave. “I did, and it didn’t fly, only -just puffed up a little, so I thought I would lift it very -carefully to see if there were any eggs under it, and there -were four nice, sort of round, light, brown eggs, the -colour that our Plymouth Rocks lay, only mottled. But the -bird didn’t like to be lifted, and she sort of growled inside, -the way a hen does, so I set her down and went away.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That was a very pleasant experience of yours, Dave, -and shows how tame game-birds will become if they are -kindly treated. This Woodcock has an advantage over -the Grouse and Bob-white, his cousin, because it travels -South in winter and constantly shifts its feeding-places, -but it suffers from other dangers: it is hunted in all the -states through which it passes, and the eggs are large -enough to be very attractive, not only to foxes and all -the gnawing creatures of the woods, but to people as -well. If that nest and eggs had been seen by one of those -foreign-born poachers who come here thinking that everything -they find out-of-doors, and they can pocket, belongs -to them, the poor Woodcock would have lost her entire -brood and perhaps her own life as well.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i262.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0027' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='credit'>E. Van Alterna, Photo.</p> <p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>WOODCOCK ON NEST</span></p> -</div> - -<hr class='tbk108'/> - -<p class='pindent'>“These three land-birds, together with a number of -wild ducks, that live some on fresh and some near salt -water, travelling North and South according to season, -<span class='pageno' title='213' id='Page_213'></span> -are the legitimate game-birds of the country. Of the -wild ducks, the most of these breed in the far North, and -are hunted in their migrations. If this hunting is done -fairly, as the law prescribes, and the birds are not chased -and shot at from moving boats, or with repeating guns, -or when startled from their sleep with flashing lights, -they seem able to hold their own. Humanity, however, -demands that they should not be hunted on -their spring journeys on the way to their nesting-haunts -and when they may have already chosen mates.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<a id='duck'></a>One Duck there is, however, of exquisite plumage, -gentle disposition, and quiet, domestic habits, nesting -about inland ponds and streams, in the inhabited parts -of the United States, from Florida up to Hudson Bay, -that is in danger of swift extinction if the protection given -song-birds is not extended to it. This is the Wood Duck, -called in Latin ‘<span class='it'>Aix Sponsa</span>’—‘Bridal Duck’—from the -fact that the beauty of his plumage was fit for a bridal -garment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Look at that bird, mounted on a mossy stump, in that -case by the window. When I was a girl, I have seen a -half-dozen pairs in the pond above the grist-mill, and I -knew as surely where I could always find a pair nesting -as where I could find a Robin or Song Sparrow, but now -it is fast becoming a bird of the past, only to be seen in -pictures. Why is this? The reasons are many, and some, -such as the settlement of the country, and the draining -of ponds and waterways, and the cutting down of river -brush, cannot be helped.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Wood Duck nests in a tree hole, and, when the -young are able to leave the nest, the parents hold them in -<span class='pageno' title='214' id='Page_214'></span> -their bills and carry them to the ground in somewhat the -way in which cats remove their kittens from place to place. -Consequently, if the lumber is cleared, and no suitable -trees are left, what is this Duck to do? He cannot take to -the chimneys as the Swifts have. Still, this Duck, whose -beauty alone is a sufficient and patriotic reason for saving -him to his country, might adapt his nesting to other conditions -if it could be protected as the Grouse, Quail, and -Woodcock are in New England, or, better yet, not be -hunted in any way for a number of years, so that the -Wood Ducks, wherever located, should have, a chance to -increase once more and reëstablish themselves.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i265.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0028' style='width:100%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='credit'> National Association of Audubon Societies</p> <p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>WOOD DUCK</span></p> -</div> - -<div class='lgc' style=''> <!-- rend=';' --> -<p class='line'>Order—<span class='sc'>Anseres</span> Family—<span class='sc'>Anatidæ</span></p> -<p class='line'>Genus—<span class='sc'>Aix</span> Species—<span class='sc'>Sponsa</span></p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'>“For, when we come to look closely at the matter, there is -really no fair hunting, for the killing inventions of man—the -magazine guns, etc.,—are on the increase, while the -power of poor game-birds to protect themselves lessens both -on land and water. Think of it, in some states there are no -laws to protect this bird, even in summer, and, as Wood -Ducks are fond of their nesting-places, and are very -unsuspicious birds, it often happens that an entire family -is killed the moment the young are large enough to furnish -the pitiful thing, in this case, that is called ‘sport.’</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As it happens, the woods on this side of the river from -above the pond to the sawmill belong to the General’s -farm, and, Tommy and Dave, the water right on the other -side belongs to your fathers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Will you not ask them if they will help me to protect -their birds, if I can get half a dozen pairs from one of the -Wise Men who is trying to reëstablish them in their old -haunts?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Grouse and Quail are growing friendly again under -<span class='pageno' title='215' id='Page_215'></span> -protection, and I am in hopes that we may have a drummer, -as well as a fifer and his family, in the orchard and -near-by woods next spring.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There are many hollow willows near the upper pond -like the ones in which the Wood Ducks used to nest. -If these are left, the ducks will soon become attached to -them, and, if they escape peril elsewhere, for this Duck’s -greatest danger is in the vicinity of home, then we shall -all have a chance, possibly, some day to see a sight that -ever the Wise Men argue about,—the parent Duck bringing -her young from the tree hole to take their first swim!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The boys promised to ask the question, and Tommy reported -at the schoolhouse, the next Friday, that “grandpa -thinks it would be just bully to have Wood Ducks again, -and he’ll sit round the pond, with a shot-gun, all he’s -able, to keep folks away. He says he’s seen the old ones -yank the young, one by one, right out of the nest by the -wing, and set ’em on the ground, and when they were all -down, lead ’em to the water. And once, when the tree was -close over the pond, the old bird flew down and set ’em -right on the water. He says weasels and water-rats and -snakes and snapping-turtles help kill off the ducklings, because -until they get big enough to fly they’ve got no way -of lighting-out.” All of which goes to prove that Tommy -Todd had inherited some of his keenness of eye in “watching -out” for the doings of wild things.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There are others that are classed with game-birds that -will surely everywhere be stricken from the list some day, -and put with those birds that we wish to cherish at all -seasons, and for whom there should be no hunting, either -fair or foul.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='216' id='Page_216'></span> -“These birds, even though a couple of them are cousins -to the Woodcock, are so small of body (their long wing -in flight giving a deceptive idea of their size) that their -flesh is of no account, save to either the starving, who are -bound by no laws, or the glutton seeking for an article of -food to whet a jaded palate, like the old emperors of -Rome who ate nightingale’s tongues, forsooth! We do -not wish to breed or encourage such barbarians in our -America. At the same time, these birds have great value -in their insect-eating capacity.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Pop says they always used to shoot Meadowlarks -when he was a boy, and up to not very long ago,” said -Tommy, “and Yellowhammers and Pigeons and Doves -and Robins, too, but now nobody dares, except on the sly. -Anyway, the Wild Pigeons grandfather tells of are all gone, -and I’ve only seen a couple of Doves this year.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The birds you speak of are now protected by law, here -in Connecticut,” said Gray Lady, “though in some states -they are not, but the game-birds I mean are the little -Killdeer Plover, and the Upland and other small Plovers, -together with the Sandpipers, both of fresh and salt -water.”</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='217' id='Page_217'></span><h1>XV<br/> <span class='sub-head'>GAME-BIRDS?</span></h1></div> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1em;'><span class='it'>The plea of the Meadowlark, Mourning Dove, Sandpiper, Plovers, and Bobolink, the Masquerader</span></p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1.2em;'>“<span class='sc'>Spare us, please! We are too small for food.</span>”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You, children, who live with green fields about you, all -know the <a id='mead1'></a>Meadowlark by sight and sound, even if you -never have had the curiosity to learn its name. It is the -bird seen walking in old fields and lowlands. In size -it is a little larger than a Robin, with a rather flat head -and long, stout bill, its back speckled and streaked with -brown and black, and a beautiful yellow throat and -breast crossed by a crescent of black. When the bird is -on the ground, if you came behind it, at a distance, you -might think it a Flicker, but the moment it takes to the -air with a whirring flight, the white feathers at the outside -of the tail show plainly, and name it Meadowlark, just as -the white rump names the Flicker.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then, you know its voice, that sometimes drops from -a tree, sometimes rises from the grass, that Mr. Burroughs -says calls, ‘Spring o’ the year—Spring o’ the year.’ The -notes are clear as a flute, and, beautiful as our Meadowlark’s -song is, that of his brother, the Prairie Lark, is still -more melodious, and I shall never forget the first spring -<span class='pageno' title='218' id='Page_218'></span> -morning that I heard it from the border of one of those -endless grain-fields that roll on to meet the sky like a -glistening green sea with its waters stirred by the breeze.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Meadowlark is certainly a thing of beauty, but, -at the same time, its greater service to man is its usefulness; -not as a bit of meat, no matter how plump it may grow, -but as the untiring guardian of the fields, where it spends -its life and makes its nest home in a grass tussock. For -this bird, of the eastern United States, is with us here in -Southern New England, and southward, all the year, and -those flocks that migrate do not leave until late fall, -and are back again by the middle of March, while the -Prairie Lark covers the western part of the country, as -permanent warden of the meadow and hayfields. All -the year they keep at work; from March to December insect -food is the chief part of the diet; insects that are the -farmer’s bane,—grasshoppers, cutworms, sow-bugs, ticks, -weevils, plant-lice, and the click-beetle (the grown-up wire -worm) being but a few of them. The remaining months, -December, January, and February, insects failing, waste -grain is eaten, and weed seeds, as pigeon grass, rag and -smart weed, and black mustard.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i270.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0029' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>MEADOWLARK</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>“Happily for us, this beautiful bird is protected in all -the New England and Middle States, but, if we have -friends who live in Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, -Alabama, Louisiana and Tennessee, Missouri and Idaho, -where the Larks are only considered as food, let us beg them -to tell every one of this and the Prairie Lark’s merits, so -that they may be placed on the list of the protected. And -when you hear any one say that the Meadowlark is by -rights a game-bird, say as politely as may be, but very -<span class='pageno' title='219' id='Page_219'></span> -firmly, ‘No; it is <span class='it'>not</span>! At least, not in staunch, common-sensed -New England!’</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><a id='dove1'></a><span class='it'>The Mourning Dove</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“Soft of plumage, gentle, and almost sad of voice is -the Mourning Dove, the grayish brown bird with metallic -lustres, whose name is taken from its plaintive accents. -Its comings and goings are silent, and, in spite of its size, -for it is as large as the Meadowlark, if it was not for its -cooing, heard early in the morning, we should seldom -know of its presence, for its flight is noiseless, and it chooses -trees in secluded places for the little loose bunch of sticks -that forms its nest.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Formerly, this Dove, together with its cousin, the -Passenger Pigeon, were everywhere to be found, while -the Passenger Pigeon, a bird of fine flesh, was so plentiful -as to be almost a staple article of food, and wagons -loaded with birds were peddled through city streets. -With the wastefulness of a people coming to a new and -liberal country, the birds were often shot down in their -roosts, from pure wantonness, and left to decay upon the -ground, so that now the Passenger Pigeon and the wild -buffalo have gone to the happy animal-country, where -there is no hunting, together,—two valuable animals -practically extinct,—and North America is the poorer -for its thoughtlessness.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“With this warning before us, the Kind Hearts’, of which -there are plenty everywhere, whether they are banded -into clubs or not, should strive to have this gentle, harmless -life protected.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ‘Why?’ says the farmer, in the states that refuse protection. -<span class='pageno' title='220' id='Page_220'></span> -‘Maybe it doesn’t do any harm, but what good -can it do that can make up to me for not eating it?’ To -such a man say this: The Mourning Dove is a consumer -of evil weeds, and its presence in flocks will lessen his -labour and give his hoe arm a rest; that the crop of a dove, -examined by the Department of Agriculture in Washington, -was found to hold 9200 seeds of noxious weeds! <span class='it'>Not -to have these weeds grow</span> would give the farmer, or his boy, -time for a half holiday, wherein to go clamming or berry -picking!</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i273.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0030' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>MOURNING DOVES</span></p> -</div> - -<hr class='tbk109'/> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now we have some little birds whose names are still -on the list of food- or game-birds, and I should like to see -them wiped from it forever, or, at least, until they are -once more plentiful in their haunts. These are the two -<a id='least'></a><a id='spot1'></a>cousins of the Woodcock,—Sandpipers, the Spotted and -the Least, and two Plovers, also water-loving birds, the -<a id='killd1'></a>Killdeer and the <a id='plovup'></a>Upland Plover.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Most of you children, at some part of the season, go -down to the shore of the bay yonder, perhaps it may be -when your fathers gather seaweed in the spring and fall, -in late summer for the snapper fishing, or all through the -autumn and early winter for long-necked clams. Some -of you, I know, like Tommy and Dave, have camped out -there for several weeks. Have you not noticed the little -prints of birds’ feet just above the edge of tide-water? -Or have you not seen the little birds themselves, no bigger -than Sparrows, with streaked, brown-gray backs and -soft white feathers underneath, running to and fro, -balancing when they feed, as if making a courtesy, all the -while whispering softly among themselves?</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='221' id='Page_221'></span> -“Or, again, others slightly larger, with ash and brown -backs, and underparts spotted with round, black marks -like a thrush, white spotted wings, and the outer tail-feathers -white barred, showing in flight?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“These two gracious, confiding little birds are the Least -and the Spotted Sandpiper. Their small size should -keep them off the food list, for what are their dead bodies -but a single mouthful? And what are they alive? Things -of joy and mystery combined. For what is a more perfect -picture of grace and happiness than these birds with -a background of sand, seaweed, and shells, and all the -sparkling water before?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of a gray day, their pleasant prattle is shut down -by the fog, and sounds strange and mysterious, and when -they spread their pointed wings, and vanish into the mist, -that seems to pick them up as it rolls in, the picture is -complete.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Least Sandpiper, the smallest of his tribe, is -found in greater numbers on our beach than the Spotted. -He comes to us in the migrations, as he nests only in the -far North. I can remember, when as a girl I was fond -of swiming in the bay until late in autumn, that a flock -of these little birds flew over me so close that I could feel -the beating of their wings. His use is to give interest to the -landscape, and his plea for life his harmless littleness, his -confidence, and his obedience in filling the place in nature -which the great Plan has given him. Perhaps you may -have heard the poem that he inspired in the heart of one -woman, who lived on a sea-girt island, and, oftentimes, -had only the birds for company; even if you have heard -it, the verses are among those of which we never tire.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='222' id='Page_222'></span></p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE SANDPIPER</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Across the narrow beach we flit,</p> -<p class='line0'>One little Sandpiper and I;</p> -<p class='line0'>And fast I gather, bit by bit,</p> -<p class='line0'>The scattered driftwood, bleached and dry.</p> -<p class='line0'>The wild waves reach their hands for it,</p> -<p class='line0'>The wild wind raves, the tide runs high,</p> -<p class='line0'>As up and down the beach we flit,—</p> -<p class='line0'>One little Sandpiper and I.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Above our heads the sullen clouds</p> -<p class='line0'>Scud black and swift across the sky;</p> -<p class='line0'>Like silent ghosts in misty shrouds</p> -<p class='line0'>Stand out the white lighthouses high.</p> -<p class='line0'>Almost as far as eye can reach</p> -<p class='line0'>I see the close-reefed vessels fly,</p> -<p class='line0'>As fast we flit along the beach,—</p> -<p class='line0'>One little Sandpiper and I.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>I watch him as he skims along,</p> -<p class='line0'>Uttering his sweet and mournful cry;</p> -<p class='line0'>He starts not at my fitful song,</p> -<p class='line0'>Or flash of fluttering drapery.</p> -<p class='line0'>He has no thought of any wrong;</p> -<p class='line0'>He scans me with a fearless eye.</p> -<p class='line0'>Staunch friends are we, well tried and strong,</p> -<p class='line0'>The little Sandpiper and I.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Comrade, where wilt thou be to-night,</p> -<p class='line0'>When the loosed storm breaks furiously?</p> -<p class='line0'>My driftwood fire will burn so bright!</p> -<p class='line0'>To what warm shelter canst thou fly?</p> -<p class='line0'>I do not fear for thee, though wroth</p> -<p class='line0'>The tempest rushes through the sky;</p> -<p class='line0'>For are we not God’s children both,</p> -<p class='line0'>Thou, little Sandpiper, and I?</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Celia Thaxter.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i276.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0031' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>SPOTTED SANDPIPER</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'><a id='B224'></a></p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i280.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0032' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>LEAST SANDPIPER</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='223' id='Page_223'></span> -“The spotted Sandpiper, in my girlhood, was here, with -us, a familiar bird of moist meadows and pond edges, and -every season I used to see them stepping about the stones -in the little brook that flows through the river woods, -across the meadow above the orchard. They frequently -nested there, also, and I have often seen the buff, chocolate, -spotted eggs. I have seen the birds wading in the stream -quite up to their bodies, sometimes dragging their legs -after them as children do in play; they can also swim, -when they wish to cross a stream without taking to wing, -and it is said, when hard pressed or wounded, can dive -deep and swim, or rather, fly under water very swiftly, -for they use the wings as the Loon does. Teeter and -Tip-up are two of its common names, because it seems to be -always balancing in order not to tumble over. If you -startle it, it gives a frightened cry like ‘peet-weet-weet,’ -as it rises, but soon drops again.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This bird has a list of good deeds as an insect eater -to plead for its removal from the list of game-birds. Birds -consume the most insects in the nesting season when the -quick-growing young require constant feeding, and, as it -breeds all over North America as far as Hudson Bay, -you can see that the Spotted Sandpiper’s field of usefulness -is very wide, and wherever he goes, following the sun as -he does throughout the seasons, his value, aside from his -dainty beauty, does not lie in the morsel of food he would -make for those short sighted enough to shoot him, but in -the insects of all sorts, including grasshoppers and locusts, -he kills in the simple process of getting a living.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<a id='killd2'></a>Another bird of the moist meadows of rivers and salt -creeks is the Killdeer or Little Ring-necked Plover. It -<span class='pageno' title='224' id='Page_224'></span> -is about the size of the Spotted Sandpiper, equally beautiful, -and with a certain dignity all its own. We always -used to have them in the river meadows, but, since my -return this year, I have not seen a single one.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have found the curious, creamy, pear-shaped eggs, -with brown spots, in a grassy hollow, with no other bed than -the turf itself. Strange eggs they are, seemingly so much -too large for their owners, and an apparently careless -arrangement to leave them with no protecting nest. -But the shape of the egg prevents accident, for, if disturbed, -they simply turn round and round on the pointed -end, but do not roll away.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i279.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0033' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='credit'>National Association of Audubon Societies</p> <p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>KILLDEER</span></p> -</div> - -<div class='lgc' style=''> <!-- rend=';' --> -<p class='line'>Order—<span class='sc'>Limicolæ</span> Family—<span class='sc'>Charadriidæ</span></p> -<p class='line'>Genus—<span class='sc'>Ægialitis</span> Species—<span class='sc'>Vocifera</span></p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'>“The young chicks are the prettiest little creatures; -even when first hatched, they are well covered with down, -and have strong, useful legs, with which they can follow -their parents all day long until their pinions have developed -to let them fly. It is a peculiarity of the game-bird -that, like our domestic poultry, the chick comes from -the egg open-eyed, well covered, and able, in a measure, to -care for itself from the moment that it is hatched. The -song-birds, birds of prey, and others are hatched blind -and naked, and require several weeks’ time before they are -fit for independent life.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No prettier scene of young bird-life can be drawn than -that of Mother Killdeer, walking through the dewy meadows, -with stately gait, followed by her four chicks, now -brooding them with a warning cry, if the shadow of a -hawk appears; now turning over leaves and bits of dead -wood in search of their insect food. When danger is -near, the young squat, and the blending of their colours -with those of the ground gives them the benefit of what is -<span class='pageno' title='225' id='Page_225'></span> -known as ‘colour protection,’ a wise plan of Heart of Nature -for the benefit of the weaker species. If threatened -danger does not pass by, then the old birds become -aggressive, and sometimes fly at the intruder, be he -man or animal. The peculiar call of the bird, ‘Killdee-Killde-e-e-Killdeer,’ -has given it its name, though it has -several other cries when brooding and protecting its -young.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The desire to protect this charming bird, that the -National Association of the Audubon Societies is endeavouring -to have made a law, state by state, is, after all, nothing -new. Listen to what Audubon himself wrote about the -Killdeer, beginning with the nesting time: ‘At this period -the parents, who sit alternately on the eggs, never leaving -them to the heat of the sun, are extremely clamorous at -the sight of an enemy. The female droops her wings, -emits her plaintive notes, and endeavours, by every means -she can devise, to draw you from her nest or young. The -male dashes over you in the air and vociferates all the -remonstrances of an angry parent whose family is endangered. -If you cannot find pity for the poor birds at such a -time, you may take up their eggs and see their distress, -but if you be at all so tender hearted as I would wish you -to be, it will be quite unnecessary for me to recommend -mercy.’</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So, children of the Kind Hearts’ Club, ask all those you -meet to help put the little Killdeer upon the protected -list; say that it is too small to be counted as food, and, -in addition, whisper to every farmer you meet (and -farmers north, south, east, and west should be interested, -for the bird inhabits the whole of temperate North America), -<span class='pageno' title='226' id='Page_226'></span> -‘The Killdeer is an insect eater, taking grasshoppers, -crickets, beetles, boll weevils, and the dreaded Rocky -Mountain locust.’ If this is not enough, add that the Kind -Hearts wish to protect all these gentle little birds, that are -out of place on the list of food-birds, and we all know that -when a kind heart <span class='it'>wishes</span> to do a thing, it usually finds -the way!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Somebody told Dad at the last Farmers’ Institute -that the Reed birds, that the big boys go gunning for down -in the marsh meadows along in August, are changed <a id='bobo4'></a>Bobolinks,” -said Tommy, “and that we mustn’t shoot them any -more, because Bobolinks are singing-birds, and I just -guess they are. My! can’t they sing, and fly right up at -the same time, as if going so fast shook the song out of -them, and they couldn’t help it!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady laughed at Tommy’s description, which -was certainly very true, and expressed in vigorous boy -language.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, Tommy, the black-white-and-buff Bobolink of -May, after the midsummer moult, becomes a dull, brown-striped -bird like his wife, and, shedding his lovely voice -and glowing feathers together, he keeps only a call note. -In this masquerade he leads a double, and somewhat -vagabond, life, travelling by slow degrees toward his winter -home and then back again in the spring, all the while -eating many things which the owners do not wish him to -have, one being rice,—rice in the ear and the sprouting -rice in spring.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Let others do as they must, but we, who have no rice -to be hurt, insist that this bit of ardent, flying melody -shall receive the treatment that his music deserves, and -<span class='pageno' title='227' id='Page_227'></span> -be taken forever off the list of semigame-birds. What if -this singer of the opera does choose to don a sober travelling -cloak and journey silently? The musician is only -waiting for the pink blossoms to come on the apple trees, -and the grass to grow long enough to sway to the wind, -to again let his music float from the one and give his nest -to the care of the other, where no human eye, at least, -may spy it. If we destroy Robert of Lincoln, called -Bobolink for short, we kill not one but many qualities -and songs. Did you never hear the rhyme of his merry -family?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='228' id='Page_228'></span></p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE O’LINCOLN FAMILY</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>A flock of merry singing-birds were sporting in a grove;</p> -<p class='line0'>Some were warbling cheerily and some were making love.</p> -<p class='line0'>There were Bobolincon, Wadolincon, Winterseeble, Conquedle,—</p> -<p class='line0'>A livelier set were never led by tabor, pipe, or fiddle:—</p> -<p class='line0'>Crying “Whew, shew, Wadolincon; see, see, Bobolincon</p> -<p class='line0'>Down among the tickle tops, hiding in the buttercups;</p> -<p class='line0'>I know the saucy chap; I see his shining cap</p> -<p class='line0'>Bobbing there in the clover,—see, see, see!”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Up flies Bobolincon perching on an apple tree;</p> -<p class='line0'>Startled by his rival’s song, quickened by his raillery.</p> -<p class='line0'>Soon he spies the rogue afloat, curvetting in the air,</p> -<p class='line0'>And merrily he turns about and warns him to beware!</p> -<p class='line0'>“ ’Tis you that would a-wooing go, down among the rushes O!</p> -<p class='line0'>Wait a week, till flowers are cheery; wait a week ere you marry,</p> -<p class='line0'>Be sure of a house wherein to tarry;</p> -<p class='line0'>Wadolink, Whiskodink, Tom Denny, wait, wait, wait!”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Every one’s a funny fellow; every one’s a little mellow;</p> -<p class='line0'>Follow, follow, follow, follow, o’er the hill and in the hollow.</p> -<p class='line0'>Merrily, merrily, there they hie; now they rise and now they fly;</p> -<p class='line0'>They cross and turn, and in and out, down the middle, and wheel about,</p> -<p class='line0'>With a “Phew, shew, Wadolincon; listen to me, Bobolincon!</p> -<p class='line0'>Happy’s the wooing that’s speedily doing, that’s speedily doing,</p> -<p class='line0'>That’s merry and over with the bloom of the clover;</p> -<p class='line0'>Bobolincon, Wadolincon, Winterseeble, follow, follow me!”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>O what a happy life they lead, over hill and in the mead!</p> -<p class='line0'>How they sing and how they play! See, that fly away, away!</p> -<p class='line0'>Now they gambol o’er the clearing—off again, and then appearing;</p> -<p class='line0'>Poised aloft on quivering wing, now they soar and now they sing,</p> -<p class='line0'>“We must all be merry and moving, we all must be happy and loving;</p> -<p class='line0'>For when the midsummer has come and the grain has ripened its ear,</p> -<p class='line0'>The haymakers scatter our young and we mourn for the rest of the year;</p> -<p class='line0'>Then, Bobolincon, Wadolincon, Winterseeble, haste, haste away!”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Wilson Flagg</span>, in <span class='it'>Birds and Seasons in New England</span>.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='229' id='Page_229'></span><h1>XVI<br/> <span class='sub-head'>TREASURE-TROVE AT THE SHORE</span></h1></div> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><a id='gull1'></a><span class='it'>The Herring or Harbour Gull</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'>The autumn had been clear and fine, and the hillside -farmers of Fair Meadows township had their out-of-door -work well in hand by Thanksgiving. The fall-sown rye -was well up, and the fields that were to lie fallow and be -sweetened by the frost were ploughed and in good shape. -Ice-cutting, on the chain of large ponds that lay in the -valley between the hills north of the river woods, was an -important industry of the region, so that every one was -anxious to have the ice form clear and firm before snowfall. -As yet, however, there had been no signs of either, except -the thin ice with which Black Frost always covers the roof, -gutters, water-pails, and shallow pools when he prowls -round in the early morning, as if merely to let the good -folks know of his presence, and to prepare them for his -gentler mediating brother, Snow.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The day after Thanksgiving the wind began to blow, -not in mere passing gusts, but steadily and systematically. -Then, too, it came from a strange quarter for that season—the -extreme southeast. This was the wind to drive -the sea into the bay and force the water high on -shore. Such winds, at this season, piled the elastic brown -seaweed in long lines high above tide-water, and many a -farmer, and market-gardener, as he ate his supper, laid -<span class='pageno' title='230' id='Page_230'></span> -plans to drive down to the beach next morning, with a -double team, and secure a full load of the weed for covering -his strawberry or asparagus beds.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Before morning, however, a driving rain set in that -lasted for two days and kept everybody house-bound. -The roadways ran water like rivers, and, by the time the -storm lessened at sunset Sunday evening, there was barely -a leaf left on the apple trees of the Birdland orchard, and -Goldilocks was well-nigh heartbroken over the state of -the lunch-counter, for, in spite of the protecting roof, the -broken biscuits turned to paste, the suet hung in rags, -and as for the kernels of cracked corn and the buckwheat, -they had swelled as if they thought it was a spring -rain and it was their duty to grow. So that Goldilocks -was worried lest some Juncos and Goldfinches that made -a hearty meal upon the grains, in spite of the rain, should -suffer from a fit of indigestion.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Early Monday morning, when he returned to milk, the -hired man at Tommy Todd’s, who had been spending the -night with his brother at one of the little huts four miles -below on the shore road, brought word that the great -storm had, as he expressed it, “heaved” the deep-water -oyster-beds that extended out through the bay and that -in addition to the seaweed, the beach was completely -covered with fine large oysters, bushels and bushels of -them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>How the news spread, nobody knew, but by half-past -eight every available team within a mile of Foxes Corners -school was “hooked up” and entire families were hurrying -toward the beach in every sort of vehicle, to gather up -this unexpected treasure-trove of the sea.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='231' id='Page_231'></span> -The parents seemed to have entirely forgotten that -school began at nine, and it was not to be expected that the -children should remind them. And, truth be told, when -Jared Barnes gathered his flock, grandma included, into -the hay wagon, Sarah and Ruth, conscientious as they -usually were about their lessons, entirely forgot the day of -the week, so eager were they for the fray; for the prospect, -not only of oysters to roast and stew, but of oysters to pickle -and keep, was too great a temptation to resist.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Miss Wilde, who arrived at the schoolhouse rather -earlier than usual, found the door locked, and no fire in -the stove. It was Dave’s week to tend the fire, and, as -Miss Wilde stood in the open doorway pondering on the -matter, one of the most exacting of the school committee -men came bumping along in a lumber cart. Pulling up his -horses so suddenly that a neighbour who was with him -tipped backward off the seat, he called to the astonished -teacher: “You had best close up and go home; you won’t -have any pupils to-day. Or else come down, and hold -school on the shore! The rest of the committee will -probably meet together in a few minutes, and we’ll vote -to extend Thanksgiving holidays over to-day.” So -saying, he cracked his whip and rattled downhill, leaving -Miss Wilde to wonder if he was losing his mind, or the -world was turning topsyturvy, or if she was still asleep, -for it was beginning to be hard to wake up as the mornings -shortened.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Miss Wilde locked the door and started to walk toward -Eliza Clausen’s house, that being the nearest place where -she could possibly find out what was happening. As she -reached the cross-road that met the turnpike a little above -<span class='pageno' title='232' id='Page_232'></span> -the school, she heard the sharp trot of hoofs, and, turning -in that direction, saw Jacob Hughes driving the depot -rockaway, Goldilocks being beside him and Gray Lady -seated behind. Goldilocks waved her hand on seeing Miss -Wilde, and in another minute “teacher” was seated beside -Gray Lady, and not only knew of the avalanche of oysters, -but was herself on the way to the shore with her friends, -who were going, not for the sake of the oysters, but to -enjoy what was sure to be a picturesque scene, with the -shell-strewn beach, the sharp bluff on the left, and the -long sand-bar, with its lighthouse on the right, for a setting. -Nor were they disappointed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For once tell-tale news did not exaggerate, and, though -there were many cut and scratched fingers from the sharp -shells, before noon there was no one who had not gathered -all the oysters he could carry. The more thrifty among -the men also began to gather the seaweed into heaps safe -from the incoming tide, so that they might be sure of finding -it the next day, while the women and children gathered -driftwood and, making fireplaces of a few stones, heated -the coffee they had brought. For, though the sun was -now shining clear, and the wind had dropped to a little -breeze that scarcely moved the surface of the tide pools, -there was a growing keenness in the air that named the -month “December,” and promised the wind would be in -the northwest by night.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i289.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0034' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>HERRING GULLS</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'><a id='gull2'></a>In spite of the unusual human picture before them, -that which interested Gray Lady, Miss Wilde, and Goldilocks -the most were the Gulls that covered the bare sand-bar, -waded in the shallow pools, and clambered among the -stones in search of food, which they picked out with their -<span class='pageno' title='233' id='Page_233'></span> -stout, hooked bills, then flew swiftly overhead toward the -creek, across the salt meadows, with a shrill cry, such as -the creaking windlass of a well gives when the rope plays -out quickly and the bucket drops—“quake-wake-wake.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Further out, in the arm of the bar, where there was no -current, and the water was deep and smooth, many Gulls -were resting motionless as white skiffs at anchor, or -flying and diving for food in the wake of some boats that -were evidently grappling to discover the extent of the -damage to the oyster-beds.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How many kinds of Gulls are there?” asked Goldilocks. -“Three, I should think, unless the males and the females -were different.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Gulls here are all Herring, or, as the Wise Men -now wish them called, ‘Harbour Gulls.’ The old birds have -the pure white breasts and pearly gray, or what is sometimes -called ‘Gull-blue,’ upper parts and the black-and-white -wing-markings. The mixed and streaked ash, -buff, and brown birds are the young of the year, while the -black-and-white patched birds are not Gulls, but Old -Squaw Ducks. These have spent the winter about the bay -and bar ever since I can remember, and, strangely enough, -both Gulls and Ducks seem to be no less in number than -they were twenty years ago. That is probably because -the Gulls are protected, and the Ducks’ flesh is so tough -that even a hungry dog could hardly tear it apart. I hope -your children are noticing these birds while they are -gathering driftwood for the fires,” Gray Lady said to Miss -Wilde. “It is very seldom that they come to the shore as -late as this, or see the Gulls in such numbers. It seems -<span class='pageno' title='234' id='Page_234'></span> -to-day as though the storm must have driven all that -belong to many miles of coast to take shelter in this bay.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, they are looking,” said Goldilocks, “for Sarah -and Tommy and Dave and Clary, who are all together -by the nearest fire, are watching and pointing to the Gulls -that are over by the boats, and I think that Bobby has -found a dead Gull tangled in seaweed and he is showing -it to the others.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then I foresee that the Harbour Gull will be the bird -of next Friday afternoon,” said Gray Lady, as they turned -homeward, taking Miss Wilde with them for lunch, so -that Gray Lady might talk over a new plan concerning -the old farm-house in the corner of the orchard, with its -great stone chimney where the Swifts loved to build.</p> - -<hr class='tbk110'/> - -<p class='pindent'>As Gray Lady had expected, the next Friday afternoon, -when she went to Foxes Corners schoolhouse, she was -greeted by many enthusiastic accounts of the stolen holiday -at the shore, but a perfect chorus of questions arose -about the “big birds that fly and swim and yet aren’t -quite like Ducks”; while Bobby proudly produced his -treasured Gull, wrapped in a newspaper, at the same time -assuring Gray Lady, as became a member of the Kind -Hearts’ Club, that he hadn’t thrown a stone at it, or anything, -and that it was “drowned dead in the seaweed.” -All of which she already knew to be true.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why aren’t the Gulls there in the summer when we go -down camping and clamming?” asked Tommy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Because,” said Gray Lady, “they do not like very -warm weather, and nowadays at least, though they live -<span class='pageno' title='235' id='Page_235'></span> -all through North America, they do not nest on the Atlantic -coast south of Maine. For this reason, we seldom see -them between May and October, and that is the very time -that you children and people in general visit the shore.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It must take a pretty big tree to hold a Gull’s nest,” -said Dave, picking up the bird and weighing it in his hand; -“it’s lots bigger than a Crow.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes; a Gull measures two feet in length (that is, from -the tip of its beak over its back to the tail, which is the -way the length of a bird is reckoned), and is quite three -feet across the spread of its open wings, while the body -of the Crow is five inches shorter and the wings only -spread a little over two feet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You probably noticed, the other day, what very long, -pointed wings the Gulls have. But though these Gulls -do sometimes nest in fairly high trees and in bushes, it is -not common, and their favourite place is on the gray -shingle, and among the stones of rocky beaches well above -tide-water, or else between tussocks of beach grass or -sheltering pieces of driftwood.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As a Gull’s chief food is gleaned from the sea, it must -nest as close as possible to its source of supply. You -can easily see that so large a bird could never be free from -annoyance on our bathing beaches or offshore islands that -are used as summer resorts; so, as people flocked to the -shore, more and more, the places where Gulls might nest -in comfort grew fewer and fewer, and they were driven to -the remote islands like those off the Maine coast, Great -Duck Island, No Man’s Land, and others, and it is at -Great Duck Island that is to be found the largest colony -of Gulls within the United States.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='236' id='Page_236'></span> -“But even here and on many lesser islands, with only -lighthouses and their keepers for company, where there -were no summer cottages or pleasure-seekers, until a few -years ago, the Gulls were not safe, for they, like the White -Herons of the South, were bonnet martyrs.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bonnet martyrs!” exclaimed Eliza Clausen, jumping -as if some one had stuck a pin in her. “I don’t think they -would look one bit nice on hats; why, they are so big that -there wouldn’t be any hat, but all bird.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You are quite right,” said Gray Lady, “but the whole -Gull was not used. These beautiful white breast-feathers -were made into turbans. Perhaps, on one side of -these, a smaller cousin of the Gull, the Tern, or Sea -Swallow, with its coral-red beak, would be perched by -way of finish. Or else, soft bands made of the breast, -and some of the handsomest wing quills were used for -trimming.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not only were these feathers sold wholesale to the -plume merchants and milliners, but people who went to -the coast resorts would buy them of the sailors simply -because they were pretty, without giving a thought to -the lives they cost, or of how desolate and lonely the -shores would be when there were no more Gulls.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There are comparatively few people, I earnestly believe, -who would wear feathers for ornament if they realized -the waste of life that the habit causes. It is largely -because people do not stop to think, and they do not -associate the happy living bird with the lifeless feathers -in the milliner’s window. But now that the Wise Men—yes, -and wise women, too—have explained the matter, the -protection of these beautiful sea-birds is an established fact.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='237' id='Page_237'></span> -“This bird was called ‘Herring Gull,’ because by hovering -over the schools of Herring where they swam, and -diving to get them for food, they told the fishermen, who -spend their lives upon the ocean on the lookout, where -the fish were to be found. Now, though the Gulls still do -this, they do better work, also, for they spend the time -that they are away from their nesting-homes about the -harbours of the large cities, making daily trips up the -rivers and cleansing the water of refuse, upon which they -feed. For this reason, ‘Harbour Gull’ seems to be a -better name for them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They are very sociable birds at all times of the year, -keeping in colonies even in the breeding season, a time -when song- and other land-birds pair, and prefer to be alone. -The nests, when on the ground or upon flat rocks, are built -of grass, mosses, seaweed, and bits of soft driftwood -formed into a shallow bowl. If the edges of this crumble -or flatten while the birds are sitting, they use bunches of -fresh grass or seaweed to keep it in repair, with the result -that the nest is not only a very tasteful object, but it -blends perfectly with its surroundings.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The eggs are very interesting because no two seem to -be of the same colour, being of every shade of blue and -gray, from the colour of summer sky and sand to the tint -of the many-coloured, water-soaked rocks themselves. -The markings vary also in shape and size, and are in -every shade of brown, through lilac and purple, to black. -The parents are very devoted to their nests, and take -turns in sitting, though the eggs are often left to the care -of the sun on days when it is sufficiently warm. When -the young are first hatched, though covered with down, -<span class='pageno' title='238' id='Page_238'></span> -they are very weak in the neck and helpless; but in the -course of a few hours the little Gulls are strong enough to -walk, and the instinct to hide at the approach of anything -strange comes to them very suddenly, so that a Gull -only three or four hours old will slip out of the nest and -either hide beneath a few grass blades or flatten itself in -the sand, where, owing to its spotted, colour-protective -down, it is almost invisible, so well does Nature care for -her children—provided that man does not interfere. -When a Gull nests in a tree, however, the little birds, not -feeling the same necessity for hiding, do not try to leave -the nest until the growth of their wings will let them fly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“On the sea beaches squids and marine refuse are fed -to the young Gulls, but where they have nested near fresh, -instead of salt, water many insects gleaned from the fields -are eaten.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was in the Gulls’ nesting season that the plunderers -chose to go to their island haunts, steal the eggs, and kill -the parent birds, whose devotion, like that of the White -Heron, left the birds at the mercy of the plume hunters.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“At the end of summer the young, wearing their -speckled suits, are able to join the old in flocks, and it is -then that they scatter along the coast, some going from -the northern borders down to the Great Lakes. In and -about New York City they are one of the features of the -winter scenery; they fly to and fro under the arches of the -great bridge, and follow the ships the entire length of the -harbour and out to sea. At night they bed down so close -together that in places they make a continuous coverlid of -feathers on the waters of the reservoirs and in the sheltered -coves of the Hudson. From the banks of Riverside Park, -<span class='pageno' title='239' id='Page_239'></span> -any autumn or winter afternoon, so long as the channel is -free from ice, they may be seen flying about as fearless -as a flock of domestic Pigeons.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Here on our beach they are scary enough,” said -Tommy. “Why, the other day I tried every way to creep -up close to some of them, but I never could; they were -always up and off, sometimes without saying a word, and -sometimes screeching, ‘Yuka-yuka-yuka,’ enough to -frighten any one. Pop says that, way back when he was -a boy, and there weren’t any laws to prevent shooting -anything except the game-birds out of season, that these -birds were just as scary, so that the best shots used to -go down on the bar and try to hit a Gull, not to eat, but -for the sake of being called a good shot, because Gulls -were harder to get than old leader Crows.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is the very reason why Gulls alongshore are -afraid now. For so many years they have served as -targets for Duck hunters, and people who did not realize -what they were destroying, that fear has become an instinct. -Now in the nesting-haunts, where they are protected, -they are gradually becoming more and more -tame. About the harbours of cities and parks, where -shooting has never been allowed for other reasons than -bird protection, they fly about unconcernedly and exhibit -little alarm.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Are Gulls any real use, except that they are nice to -look at and watch fly?” asked Dave, presently, as Bobbie’s -bird was being passed from desk to desk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, the Harbour Gulls are useful in many ways, and -would be more so if man would protect them fully everywhere, -as they do in some countries and in some of the -<span class='pageno' title='240' id='Page_240'></span> -western parts of our own country; but, in general, they have -been so persistently hunted that they shun the land-bound -fresh water, where they would help the farmers by feeding -on large insects, and prefer the freedom of the open water.”</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'>“The true Gull of the sea, the spirit of the salt, is a sort -of feathered bell-buoy, and thus is of use to the sailors, -as there is ample testimony to prove.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In summer, in thick weather, the appearance of Gulls -and Terns in numbers, or the sound of their clamorous -voices, gives warning to the mariner that he is near the -rocks on which they breed. Shore fishermen, enshrouded -in fog, can tell the direction of the islands on which the -birds live by watching their undeviating flight homeward -with food for their young. The keen senses of sea-birds -enable them to head direct for their nests, even in dense -mist.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Navigators approaching their home ports during the -seasons of bird migration welcome the appearance of -familiar birds from the land. . . .</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sea-birds must be reckoned among the chief agencies -which have made many rocky or sandy islands fit for human -habitation. The service performed by birds in fertilizing, -soil-building, and seed-sowing on many barren -islands entitles our feathered friends to the gratitude of -many a shipwrecked sailor, who must else have lost his -life on barren, storm-beaten shores.”</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:2em;margin-top:0.5em;'>—<span class='sc'>E. H. Forbush.</span></p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>“Is mine a good grown-up Gull?” asked Bobbie, who -had been waiting anxiously for its safe return to his -<span class='pageno' title='241' id='Page_241'></span> -hands, “because grandpa says if it is, he’ll take it over -to town, and get it stuffed, and fixed up on a perch, to -remember Oyster Day by; but I’ll bury it if you’d rather -I would.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is a fully grown bird, Bobbie,” said Gray Lady, -“and it is wearing its winter dress. In summer the head -and neck that are now streaked with gray would be a -dazzling white, and as accident killed it, and wind and -tide gave it to you, there is no reason why you may not -keep it with a clear conscience.”</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='242' id='Page_242'></span><h1>XVII<br/> <span class='sub-head'>THE BIRDS’ CHRISTMAS TREE</span></h1></div> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:1.2em;'><span class='it'>Preparation</span></p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Christmas sale was over. It had been held in the -play and work rooms the Saturday before Christmas, and -was a great success. The dressed dolls, iron-holders, -aprons, bird-houses, wooden spoons, racks for clothes, -and little knickknacks had been ranged on the work-table -and carpenter’s bench, and all the people of the -neighbouring towns, as well as from Fair Meadows village -itself, had been asked to come and see. When they came -and saw, they stayed to buy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The bird-houses proved the greatest novelty, and -Tommy Todd and Dave, their cheeks red with excitement, -were kept busy taking orders for more, to be finished -by May or June, one customer said. She, however, -was very much amused when Tommy told her that if she -expected to have birds in the house (it was a box for Tree Swallows) -the first season, she must have the house in -place before April, so that it might “be weathered a little, -and the birds find it when they first came, and not think -it was a trap put up to catch them.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady donated some delicious cake of Ann’s -make, and hot chocolate, and while the visitors enjoyed it, -they asked many questions about the bird class, the school -at Foxes Corners, and the motives of the Kind Hearts’ -<span class='pageno' title='243' id='Page_243'></span> -Club itself; for this name had been printed on the posters -advertising the sale.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The result that concerned the public good was that other -men and women resolved, even if they could not do it as -thoroughly as Gray Lady, to supply the teachers in their -various districts with charts and books, and before night -settled down, Sarah Barnes, the treasurer of the Club, was -hugging tight in her arms a small iron box, with a lock -and key, wherein were fifty precious dollars, while -orders that meant an equal sum before the close of the -school year were being copied from a rather mussy paper -into a blank-book, by Tommy Todd, the secretary, whose -usually clear upright letters were made crooked by his -excitement.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The next question was, How should the money be spent? -Each child was asked to write his or her idea on a slip of -paper and bring it to the birds’ Christmas festival that -was to be held, as seemed fitting, in Birdland, the afternoon -before Christmas, from two o’clock until four.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Supposin’ it’s cold and snowy?—that’s a long time to -be outdoors,” said Eliza Clausen, as she walked home -between Sarah and Ruth Barnes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It may not be out-of-doors,” said Sarah, looking very -wise.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then it can’t be in Birdland, as Gray Lady said,” -persisted Eliza, who, though she was less critical since -she had come under the older woman’s influence, could -not resist once in a while, “hoping for the worst,” as Gray -Lady called borrowing trouble.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes; the party can be indoors, and yet in Birdland,” -answered Sarah.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='244' id='Page_244'></span> -“Oh, you’re trying to catch me with a riddle or something.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If I am, I’ll tell you the answer at the birds’ Christmas -tree next Tuesday,” called Sarah, as she turned in at her -own gate.</p> - -<hr class='tbk111'/> - -<p class='pindent'>A two-inch fall of soft, clinging snow fell during the -night before Christmas eve, so that the next morning -“everything looked as pretty as the pictures on a calendar,” -as Sarah Barnes said, when she arrived at Gray -Lady’s door, bright and early, to help decorate the birds’ -tree.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Sarah did not enter the door, however, for she was -joined on the porch by Goldilocks and Ann, and together -they walked through the garden to Birdland.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jacob Hughes had swept paths from the house in and -out among the trees through the garden. In Birdland -he had used the single-horse snow-plough to scrape a -track running from the bird lunch-counter, about the -edge of the orchard, and then through the centre down to -the old farm-house of the Swallow Chimney, that stood in -the lower corner facing on what had been a cross-road, but -was now a pretty grass-grown lane, with the snow wreathing -the bushes of black alder, with its red, glistening -berries, giving out a real Christmas feeling.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>What had happened to the old house of the Swallow -Chimney, where the General’s father had lived, but which -had now remained closed for so many years, merely a -storage-place for old furniture?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Smoke was coming from the great stone chimney, new -<span class='pageno' title='245' id='Page_245'></span> -shingles stained to look old replaced the broken ones, -new paint glistened on the window-sashes, and the quaint -old panes of glass, bearing the rainbow tints of years, -shone like mirrors. The front door was painted dark -green, and the spread-eagle knocker of brass was as bright -as polishing could make it; while around the deep front -porch was a little fence of cedar bushes in boxes, all garlanded -with vines of coral, bittersweet berries.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Goldilocks and Sarah went to the front door of the old -house, while Ann disappeared in the woodshed that -joined the side porch and well-house.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The girls had not touched the knocker when the door -flew open, and who should stand there but Miss Rose Wilde, -while beyond her, sitting by the blazing log-fire in the -long, low living-room, that had once been the kitchen, was -her mother, looking better and younger than she had for -at least ten years!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This was the secret. Gray Lady had repaired the old -house and established the faithful little teacher and her -mother in it, so that instead of mother and daughter only -meeting once a week, or less often in winter, and each -having a good bit of heartache between, they had a real -home once more. What was also a bit of good luck, Mrs. -Wilde’s furniture, that had been stored away, was of the -kind that seemed as if it had been made for the old homestead -and had never been anywhere else.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Once inside, Rose Wilde led them into the kitchen, where -everything was as neat as wax, and there, spread upon -tables and half-covering the floor, were the decorations for -the birds’ Christmas tree.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Where was the tree itself? Where trees are the best -<span class='pageno' title='246' id='Page_246'></span> -and healthiest, out-of-doors back of the house, a stout, -young spruce, some twenty odd feet high, growing in the -orchard corner where no one had planted it, the child of -one of the spruces near the great house,—a half-wild tree, -sprung from the seed of a cone dropped by a Crossbill, -perhaps, or left by a squirrel who was making a winter -store-house in the attic of the farm-house.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The dainties for the tree were selected to suit all the -various needs and appetites of the winter birds likely to -come to the orchard.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady, Goldilocks, Rose Wilde, and Ann had -strung quantities of popcorn upon the chance of the Jays -and Crows liking it. They had used strong thread, but -had only strung the corn by the very edge, so that it would -detach easily. There were lumps of suet, and marrow-bones, -securely bound with wire, ears of red and yellow -corn, bunches of unthreshed rye, wheat, and oats, little -open boxes filled with beechnuts, and various wild berries. -Last of all, something that Goldilocks had suggested, the -heads of a couple of dozen sunflowers, filled with the ripe, -nutritious seeds, for she had noticed that all the autumn -the Goldfinches and various Sparrows had stayed about -the beds where the composite flowers like asters, marigolds, -cornflowers, zinnias, and sunflowers grew, and that -also the wild sunflowers and black-eyed Susans of waste -fields were always surrounded by birds.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jacob Hughes had his ladders all ready, but it was no -small task to keep him supplied with material, and there -were many mishaps before all the articles were in place, -but to Goldilocks’ great joy, before Jacob had fairly finished -and taken the ladder away, <a id='cdee3'></a>a Chickadee and a -<span class='pageno' title='247' id='Page_247'></span> -Goldfinch were both clinging to the same sunflower head, -and a little Downy Woodpecker had discovered one of -the bones fastened to a branch and was revelling, “up to -his neck,” as Sarah expressed it, in the marrow.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Underneath the tree a place had been cleared for the -gifts Gray Lady had in store for what she called “the -featherless two-legged birds of the Kind Hearts’ Club.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>After they had rested a few minutes, and were thoroughly -warmed, Gray Lady, Rose Wilde, Goldilocks, and Sarah -Barnes set out for a stroll through the orchard, and the -lane that ran back of it, up to the farm-barns, to see what -feathered guests were in the neighbourhood, the walk -taking them past a great pile of unhewn wood and a tent-shaped -brush-heap at the end of the lane.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady used her opera-glasses, but the others trusted -to their eyes alone. These are the birds they saw and named -easily: <a id='gold1'></a>A flock of Goldfinches in their dull winter coats -feeding on weed seeds in the lane; their old friends the -Chickadees, three Blue Jays, two Flickers, and several -Downy Woodpeckers; Gray Lady thought possibly from -their markings, a whole Downy family,—Mr., Mrs., and four -children.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As they neared the woodpile Goldilocks stopped, her -hand on Gray Lady’s sleeve and a finger raised in caution. -“I do believe there is a Jenny Wren that has not gone -away or is lost, it is such a little bit of a thing.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As they stood looking, <a id='wwren'></a>the little, neat, brown bird, about -four inches long, ran up and down among the logs like a -mouse, then flew with a little short flapping of the wings -to the bush, where it clung to a spray, bobbing to and fro, -its comical bit of a tail pointing as close to its head as -<span class='pageno' title='248' id='Page_248'></span> -possible. Then it appeared to pick something very -deliberately from the twigs and flew back again to the -woodpile with a sharp, warning note.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is not a belated House Wren,” said Gray Lady, -“but the <a id='wrenwin'></a>Winter Wren, his cousin, who nests from the -northern boundaries of the states northward, but comes -down in winter to visit us in southern New England and -travels as far south as Florida. A brave little fellow he -is to weather storms and cold here, and one of our three -smallest birds, the Golden-crowned Kinglet and the -Humming-bird being the other two. In his nesting-haunts -he has a beautiful song; I have never heard it, but one of -his admirers who has says that it is ‘full of trills, runs, -and grace notes, a tinkling, rippling roundelay.’ ”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A few minutes later it was Sarah’s turn to exclaim, as -she pointed to a small, sparrow-like bird, perched on a -giant stalk of seeded ragweed at the side of the lane. -“It’s a Chippy or else a Song Sparrow,” she said, hesitatingly. -“It’s bigger than a Chippy, and it’s got a spot on -its breast like the Song Sparrow, only it isn’t as big. O -dear me! I don’t think that I shall ever be sure of telling -Sparrows apart,” she sighed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“To be sure a bird <span class='it'>is</span> a Sparrow is a step in the right -direction,” said Gray Lady. “I have known some one -older than you call me to see a big Sparrow which turned -out to be a Wood Thrush. If you will remember one thing, -it will help you in placing the smaller birds. Look at a -bird’s beak; if it is thick, short, and cone-shaped, the -bird is most likely to be a Sparrow, for this family are all -seed-eaters except in the nesting season, while insect-eating -birds, of all families, have longer and more slender bills.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i306.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0035' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>TREE-SPARROW</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='249' id='Page_249'></span> -“<a id='tree'></a>As for this little fellow, it is another of our winter -visitors, the <a id='chippy'></a><span class='it'>Tree-sparrow</span> or <span class='it'>Winter Chippy</span>, and there is -probably quite a flock of his kin at this moment distributed -over the wild fields below, doing the work of seed-destroying -that the farmers have neglected; for, aside from -the cheerful companionship of all these winter birds, the -Sparrow tribe is working for us all winter as Weed Warriors,<a id='r3'/><a href='#f3' style='text-decoration:none'><sup><span style='font-size:0.9em'>[3]</span></sup></a> -just as the tree-trunk birds are Tree Trappers, the -birds who take insects while on the wing, Sky Sweepers, -and the silent birds of prey, who sit in wait for the field-mice -and other vermin, Wise Watchers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ah, it is my turn now to make discoveries,” said -Gray Lady, as they turned into the orchard at the end -opposite the lunch-counter tree. “Keep very quiet, and -look at the mossy branch of that half-dead tree to which -some frozen apples still hang; what do you see, Goldilocks? -Take my glasses and look carefully before you -answer.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Where?” said Goldilocks; “yes; I see. One is a little, -fluffy, greenish gray bird with a dirty white breast. Oh! -he has a red stripe edged with yellow on top of his head! -He moves so quickly that I can’t seem to see the whole -of him with one look, though he is small. The other bird -is a little bigger, and not so fat; he has a yellow spot on -his head, and a brighter one over the tail, and a yellow -spot on each side; he is striped gray and black all over, -except some white on his wings and underneath. How -he flits about, just like that bird that looked like a red-and-black -butterfly that we saw last summer that you -said was a <a id='reds1'></a>Redstart.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='250' id='Page_250'></span> -“You have very sharp eyes,” said her mother, “for you -saw at once the identifying marks of two birds that were -new to you. <a id='gking'></a>The merry fellow of the flaming crown is -the <a id='king1'></a>Golden-crowned Kinglet, another sturdy winter visitor, -who breeds in the North, and finds our climate quite -warm enough for him if the food holds out; for he is a tree -trapper, giving his attention, like the Chickadee, to the -smaller branches and twigs too slender to bear the weight -of the heavier tree-trunk birds.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“His companion is the <a id='warbmyr1'></a><a id='myrtle'></a>Myrtle or Yellow-rumped -Warbler, a hardy cousin of the Redstart and Summer -Yellowbird that Sarah, perhaps, does not yet know by -name, though she has doubtless seen them. When you -have once seen the male bird, you will never forget him, -because of the four yellow spots. These warblers are great -insect eaters, but lacking these, they will eat berries, the -bayberries being their favourite, and I believe that we -have to thank the bayberry bushes, in the rocky hill -pastures hereabouts, for the numbers of the Myrtle -Warblers that stay all winter, myrtle being a common -title for the bay, giving them their name.”</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i309.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0036' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='credit'>F. M. Chapman, Photo.</p> <p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>SHELTER FOR BIRD FOOD</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>At the garden end of Birdland, just inside the rustic -gate, a flock of <a id='juncobird'></a><a id='junc1'></a>Juncoes or Gray Snowbirds were feeding, -plump, cheerful, and contented, and giving vent to their -satisfaction in their pleasant “tchip, tchip, tchip” call. -Those who only know one winter bird know the Junco, -for he belongs to city parks, village yards, and remote -farms alike, anywhere that a frugal meal of grain or weed -seeds may be found, with a piazza vine or brush-heap or -haystack to creep into for shelter. His flesh-pink bill, -slate-coloured coat, and neat white vest, together with the -<span class='pageno' title='251' id='Page_251'></span> -<span class='it'>two conspicuous white tail-feathers</span>, tell his name to any one -who wishes to know it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The Junco is an autumn and winter visitor only, being -away from May until late September, as he nests northward -from New York and Connecticut. When the flocks -first return, you will be puzzled by many birds of the shape -and build of Juncoes, but who are wearing more or less -striped clothes; these are the young of the year.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Five new birds in one morning! I wish Tommy had -been here,” said Sarah; “but perhaps he knows them -already; Tommy knows a lot you can’t see because it’s -down so deep.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You must find us a new bird, too, before we go in to -lunch, Miss Wilde,” said Goldilocks.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have been looking at, not one, but a dozen, while you -have been watching the <a id='king2'></a>Kinglet and <a id='warbmyr2'></a>Myrtle Warbler. -Look over the gate-arch across toward the house. Do -you see something moving among the bunches of ripe -spruce cones?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I see birds moving, but I want to go nearer.” So the -party managed, by walking quietly, to reach the trees where -the birds were feeding without disturbing them in the -least.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There are two kinds of birds up there,” said Sarah, -presently, for it was her turn to use the opera-glasses. -“They are both rather red. One is darker than the other -and has no white on him. The other is lighter red and -has some white on the wings and tail. Why, Gray Lady! -their beaks are out of joint at the end and don’t shut tight. -I wonder what can have happened to the poor things. -I thought at first they might be wild parrots.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='252' id='Page_252'></span> -Gray Lady and Miss Wilde both laughed, Sarah’s concern -for the birds was so real.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You are right about the bills not closing at the tip, -but it is not owing to an accident. Nature developed this -bill so that the bird, who is a lover of evergreen forests, -might be able to wrench open the cones, the only winter -food that is oftentimes to be found.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The bird belongs to the Finch and Sparrow family, -though you would never guess it, and is called the ‘Crossbill.’ -<a id='cross1'></a>The <a id='redcross'></a>plain red one is the Red-winged Crossbill, and -the lighter-coloured one, with white markings, the <a id='cross2'></a>White-winged -Crossbill. Both birds nest north of New England, -but travel about the country in little flocks, sometimes -going as far south as Virginia and the Gulf States.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Listen, I think I can hear the crackling as they tear -the scales from the cones,” said Goldilocks.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, and you can see those that they have dropped -lying on the fresh snow under the trees,” added Sarah.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At that moment an old-fashioned dinner-bell sounded -from the direction of the farm-house in the orchard. It -was Mrs. Wilde letting them know that luncheon was -ready, for Gray Lady, Goldilocks, and Sarah were to -lunch at “Swallow Chimney,” as Goldilocks had christened -the restored home, by way of a house-warming.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As they left, the Crossbills, who had been climbing up -and down, with all the adroitness of the Chickadees or the -Upside-down birds themselves, suddenly took to wing, -giving short, metallic-sounding cries, flew rapidly over the -orchard, to alight—where do you suppose? On the birds’ -Christmas tree. Here, after some inspection, they began -to tear at the popcorn, their twisted beaks doing the work -<span class='pageno' title='253' id='Page_253'></span> -so well that they seemed fashioned for that purpose -alone.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well,” said Goldilocks, her hands clasped in amazement, -as they reached the farm-house, and saw what had -happened, “I never knew anything <span class='it'>quite so quick</span> to -happen outside of a story-book!”</p> - -<hr class='footnotemark'/> - -<div class='footnote'> -<table summary='footnote_3'> -<colgroup> -<col span='1' class='footnoteid'/> -<col span='1'/> -</colgroup> -<tr><td style='vertical-align:top;'> -<div class='footnote-id' id='f3'><a href='#r3'>[3]</a></div> -</td><td> - -<p class='pindent'>See <span class='it'>Citizen Bird</span>.</p> - -</td></tr> -</table> -</div> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='254' id='Page_254'></span><h1>XVIII<br/> <span class='sub-head'>HOW THEY SPENT THEIR MONEY</span></h1></div> - -<p class='pindent'>At two o’clock a procession of the pupils of Foxes -Corners school filed through the hall at “the General’s,” -wondering what new surprise was in store. The big boys, -who would not begin school until the mid-winter term, had -come under the strong persuasion of Tommy and Dave. -They looked rather uneasy, however, as if they were not -quite sure whether the performances that the younger -boys considered “bully” might not be undignified for men -of their age.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As the children went through the garden, Jim Crow -lurched out of a bush and walked along after them with -an air of great importance, as if he were the master of -ceremonies. Larry, the Starling, was not particularly -fond of cold weather, and kept inside the shelter of the -south porch, making little excursions here and there, -prompted by curiosity, and the desire to use his wings, -which were now quite strong, as food was to be had from -the dish that he and Jim shared, merely for the eating.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The lunch-counter was well patronized that afternoon, -for, in addition to the birds that had been in the vicinity -during the morning, several Bluebirds came, together -with three Robins, who simply gorged themselves upon -some dried currants that Goldilocks had put out as an -extra dainty. Gray Lady was trying experiments with -<span class='pageno' title='255' id='Page_255'></span> -all sorts of odds and ends at the lunch-counter, that she -might see exactly what sort of food was the most acceptable, -and she was very much surprised to find that though -wild birds, like human beings, can adapt themselves to -circumstances, a great number have such a craving for -animal food that it explained why Crows, Jays, and some -others become nest-robbers in the midst of summer plenty.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>After they had called upon Miss Wilde at Swallow -Chimney, where Eliza Clausen discovered the meaning of -Sarah Barnes’ mysterious remarks about the party being -held in the orchard, and yet being indoors, they went to -see the birds’ Christmas tree.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Since morning many things had been added to it that -were not intended for birds. Bundles, strange of shape, -wrapped in green tissue-paper tied up with red ribbon -and little sprigs of southern holly, hung to the lower -branches, while Jacob, dressed as Father Christmas, stood -by armed with a hooked stick, with which he loosened the -bundles and dropped them into the waiting hands.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As it was impossible to tell from the shape of the -parcels what they contained, there was a good deal of -pinching and squeezing done, but beyond the feeling of -sharp corners that might belong to either books or boxes, -nothing could be discovered.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is too cold for you to stand out here to open your -parcels,” said Gray Lady. “Suppose you take them in -the living-room at the cottage, and while the girls open -theirs you boys come for a little walk with me, for I have -some work planned particularly for the boys of the Kind -Hearts’ Club.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Oh, do not look worried, I shall not keep you more -<span class='pageno' title='256' id='Page_256'></span> -than half an hour,” she said, as she saw the boys were -quite as curious about untying their parcels as the girls.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So, following her lead, they trudged off up the lane, past -the barn and woodpile, to where the brush on either side -narrowed it to a mere path. Then, where another lane -crossed it, the way grew broader again, and while one -side was screened by woods, from the other you could -look out upon a stretch of waste meadows and fallow -fields.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was only enough snow to crunch underfoot, and -as Gray Lady walked ahead, a sprig of holly fastened at -the neck of her gray chinchilla collar, and another in the -close fitting hat of the same fur, her arms buried to the -elbows in a great muff, her eyes sparkling with pleasure, -and a rosy spot on each cheek made by the keen air, the -boys cast many glances of genuine admiration at her. -The big boys, especially, felt that she understood the situation -exactly, by taking them to walk without the girls, -giving them her confidence, and planning something for -them to do that would be different from girls’ work, or, -at least, apart from it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Perhaps some of the others have told you,” Gray Lady -said to the big boys as they walked, “that I am very -anxious not only to feed the small tree birds, that they -may stay with us in winter, but to try and help the Grouse -and Quail, so that, instead of those that have escaped the -dangers of the hunting season being driven out by hunger -and cold, they shall live on and increase, and become -again the friends to the farmers that they were in the old -days.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You big boys all know how much complaint there is of -<span class='pageno' title='257' id='Page_257'></span> -all kinds of new bugs and worms and blights that discourage -the farmers and leave but little profit in their -crops? As you learn to watch wild birds and their habits, -and realize the way in which they work for their living the -year round, you will see that it is largely the lack of these -old residents, these birds who were here before man came, -that allows all the new-fangled bugs to gain such headway.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now, while it is quite easy for all of us to have some -sort of a lunch-counter, either on a window-ledge, tree-trunk, -or shed roof,—anywhere, in short, where cats will -not venture,—feeding the larger game-birds is not such -a simple matter, for until they thoroughly understand our -motives, they will not come to us; we must take food to -them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Birds that are hunted everywhere, for at least two -months in a year, cannot be expected the day after the -season closes to come boldly to our houses for food, as if -they could consult a calendar, and say to one another, -‘To-day is December first, we may go and take a walk in -the open road in safety.’</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Neither would they be safe, for there are always, -I am sorry to say, cowards in every township who will -set snares, and get by stealth what they dare not take -openly. And, of the two, I think the snare a greater -danger to the poor birds than the gun.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The trouble with feeding game-birds away from -houses would be that, even if you knew their runs, and -I think I know some pretty well, the feed would most -likely blow away or be snowed under unless they ate it -right away,” said Jack Todd, Tommy’s second eldest -brother.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='258' id='Page_258'></span> -“Yes, that is one of the difficulties, but I think an -idea that I have borrowed, and am trying now for myself, -may partly solve the trouble. Look ahead of you, close -to the rail fence. What do you see? No; don’t rush to -the fence and trample the snow; keep on the lane side.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It’s some sort of a tent,” said Tommy; “I thought -at first it was just a corn-stack with snow on it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No; it isn’t a tent,” said Everett Judd, going closer; -“it’s only bean poles stacked with the vines left hanging, -two rows of them, so’s the snow won’t all drift in at one -spot.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“And what else?” asked Gray Lady. “Don’t you see -cracked corn and mill sweepings scattered in between -the poles? This is a feeding-station for our friends, -the game-birds, if we can only make them understand -that it is not a form of trap and does not hold a snare -in disguise.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Jack Todd, who had gone close to the tepee on one -side, stepping on stones that he might avoid tracking -the snow, and was examining the ground intently, suddenly -cried out, “There <span class='it'>have</span> been mill sweepings here, -because I can see some dust, but the grain is all gone, -and I guess—no; I’m <span class='it'>sure</span>—there have been Grouse -about, and they have fed here since snow fell, for there -are tracks coming out from under the fence and going -back the same way!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But how can you tell that they belong to Grouse?” -asked Gray Lady, coming close to look at the prints and -thinking in her excitement they might have been made -by chickens.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, they are real Grouse tracks, for they’ve got their -<span class='pageno' title='259' id='Page_259'></span> -spiked snow-shoes on, and here’s the marks of the -prickers!” And Jack pointed to the footprints of the -brushed claws in triumph.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This proves two points,” said Gray Lady, “that -there are Grouse in the neighbourhood, and that they -will take food if it is offered to them in the right way. -I should like to put up a dozen of these feeding-stations, -if you boys will help; you know the woods and brush-lots -better than I do now, and you can select the places -that will be suitable for these shelters and find what -material there is close at hand of which they can be -built.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When this is done, I shall again have to depend upon -you for keeping them supplied with food. If we find -that the grain is eaten, I think that it should be renewed -three times a week, so if six of you boys will volunteer -for the service, two can go together, and it will only make -one trip a week for each pair. If the snow is deep, you -might possibly arrange to fit some boxes to your sleds -to hold food, or, if the shelters are in rough ground, -a bag fastened to the shoulders like a pedler’s pack -might work well; for, in doing this work on a large scale, -merely a pocketful of food will not suffice.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will help,” said Jack Todd, after thinking a moment. -“Me, too,” said Everett, and Irving Todd, together; then -of course the others followed, Dave and Tommy anxious -lest they should be left out, while Bobby and little Jared -Hill, though too small to undertake to care for a -station alone, were acceptable as companions for the big -boys.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We have the rest of this week, and all of next for -<span class='pageno' title='260' id='Page_260'></span> -a holiday,” said Jack Todd, “so suppose we take a -tramp about the hill country on each side of the river -valley to Centreville, that’s about five miles, and fetch -axes with us. I know most of the people on the way, -and, if we put the shelters somewhere near houses, we -could distribute the food along, and they would let us -keep it in one of the outbuildings, so that it would be -handy in stormy weather. I’m pretty sure we can -collect stuff enough as we go for the shelters. My uncle, -who lives at Hilltop Farm, would give me corn-stacks -for three or four. There’s a heap of slab-sides (the -outside strip, with the bark, when a log is to be sawn into -boards) left to go to pieces up by where the sawmill -was last year; they will make fine wigwams, and there -are plenty of cedars and birches, with brushy tops, for -the rest. Then perhaps the folks along the line might -be interested and rig a few up on their own account.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Thank you, Jack,” said Gray Lady, warmly; “you -have caught the spirit of the idea and improved it already, -for if we are to do the game-birds any real good, and -establish the feeding plan permanently, the people all -‘along the line,’ as you call it, must be interested until -not only Fair Meadows township, and the county, but all -the counties in the state, are linked together in the work -of restoration.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Meanwhile, though, of course, everything that is done -regularly is work, I really envy you boys some of the -fun you will have in your winter tramps; sometimes you -will be able to skate nearly all the way upon the river, -and sometimes, if the snow is as deep as people are predicting, -you may be able to go on snow-shoes.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='261' id='Page_261'></span> -“Only I don’t think any of the fellows hereabouts own -a pair of snow-shoes,” said Everett.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then they are the very things for Jacob to help you -make if you come to any of our Saturday meetings,” -said Gray Lady. “Jacob was born in Canada, and -worked with fur trappers for several years, and though, -perhaps, he may not be able to make them as well as -when he was a young man, they would surely be better -than nothing, and who knows but what one of the many -things that the Kind Hearts will organize may be a Snow-shoe -Club.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Thus the big boys of Foxes Corner school found themselves -interested and pledged in Gray Lady’s work without -a suspicion of the “playing baby” of which they -had such dread.</p> - -<hr class='tbk112'/> - -<p class='pindent'>By the time Gray Lady and the boys returned to -Swallow Chimney, the girls had opened their bundles, -and besides little work-boxes, each with a silver thimble -of the right size for the owner, and a pair of scissors that -would “cut clean and not haggle,” as Eliza Clausen expressed -it, there were books for all. Some were about -birds, and others about flowers, trees, butterflies, and -the real life out-of-doors that is more wonderful than -any fairy-tale. Having disposed of their own presents, -with many little shrieks of delight, the girls stood by, -waiting for the boys to open their bundles. These were -all long and flat, with a bunch in the centre, as if two -objects of different shapes were fastened together.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Tommy succeeded in untying his first, skeining up the -<span class='pageno' title='262' id='Page_262'></span> -string so that he might have it for the re-wrapping. -A strong, well-made knife, with two blades fell out, and -under it was a hammer, a chisel, a half-inch auger, and -a medium-sized cross-cut saw. Seeing Tommy’s gifts -made the others pull open their packages hastily, with -less regard for string and paper, to find that they also -had the coveted tools.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now,” said Gray Lady, “you boys will be independent -of your fathers’ tools when you take a bird-house -home to finish, or wish to do a little bit of work for yourselves, -as the girls will also be independent of their -mothers’ work-boxes and thimbles; because, if the grown-up -people are always having their tools borrowed or -mislaid, they are apt to have a sort of grudge against -both the work and the workers.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Some of the boys looked at each other rather sheepishly, -and wondered how Gray Lady knew that their fathers -had said that “since the boys took to carpentering there -hadn’t been a hammer or nail to be found nor a saw with -the sign of an edge left on it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“By and by,” continued Gray Lady, “if you have -the desire, you will all have a chance to earn other tools, -and also make boxes in which to keep them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You may wonder why the Christmas tree bore no -candy by way of fruit; that was because part of the fun for -this afternoon will be making candy,—caramels, chocolate -creams, nut taffy, and old-fashioned pulled molasses rope-candy,—so -that, besides the making and tasting, you -will all have something that you have made yourselves -to give the people at home to-morrow, or put in their -stockings if they are hung up. See! here are the boxes -<span class='pageno' title='263' id='Page_263'></span> -that Goldilocks has made to hold the candy!” There -upon a tray were two dozen square boxes covered with -green-and-white paper, and a row of red-paper hearts -pasted across the top of each, with the words, “The Kind -Hearts wish you a Merry Christmas,” printed in red.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Did you make all those boxes yourself, Goldilocks?” -asked Sarah Barnes, in amazement; “I don’t see how -you could turn the corners so nice.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not the boxes; you can buy them for very little at -the factory. I covered them and put the hearts on, -but Mother did the printing. It is easy enough if you -take time. You see the two years that my feet wouldn’t -go, I learned to make my fingers work for both.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The fire and pans, sugar, molasses, and nuts are all -ready, but, before we become Miss Wilde’s guests and -begin, for the candy-making and supper belong to her -party, we must hold a short business meeting of the -Kind Hearts’ Club, that we may decide how the Christmas -money is to be spent.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady then sat down at the end of the room with -Mrs. Wilde, while Goldilocks, the president, took her -place at the head of the long table, with the vice-president, -Miss Wilde, close at hand to prompt. Sarah, the treasurer, -and Tommy, the secretary, were on opposite sides of the -table facing each other, and all the others sat up very -straight, wearing various expressions of importance that -were quite amusing.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Goldilocks rapped on the table with her pencil, and -said in a rather shaky voice, blushing rosy red as she -spoke, “The meeting will please come to order and -listen to the reading of the minutes of the last meeting.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='264' id='Page_264'></span> -There had been but one previous meeting, that to arrange -for the Christmas sale, and it had been informal, -so that this was really the president’s first appearance -in the chair, and, as she spoke, she kept her eyes fastened -to the paper upon which Miss Wilde had written the -order to be followed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Secretary will please read the minutes of the last -meeting,” she said, after a pause.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The secretary looked around in a hunted sort of way, -as if to find an open door through which he could escape, -and, seeing none, got rather unsteadily upon his feet, -opened the square blank-book that Gray Lady had -given him for his records, fumbled with the pages, and -then said, rather than read,—“We were all there. We -all agreed to sell the things we’ve been making so as to -get some money to feed birds, and buy things; and Gray -Lady said we could do it in her house; the Saturday before -Christmas was duly appointed, and Dave was to get the -bills, to tell folks it was going to be printed down at the -Chronicle Office, because it is his uncle runs it, and Gray -Lady promised to give cakes and chocolate, in case folks -were hungry.</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:8em;'>“Respectfully submitted,</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:0em;'>“<span class='sc'>Thomas Todd, Jr.</span>, Secretary, Amen!”</p> - -<hr class='tbk113'/> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady did not dare look at Miss Wilde during -the reading of this report, but the children took it in -perfect earnestness, and Goldilocks, having put the -report to vote, as she had been told, proceeded to the -next item before her and called, “Report of the secretary.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Again Tommy fumbled, and, after looking in every -<span class='pageno' title='265' id='Page_265'></span> -page of the book but the ones that were written upon, -suddenly burst forth,—“We had it, and we sold everything, -besides some things we haven’t made yet. The -people ate all there was, and took the other things home. -It was a big cinch! Sarah Barnes has got the money -in a box, and her father’s put it in the clock-case, except -some of it that’s in dimes and nickels, and they’re in a bag -in the dresser with the rye meal so’s no one’ll know. -Gray Lady said that to-day we must each bring a paper, -with written on it the way we wanted the money spent. -We have. It was hard to write because some things -we would like to have wouldn’t be nice to everybody -all around, and that’s what it means to have a Kind -Heart, grandma says.</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:4em;'>“Yours truly,</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:2em;'>“<span class='sc'>T. Todd</span>.”</p> - -<hr class='tbk114'/> - -<p class='pindent'>Action having been taken upon this, and the report -accepted without a dissenting voice, the treasurer was -called upon, and Sarah arose.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The result of the sale of the Kind Hearts’ Club, which -was held in the spacious residence of Mrs. Gray Lady -Wentworth on Saturday, December 18th, was very gratifying -to all concerned, and the proceeds, fifty dollars, are -now in the hands of the treasurer awaiting the orders -of this august body.</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:4em;'>“Respectfully reported by</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:2em;'>“<span class='sc'>Sarah Barnes</span>.”</p> - -<hr class='tbk115'/> - -<p class='pindent'>“How did you get yours together so slick and short, -and full of nice words?” whispered Tommy to Sarah, -<span class='pageno' title='266' id='Page_266'></span> -across the table, his usual admiration for her now tinged -with new respect.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I didn’t,” she signalled back, not speaking audibly, -but making the words with her lips. “I just told -grandma how much money we had, and she worded it; -they always talked reports that way at the missionary -meetings and sewing societies when she was a girl, and -she thinks folks are getting to be real slack talkers now.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A dis—cussion is now in order as to the spending -of the money. Will Mr. Todd collect the papers and -the vice-president kindly read them?” said Goldilocks, -after looking at her paper again. And as Tommy passed -a little box for the slips, Gray Lady came from the -corner, so eager was she to hear what the children had -in view.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Rose Wilde opened the papers, and the ideas on the -first few, though good, presented nothing original: food -for birds; books for the school; bird charts for the -Bridgeton Hospital. Sarah’s paper suggested sleigh-rides -and charts for the children in the Bridgeton Orphan -Asylum, “because they don’t know any birds but English -Sparrows.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Tommy’s paper read:—“To fix the spring that used -to come down Sugar Loaf Hill into a trough, before Bill -Evans got mad with the Selectmen, and blocked it from -coming through his pasture. There’s no water for drivers -along the road above the Centre until you get to Beaver -Brook, and that’s four miles, unless they get it from our -well, which isn’t handy. My father could fix a big -stone trough, ’cause he’s a mason, and birds and dogs -and horses could drink. Birds need water to mix mud -<span class='pageno' title='267' id='Page_267'></span> -for their nests, too, especially Robins and Wood Thrushes. -What is wanting, is to pipe the spring across Evans’ -field,—his widow’d be pleased to have us; it’s her land. -It’s two hundred feet, father says.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is a very good, practical idea, Tommy,” said -Gray Lady, earnestly; “we must consider this.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Rose Wilde had now come to the last paper without -discovering anything else of special novelty; this was -written in little Clary’s stiff letters, and filled a whole -sheet of paper.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It isn’t for birds, it’s a blanket for Joel Hanks, the -mail-man’s horse. It’s blind in one eye, and it’s a kind -horse, and knows where all the boxes are. It’s got a -cough now. Mr. Hanks was going to buy a new one (a -blanket), and get shingles on that end of the barn -where the horse stands, so’s the snow won’t drift in, -but his wife got sick last summer, and had doctors and -nurses, and that costs more money than a new horse, and -a whole barn, my mother says. Mother says it isn’t -Joel’s fault he’s poor; he isn’t slack, only some folks -are marked for trouble. Last summer, lightning struck -his haystack, and burned it and only his cornstalks -were left. His horse is thin, too. Cornstalks aren’t -filling for uphill work, my father says, and the mail-route -is all either up or down, and in winter downhill -is slippery, and just as bad. A horse is a lovely animal, -and useful; I would like us to help this horse. -He isn’t a bird, to be sure, but birds have feathers, -and don’t have to drag a wagon uphill, against the wind, -with bent axles. It will take three bundles of shingles -for that barn-end and three lights of window-glass.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='268' id='Page_268'></span> -There was silence for a moment, and Miss Wilde, looking -at Gray Lady, while she waited for her to speak, saw -tears in her eyes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Tommy’s idea about the fountain is excellent, and -I think we can build it before spring, but the blind old -horse and his patient master cannot wait, and they both -serve us, each and all, in fair weather and foul.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How is it, children? Shall we set aside ten dollars for -the bird food for the winter, and then buy Mr. Hanks -a ton of good hay, a horse-blanket, the three bundles -of shingles, and the window-glass? And do you think -that you big boys could put on the shingles if Jacob -Hughes helped you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You can just bet we will!” cried Jack Todd, and -the others nodded approval.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This matter also was put to vote, and then a committee -appointed, consisting of Miss Wilde and Jack Todd, to -purchase blanket, hay, etc., while to Clary fell the inexpressible -bliss of stopping at Mr. Hanks’ on her way home, -telling him the news, and taking a blanket, warm but -not new, that Gray Lady loaned until the new one could -be had.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now for the candy!” shouted Tommy, whose spirits -could keep in no longer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The meeting isn’t adjourned, yet,” said Goldilocks, -reprovingly, clutching her paper and pounding on the -table. “A motion is in order.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I move that we adjourn,” said Miss Wilde.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now somebody say, ‘I second it,’ ” insisted Goldilocks.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I second it,” came a chorus. And any further remarks -<span class='pageno' title='269' id='Page_269'></span> -were lost in a shout that arose at the sight of Jim Crow, -climbing along a shelf of the kitchen dresser, with one of -the new pairs of scissors in his beak, that he had managed -to take unobserved from nobody-knew-whose work-basket.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='270' id='Page_270'></span><h1>XIX<br/> <span class='sub-head'>BEHIND THE BARS</span></h1></div> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><span class='it'>Mockingbird, Cardinal, Indigo-bird, and Nonpareil</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'>One gray Saturday in January, when the wind rushed -through the trees, making the frozen branches clash -with the sound of metal rather than wood, and it was -too cold to snow, Tommy Todd came to the kitchen -door at “the General’s” carrying a large and unwieldy -bundle carefully wrapt in an old quilt.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The door was opened by Matilda, the old coloured -woman, who had been “the General’s” cook in her youth, -staying on as caretaker during the years when the house -had been closed. “What you got dere, sonny? Sumpin’ -live, ’cause I kin hear hit scratchin’. Don’t say yer -bringin’ in a trap o’ rats, ’cause if dere’s anythink I mislike -’ticular, it is dem.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, mammy; it isn’t rats, it’s a bird,” said Tommy, -beginning to unwind the quilt which covered a long cage -made of wood and stout wires. When he had succeeded -in freeing it from the cover, which, being ragged, caught -on the wires, he lifted the cage to the kitchen table, -where the light came full upon it. There, hopping nervously -to and fro between the perches, was a gray bird -about the size of a Robin. Its wings and tail had a -browner wash than the rest of its back, while some of -its tail-feathers and its underparts were white, though -<span class='pageno' title='271' id='Page_271'></span> -now soiled and rather ragged from chafing against the -bars. As it moved about, it whisked its tail to and fro, -in very much the same way as our Catbirds and Brown -Thrashers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Matilda adjusted her big spectacles, grumbling as she -did so, “Doan you know, chile, dat Missy doan like birds -to be shet up in cages, and be prisoners, and sole away -from home no mor’n de General would ’low folks to be -shet from liberty an’ traded away? I ’spect she’ll be -powerful mad when she sees dis yere. Whar yeh done -git hit?” Then, as she drew near the cage and saw the -bird plainly, which for a moment stopped its fluttering, -she cried, “For de love ob Heaven, honey! <a id='mock1'></a>it’s a Mocker, -and my ole eyes ain’t seen one since de ole cabin hit burn -down, and we was all scattered out’en, and left Lou’siana -for to git Norf!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My! but what birds dem Mockers were. I kin just -year ’em now.” And Matilda seated herself by the table, -pushed back her glasses, and closed her eyes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Winter wa’n’t well ober ’fore dey began to sing up, -and come peepin’ around de cabins and in de road bushes -lookin’ fer a nest-place. Sometimes dey put it in de thick -bush ober top de swamp, but more times dey put it close -in de rose vines, like as if dey t’ought snakes wouldn’t -likely git ’em dere, ’cause snakes is as set to git Mockers -as de ole one in de garden ob Eden was bound ter git Ebe.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Dat nest, hit was kinder throwed together ob sticks, -but de beddin’ in hit was good an soft, for de Mockers -knew mighty well whar ter find ole cotton fluff to make -a linin’. An’, while all this was doin’, how dey did sing! -Day wasn’t long ’nough fer him, ’cause ’long towards -<span class='pageno' title='272' id='Page_272'></span> -noon his froat hit git dry and he’d go way down de orange -grove an’ rest him jest a li’l bit, and den come out again -an’ git nearer and nearer to de cabin, an’ when de sun -hit role away to bed an’ de moon-up come, he’d git from -de rose vine to de roof, an’ den up to de chimley edge -an’ sing straight down at yer. Laws, honey, yer couldn’t -never tell in daylight what birds was singin’, de real -ones or him a-mockin’ ob dem. De Red Bird with de -topknot, de Blue Jay, de li’l Wren wif de sassy tail, -de Hangnest (Oriole), or de Blue Sparrow might all -be singin’, for all I know’d, or hit might be only he -a-mockin’ of ’em better than dey knew how demselves.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But when hit come night, and eb’ry one was home -at de quarters, an’ some was singin’, an’ some playin’ de -banjo, an’ de smell from de orange groves risin’ up powerful -on de wind, and sun-down t’ree four hours gone, den -when we heard all dem birds a-singin’, we knew it was de -Mocker, an’ sometimes he wouldn’t stop all the night -until de light hit slip right from silber to gold, an’ den -copper, an’ ’twas sun-up again; an’ in dose days most -eb’ry one had a Mocker in a cage. But here I be runnin’ -on ’bout de times when de Lord he let folks an’ wild -birds both be bought an’ sold. Tell me, honey, whar -ye done git him? Shore he neber was flyin’ round about -up yere in de cold an’ snow—him what lubs de sun-up -’way down Lou’siana way.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I didn’t put him in a cage, Aunt Tilda,” said Tommy, -earnestly; “it is this way. He belonged to old Ned that -works of summers for my Uncle Eph over at Bridgeton, -and then goes home every year down South at Christmas, -to spend the cold weather. This year he has hurt his leg, -<span class='pageno' title='273' id='Page_273'></span> -and is sick and can’t go, and has to stay in Bridgeton -Hospital. So, as he used to know ‘the General,’ and -he’s heard that Gray Lady loves birds, he told me to -bring his Mocker over here, and ask her if she’d keep it -safe and feed it until real warm spring weather, and -then hang the cage outside, and open the door, and let -it fly away if it would. ’Cause he thinks somehow it -would find the way home if it wants to.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He fed it well, and cared for it, and never thought about -its being unhappy in a cage until he had to go to the -hospital, and be shut in, and couldn’t go home South, -perhaps, any more. Then I guess he knew how his -Mocker might feel, too. I think Gray Lady will keep -him, even though it says on the Bird Law posters that -<span class='it'>you mustn’t keep a wild bird dead or alive or have its nest -or eggs</span>. Because if Sheriff Blake arrested her, he knows -old Ned and Gray Lady could explain it all so’s she -wouldn’t be fined.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What is it that Gray Lady can explain so that she -need not be fined?” said a voice from the store-room on -the other side of the entry way, and “sheself” walked in; -“sheself” being Matilda’s name for her mistress when -she wished to use a term that she considered more dignified -than the homely one of “Missy.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then Tommy repeated his explanation, while Matilda -stood looking at the Mockingbird and muttering to -herself of the many happenings of her slave days, happy -as well as sad, that the sight of him recalled.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of course I will keep the Mockingbird until spring,” -said Gray Lady, “and then I will hang the cage in the -porch, open the door, but still keep it well supplied with -<span class='pageno' title='274' id='Page_274'></span> -food, so that he may come and go, and if his heart leads -him back towards his southern birthplace, be sure that -he will join the flock of some of his northern kindred -and in their company reach home.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Do we have any kind of Mockingbird up here?” -asked Tommy, his eyes opening in wonder.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not real brothers of the Mockingbird, though he has -half a dozen in the southwestern part of the country, -but two first cousins, and half a dozen second cousins. -Let us take the Mocker up to the playroom and hang -his cage in the warm window by the chimney, where -the sun will shine on him whenever the clouds let it peep -through. Then I will tell you all who his cousins are, -and about three other American birds that for many -years were caught and kept prisoners in cages and sold -out of their native land.”</p> - -<hr class='tbk116'/> - -<p class='pindent'>The children were all gathered upstairs by the time -Gray Lady arrived, followed by Tommy, carrying the -cage.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I had a Robin in a cage, once, and a Catbird, and -grandma and Aunt Mary always have Canaries. Why -is it against the law to keep wild birds in cages? That -Mockingbird doesn’t seem to mind it a bit; now that -he’s smoothed down his feathers, and has begun to eat, -he acts real happy,” said Eliza Clausen, after they had -looked at the newcomer and heard the story of his being -sent to Gray Lady.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There are two reasons why wild birds should never -be kept in cages except for really scientific study, or -<span class='pageno' title='275' id='Page_275'></span> -to help them when they are exposed to cold, or are ill -and maimed in some way. The first reason is that when -Nature placed birds in certain localities provided with -the best sorts of beaks, feet, etc., to make them able to -earn their living, it was done because there was work -there for them to do that they could perform better -than anything else. They were a part of the Great Plan -for preventing insect life (which also has its uses) from -increasing too much and doing damage. This is the -practical way of considering birds for what the Wise -Men call their ‘economic value.’ These birds may be -able to hold their own against the birds of prey, that in -the beginning were doubtless made to keep the smaller -birds from becoming too numerous and upsetting the -balance of the Plan, but when man came in, and not only -destroyed them for some fancied damage to his crops, -but took the young from the nest, or trapped the old -birds, and sold them into captivity where they could no -longer follow the creative law, to ‘increase and multiply,’ -the danger became grave.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The second reason, however, is one that our own kind -hearts can understand the best, and that is the misery -of the bird born wild when he feels himself a captive. -If he outlives the first misery, and seems to become -resigned, he may become content in a way, but he can -never forget the liberty he has lost, nor can we, in any -way, make up to him, by mere food and creature-comforts, -the ecstasy of the wild life. The very fact that -the healthful joy of flight and choice in mating is denied -him is enough.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I did not realize this when I was a girl, and I also -<span class='pageno' title='276' id='Page_276'></span> -kept cage birds like every one else; it was not because -I was cruel, simply that I had never thought of the -matter any more than my friends, until one day, being -ill and shut in my room, like poor old Ned in the hospital, -<a id='non1'></a>I watched the fluttering of a Painted Bunting or Nonpareil -that my father had bought me.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This bird is one of the southern Sparrows, in size no -larger than a Chippy. Its plumage is tropical in its -beauty, deep blue head and neck, red underparts, glistening -green back, green-and-red wings, with a reddish -tail; in short, a glittering opal copied in feathers. Its -cage was roomy, and it had the best of food, and fresh -water for bathing and drinking, while the shelf in the -window, on which it stood, was filled with flowering plants, -up through the branches of which it could look. But, -oh, the expression of that bird’s body! I watched its -every motion; the head thrown backward, searching in -vain for a loophole of escape between the bars, the -quivering of its wings as the impulse for freedom, and -the company of its kind, swept over it! Sometimes, -late in the night, when I awoke and looked toward it, -I could see that it was awake and its wings trembling -with the thought of dawn that it could not fly to meet. -Then I knew, even if it became cowed, and forgot its -natural instincts so far as to be dumbly content as a -prisoner, that the real life of the bird would be as dead -as if a bullet had ended it, and though it was late winter, -February, I felt that I must give it liberty.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I told my father, and he sympathized with me as usual, -listened to my story, and then, packing the cage safely, -had it sent by special express to a family friend, who was -<span class='pageno' title='277' id='Page_277'></span> -wintering in Florida, with the request that she liberate -the prisoner. For, as we could not get it to its winter -haunt in the tropics, this seemed next best, and it would -soon meet the flocks of its kin on the return trip.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So the bird was freed, and once more felt the joy of -being lifted on his wings whither he would go, and whatever -loneliness he may have suffered after that, he had -gained liberty, which is the right of the least of God’s -creatures.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of the four American birds that were most commonly -caged, the Mockingbird and Cardinal have always -been the most popular, and this is what some of the -writers have said about taking them into captivity.</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><span class='it'>The Mockingbird</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“<a id='mock2'></a>The Mockingbird ranges from the Atlantic to the Pacific, -and from middle Illinois, Indiana, and Pennsylvania, southward -to the Gulf of Mexico. Usually the bird-hunters take the young -from the nest as soon as they open their beaks for food. These -are sold in Southern cities by negro boys for from fifteen to -twenty-five cents apiece. . . . Thousands of Mockingbirds find -their way across the Atlantic.”—<span class='sc'>Henry Nehrling</span>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><a id='card2'></a><span class='it'>The Cardinal</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is one of our most common cage-birds and is very -generally known, not only in North America, but even in Europe, -numbers of them having been carried over both to France and -England, in which last country they are called ‘Virginia Nightingales.’ ”—<span class='sc'>Alexander -Wilson</span>.</p> - -</div> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><span class='it'>The Indigo-bird</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“The combination of musical ability, lovely plumage, and its -seed-eating qualities long since has made the Indigo Bunting in -<span class='pageno' title='278' id='Page_278'></span> -danger of extermination, through the fact of its being universally -captured throughout the South and sold as a cage-bird, both for -home use and for export.”</p> - -</div> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><a id='non2'></a><span class='it'>Painted Bunting or Nonpareil</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“This splendid, gay, and docile bird, known to Americans as -the Nonpareil (the unequalled), and to the French Louisianans as -<span class='it'>le pape</span>, inhabits the woods of the low countries of the Southern -states.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“For the sake of their song as well as beauty of plumage they -are commonly domesticated in the houses of the French inhabitants -of New Orleans and its vicinity. . . .</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They are commonly caught in trap-cages, to which they are -sometimes allured by a stuffed bird, which they descend to attack; -and they have been known to live in captivity for upwards -of ten years.”—<span class='sc'>Thomas Nuttall</span>.</p> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Mockingbird, as you see, has sombre gray -plumage like his cousin, the Catbird, that we all know so -well that I think he should drop a name that belies -his wonderful musical ability, and be called the ‘Northern -Mockingbird.’ Even though the Mocker is caged, you -can see the resemblance, in the way in which he twitches -his tail, and first throws back his beak and then looks -sideways, to our merry singer of the garden who often -makes us think that half a dozen birds are perching in -the drying-yard when he sits upon the top of a clothes-pole -and lets his imagination float away with his voice.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Brown Thrasher, too, with the long, curved beak, -brown back, and speckled breast, is also a first cousin -and has the Mockingbird habit of mounting high up -when he sings and looking straight up at the sky; while -the Wrens, one and all, belong to this famous family group -<span class='pageno' title='279' id='Page_279'></span> -and come in, we may say, as second cousins, and like -the Mockingbird, aside from the beauty of song, are -very valuable insect eaters. The other three birds have -the conical beak that stamps them as members of the -family of Finches and Sparrows.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<a id='indigo1'></a>Rich colour is the chief attribute that sets the Indigo -Bunting apart from its kin of the tribe of -Sparrows and Finches.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Blue that is decided in tone, and not a bluish gray, -is one of the rarest hues among the birds of temperate -zones; for one may count the really blue birds of the -eastern United States upon the fingers of one hand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This Bunting belongs to the tree-loving and tree-nesting -part of his tribe, in company with the Grosbeaks, -and the brilliant yellow American Goldfinch, -whose black cap, wings, and tail-feathers only enhance -his beauty. The Sparrows, of sober stripes, nest on or -near the ground, and their plumage blends with brown -grass, twigs, and the general earth-colouring, illustrating -very directly the theory of colour protection, while -the birds of brilliant plumage invariably keep more -closely to the trees.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In size the Indigo Bunting ranks with the small Sparrows, -coming in grade between the Field- and the Song Sparrows, -and being only slightly larger than the Chippy. -The female wears a modification of the Sparrow garb, -the upper parts being ashy brown without stripes, the -underparts grayish white, washed and very faintly -streaked with dull brown, the wings and tail-feathers having -some darker edges and markings.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When it comes to painting the plumage of the male in -<span class='pageno' title='280' id='Page_280'></span> -words, the task becomes difficult; for to use simply the -term indigo-blue is as inadequate as to say that a bit of -water that looks blue while in shadow, is of the same colour -when it ripples out into full sunlight and catches a dozen -reflections from foliage and sky. A merely technical -description would read: Front of head and chin rich -indigo-blue, growing lighter and greener on back and underparts; -wings dusky brown, with blue edges to coverts; -tail-feathers also blue edged; bill and feet dark; general -shape rounded and canary-like, resembling the Goldfinch.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The last of May one of these Buntings came to a low -bush, outside my window, and, after resting awhile, for -the night before had been stormy, dropped to the closely -cut turf to feed upon the crumbs left where the hounds -had been munching their biscuits. I have never seen a -more beautiful specimen, and the contrast with the vivid -grass seemed to develop the colour of malachite that ran -along one edge of the feathers, shifting as the bird moved -like the sheen of changeable silk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The nest, in no wise typical, is a loose and rather careless -structure of grass, twigs, horsehairs, roots, or bits -of bark placed in a low, scrubby tree or bush at no great -distance from the ground, and the eggs are a very pale -blue or bluish white, and only three or four in number.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i340.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0037' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='credit'>National Association of Audubon Societies</p> <p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>INDIGO BUNTING</span><br/>(<span class='sc'>Upper figure, Male; Lower figure, Female</span>)</p> -</div> - -<div class='lgc' style=''> <!-- rend=';' --> -<p class='line'>Order—<span class='sc'>Passeres</span> Family—<span class='sc'>Fringillidæ</span></p> -<p class='line'>Genus—<span class='sc'>Passerina</span> Species—<span class='sc'>Cyanea</span></p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'>“Being a seed-eater, it is undoubtedly this Bunting’s -love of warmth that gives him so short a season with us: -for he does not come to the New England states until the -first week in May, and, after the August moult, when he -dons the sober clothing of his mate, he begins to work -southward by the middle of September,—those from the -<span class='pageno' title='281' id='Page_281'></span> -most northerly portions of the breeding range, which -extends northward to Minnesota and Nova Scotia, having -passed by the tenth of October. He winters in Central -America and southward.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Although of the insect-eating fraternity of the conical -beak, the Indigo Bunting consumes many noxious insects -in the nesting season, when the rapid growth of the -young demands animal food, no matter to what race -they belong. Being an inhabitant of the overgrown -edges of old pastures, or the brushy fences of clearings -and pent roads, he is in a position where he can do a -great deal of good. Mr. Forbush, in his valuable book on -<span class='it'>Useful Birds and Their Protection</span>, credits the Indigo -Bunting with being a consumer of the larvæ of the mischievous -brown-tail moth; but whatever service it may do -as an insect destroyer, its service the year through as -a consumer of weed seeds, in common with the rest of its -tribe, is beyond dispute.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The voice of the Indigo Bunting is pretty rather than -impressive, and varies much in individuals. It consists -of a series of hurried, canary-like notes repeated constantly -and rising in key, but, to my mind, never reaching the -dignity of being called impressive song.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nuttall, one of the early American Wise Men, writes -that, though usually shy, the Indigo-bird, during the season, -is more frequently seen near habitations than in remote -thickets: ‘Their favourite resort is the garden, where, -from the topmost branch of some tall tree that commands -the whole wide landscape, the male regularly pours out -his lively chant and continues it for a considerable length -of time. Nor is this song confined to the cool and animating -<span class='pageno' title='282' id='Page_282'></span> -dawn of morning, but it is renewed, and still more -vigorous, during the noonday heat of summer. This -lively strain is composed of a repetition of short notes, -which, commencing loud and rapid, and then slowly -falling, descend almost to a whisper, succeeded by a silence -of almost half a minute, when the song is again continued -as before.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ‘In the village of Cambridge (Massachusetts), I have -seen one of these azure, almost celestial musicians, regularly -chant to the inmates of a tall dwelling-house from -the summit of the chimney or the tall fork of the lightning-rod. -I have also heard a Canary repeat and imitate -the low lisping trill of the Indigo-bird, whose warble, -indeed, often resembles that of this species.’</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This combination of musical ability, lovely plumage, -and its seed-eating qualities long since has made the -Indigo Bunting in danger of extermination, through the -fact of its being universally, throughout the South, captured -and sold as a cage-bird, both for home use and for -export. In that section the bird is called the ‘blue pop,’ -a corruption of ‘bleu pape,’ or ‘pope,’ of the French.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The <a id='card3'></a>Cardinal, called ‘Grosbeak’ from the thickness and -size of its bill, is of course a very conspicuous bird wherever -seen, and therefore has always been a mark for -the ‘arrow of death,’ as Mr. Allen, who knows -this bird in its native haunts, and its every mood, puts it. -Some day when you are older you will read his story of it -as it lives in the deep recesses of the evergreen woods, -called <span class='it'>The Kentucky Cardinal</span>. For though this bird is -found nesting as far north as Central Park, New York, -and it has once or twice come to my garden here, and -<span class='pageno' title='283' id='Page_283'></span> -gone into Massachusetts even, in the fall roving-time, we -must always associate him with a long outdoor season -and sunny skies, as we do the Mockingbird.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If the Mocker suffered for his voice, the Cardinal was -made a prisoner for his song and gorgeous colour combined, -and though, as is bird law in such cases, the female is dull -in colour, she has a very attractive song also, even in confinement. -But I hope that these prison days are over. -Whoever now confines the Cardinal is a law-breaker as -well as a heart-breaker, and yet, but ten years ago, every -bird-store window was aglow with the colour of the Cardinal’s -mantle. I have here in the scrap-book a charming -story that you will like to hear, of a Cardinal in Boston, -made a temporary captive for its own preservation, and of -its release when the right time came.”</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE CARDINAL AT THE HUB</h2> - -<p class='pindent'>His range being southern, Cardinal Grosbeak seldom -travels through New England; and, to my knowledge, has -never established a home and reared a family north of -Connecticut until in the instance here recorded. Kentuckians -claim him, and with some show of right, since -James Lane Allen built his monument in imperishable -prose. But, soon or late, all notables come to Boston, -and among them may now be registered the “Kentucky -Cardinal.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Shy by nature, conspicuous in plumage, he shuns publicity; -and avoiding the main lines of travel, he puts up -at a quiet country house in a Boston suburb—Brookline.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Here, one October day in 1897, among the migrants -stopping at this halfway house, appeared a distinguished -<span class='pageno' title='284' id='Page_284'></span> -guest, clad in red, with a black mask, a light red bill, and -a striking crest; with him a bird so like him that they -might have been called the two Dromios. After a few -days the double passed on, and left our hero the only red-coat -in the field. A White-throated Sparrow now arrived -from the mountains, and a Damon-and-Pythias friendship -sprang up between the birds. Having decided to winter -at the North, they took lodgings in a spruce tree, and -came regularly to the <span class='it'>table d’hôte</span> on the porch. My lord -Cardinal, being the more distinguished guest, met with -particular favour, and soon became welcome at the homes -of the neighbourhood. With truly catholic taste, he -refused creature-comforts from none, but showed preference -for his first abode.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was March 5, 1898, when we kept our first appointment -with the Cardinal. A light snow had fallen during -the night, and the air was keen, without premonition of -spring. It was a day for home-keeping birds, the earth -larder being closed. The most delicate tact was required -in presenting strangers. A loud, clear summons—the -Cardinal’s own whistle echoed by human lips—soon -brought a response. Into the syringa bush near the porch -flew, with a whir and a sharp <span class='it'>tsip</span>, a bird. How gorgeous -he looked in the snow-laden shrub! For an instant the -syringa blossoms loaded the air with fragrance as a dream -of summer floated by. Then a call to the porch was met -by several sallies and quick retreats, while the wary bird -studied the newcomers. Reassuring tones from his gentle -hostess, accompanied by the rattle of nuts and seeds, -at last prevailed, and the Cardinal flew to the railing, and -looked us over with keen, inquiring eye. Convinced that -<span class='pageno' title='285' id='Page_285'></span> -no hostilities were intended, he gave a long, trustful look -into the face of his benefactress and flew to her feet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A gray squirrel, frisking by, stopped at the lunch-counter -and seized an “Educator” cracker.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The novel sensation of an uncaged bird within touch, -where one might notice the lovely shading of his plumage -as one notes a flower, was memorable; but a sweeter -surprise was in store. As we left the house, having made -obeisance to his eminence, the Cardinal, the bird flew into -a spruce tree and saluted us with a melodious “Mizpah.” -Then, as if reading the longing of our hearts, he opened -his bright bill, and a song came forth such as never before -enraptured the air of a New England March,—a song so -copious, so free, so full of heavenly hope, that it seemed -as if forever obliterated were the “tragic memories of his -race.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As March advanced, several changes in the Cardinal were -noted by his ever-watchful friends. He made longer trips -abroad, returning tired and hungry. The restlessness of -the unsatisfied heart was plainly his. His long, sweet, -interpolating whistle, variously rendering “Peace . . . -peace . . . peace!” “Three cheers, three cheers,” etc., -to these sympathetic northern ears became “Louise, -Louise, Louise!” Thenceforth he was Louis, the Cardinal, -calling for his mate.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>On March 26, a kind friend took pity on the lonely -bachelor, and a caged bird, “Louise,” was introduced to -him. In the lovely dove-coloured bird, with faint washings -of red, and the family mask and crest, the Cardinal at -once recognized his kind. His joy was unbounded, and -the acquaintance progressed rapidly, a mutual understanding -<span class='pageno' title='286' id='Page_286'></span> -being plainly reached during the seventeen days -of cage courtship. Louis brought food to Louise, and -they had all things in common, except liberty.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>April 12, in the early morning, the cage was taken out-of-doors, -and Louise was set free. She was quick to embrace -her chance, and flew into the neighbouring shrubbery. -For six days she revelled in her new-found freedom, -Louis, meanwhile, coming and going as of old, and often -carrying away seeds from the house to share with his -mate.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>April 16, he lured her into the house, and after that -they came often for food, flying fearlessly in at the window, -and delighting their friends with their songs and -charming ways. Louis invariably gave the choicest -morsels to his mate, and the course of true love seemed to -cross the adage; but, alas! Death was already adjusting -an arrow for that shining mark.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>April 25, Louise stayed in the house all day, going out -at nightfall. Again the following day she remained indoors, -Louis feeding her; but her excellent appetite disarmed -suspicion, and it was thought that she had taken -refuge from the cold and rain, especially as she spent the -night within. The third morning, April 27, she died. An -examination of her body showed three dreadful wounds.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Louis came twittering to the window, but was not let -in until a day or two later, when a new bird, “Louisa,” -had been put in the cage. When he saw the familiar -form, he evidently thought his lost love restored, for he -burst into glorious song; but, soon discovering his mistake, -he stopped short in his hallelujahs, and walked -around the cage inspecting the occupant.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i347.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0038' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='credit'>National Association of Audubon Societies</p> <p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>CARDINAL<br/><span class='sc'>Upper Figure, Female; Lower Figure, Male.</span></span></p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='287' id='Page_287'></span> -Louisa’s admiration for the Cardinal was marked; but -for some days he took little notice of her, and his friends -began to fear that their second attempt at match-making -would prove a failure. April 30, however, some responsive -interest was shown, and the next day Louis brought -to the cage a brown bug, half an inch long, and gave Louisa -his first meat-offering.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The second wooing progressed rapidly, and May 7, when -Louisa was set free, the pair flew away together with unrestrained -delight. After three days of liberty, Louisa -flew back to the house with her mate, and thenceforth was -a frequent visitor.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>May 21, Louisa was seen carrying straws, and on June 6 -her nest was discovered low down in a dense evergreen -thorn. Four speckled eggs lay in the nest. These were -hatched June 9, the parent birds, meantime and afterward, -going regularly to market, and keeping up social relations -with their friends.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In nine days after their exit from the shell, the little -Cardinals left the nest and faced life’s sterner realities. -A black cat was their worst foe, and more than once, -during their youth, Louis flew to his devoted commissary -and made known his anxiety. Each time, on following -him to the nest, she found the black prowler, or one of his -kind, watching for prey. On June 28, the black cat outwitted -the allied forces, Señor Cardinal and his friends, -and a little one was slain. The other three grew up, and -enjoyed all the privileges of their parents, flying in at -the window, and frequenting the bountiful porch.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>July 25, Louisa disappeared from the scene, presumably -on a southern trip, leaving the Cardinal sole protector, -<span class='pageno' title='288' id='Page_288'></span> -provider, and peacemaker for their lively and quarrelsome -triplet. A fight is apparently as needful for the -development of a young Cardinal as of an English schoolboy, -possibly due in both cases to a meat diet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Overfeeding was but temporary with our birds. On -the 8th of August the migratory instinct prevailed over -ease, indulgence, friendship, and the Cardinal with his -brood left the house, where he had been so well entertained, -to return no more. No more? Who shall say of -any novel that it can have no sequel? Massachusetts may -yet become the permanent home of the Kentucky Cardinal, -the descendant to the third and fourth generation of Louis -and his mate.</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:2em;'>—<span class='sc'>Ella Gilbert Ives</span>, in <span class='it'>Bird-Lore</span>.</p> - -<hr class='tbk117'/> - -<p class='pindent'>As Gray Lady read the story of the Cardinal, the children, -between listening to it and being intent on their -work, forgot the Mockingbird in the window, upon whom -the rays of the sun, that had gradually managed to pierce -the clouds, were resting.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As her mother finished and paused, Goldilocks, with a -very slight gesture, directed their glance toward the window, -where the <a id='mock3'></a>Mockingbird, having completed his toilet and -meal, perched, wings slightly raised and quivering, with -half-closed eyes, murmuring a few broken snatches of song, -half to himself and half as if in a dream, his head thrown -back and, oh, such a human expression of longing in his -attitude, that Gray Lady, without speaking, turned the -leaves of her scrap-book slowly until she came to a place -where the long line of prose shortened to verse, and then -in a low but distinct voice she read:—</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='289' id='Page_289'></span></p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>IN CAPTIVITY</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>      You ask me why</p> -<p class='line0'>      I long to fly</p> -<p class='line0'>Out from your palace to the dreamy woods,</p> -<p class='line0'>And the summer solitude,</p> -<p class='line0'>      Why I pine</p> -<p class='line0'>      In this cage of mine;</p> -<p class='line0'>      Why I fret,</p> -<p class='line0'>      Why I set</p> -<p class='line0'>All manner of querulous echoes fluttering forth</p> -<p class='line0'>      From the cold North</p> -<p class='line0'>And wandering southward with beseeching pain</p> -<p class='line0'>      In every strain.</p> -<p class='line0'>      Ask me not,</p> -<p class='line0'>      Task me not</p> -<p class='line0'>With such vain questions, but fling wide the door</p> -<p class='line0'>And hinder me no more;</p> -<p class='line0'>      Give back my wings to me,</p> -<p class='line0'>And the wild current of my liberty.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'> * * * * * *</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>      Oh if you please</p> -<p class='line0'>      Give me release!</p> -<p class='line0'>      Open the gate</p> -<p class='line0'>      Of this cage of Fate</p> -<p class='line0'>And let me mount the South wind and go down</p> -<p class='line0'>      To Bay St. Louis town,</p> -<p class='line0'>      Where the brown bees hum</p> -<p class='line0'>In amber mists of pollen and perfume;</p> -<p class='line0'>      And the roses gush a-bloom!</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'> * * * * * *</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>      Fainter, fainter—so</p> -<p class='line0'>      My life-stream sinks—runs low.</p> -<p class='line0'>              Ah!</p> -<p class='line0'>              Oh!</p> -<p class='line0'>      Open the cage and let me go.</p> -<p class='line0'>Floating, dreaming, revelling, dying, down</p> -<p class='line0'>      To my mate, my queen, my love</p> -<p class='line0'>      In the fragrant drowsy grove</p> -<p class='line0'>Beyond the flowery closes of Bay St. Louis town.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<hr class='tbk118'/> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='290' id='Page_290'></span> -It was very still for a moment, and something fell on -Sarah Barnes’ work that was bright, but it wasn’t a needle! -Then, looking across at the cage, but addressing Gray -Lady, she said, “We’ve paid for the shingles, and the hay, -and the horse-blanket, and a chest-protector, besides, for -the horse to wear all the time, to keep the uphill wind off -his lungs. We’ve bought the bags of sweepings for the -feeding-places, and there’s three dollars and eighty-five -cents left.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Couldn’t the Kind Hearts’ Club have a meeting <span class='it'>right -away</span>, and vote to send Old Ned’s <a id='mock4'></a>Mocker back down South -by express, <span class='it'>now</span>, before he, maybe, dies, so’s he’d be there -to meet spring, even if old Ned can’t? Then he’d have -time to look up a mate in case his old one has got tired of -waiting for him,” she added in a more cheerful tone.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady said that, as all the members were present, -a special meeting would be in order; and two days later -the Mockingbird started for the southern home of one of -Gray Lady’s school friends, with a “special” tag on his -well-wrapped cage and a bottle of extra food fastened -outside.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Oh, the untold misery and waste of this caging and -selling of free-born birds! It is only one grade less direct -a slaughter than killing them to trim a bonnet. While -the sufferings of the bonnet-bird end at once, with its -<span class='pageno' title='291' id='Page_291'></span> -life, those of the caged bird have only begun as the door -closes behind him.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A few exceptional cases, where birds in care of those who -are both able and willing to make their surroundings -endurable, count as nothing against the general condemnation -of the practice of caging birds born wild.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Those of us who have known, by experience, in caring for -wounded or sick birds, exactly what incessant watchfulness -is necessary to keep them alive, realize how impossible -it is that this care should be given them by the -average purchaser.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Birds born and reared in captivity, like the Canary, -are the only ones that real humanity should keep behind -bars. There is no more condemnable habit than taking -nestlings of any kind, and trying to rear them, unless -disaster overtakes the parents.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Nominally, the traffic in caged wild birds has ceased; -actually, it has not; nor will it until every bird-lover -feels himself responsible for staying the hand that would -rob the nest, whether it is that of the ignorant little -pickaninny of the South, who climbs up the vine outside -the window where you are wintering, and sees, in the four -young Mockers, in the nest just under the sill, a prospective -dollar; the child at home, who likes to experiment for a -few days with pets, and then forgets them; or the wily -dealer, who sells secretly what he dares not exhibit. No -quarter to any class who make prisoners of the wild, outside -of the zoölogical gardens or the few private outdoor -aviaries, where the proper conditions exist.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Any free citizen prefers death to loss of liberty, and -even the most material mind will, at least, allow this -<span class='pageno' title='292' id='Page_292'></span> -human quality to Citizen Bird, while it proves that he or -she who either cages or buys the captive wholly lacks -the spiritual quality.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Should we make prisoners of</p> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>“The ballad-singers and the Troubadours,</p> -<p class='line0'>  The street musicians of the heavenly city,</p> -<p class='line0'>The birds, who make sweet music for us all</p> -<p class='line0'>  In our dark hours, as David did for Saul”?</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='293' id='Page_293'></span><h1>XX<br/> <span class='sub-head'>MIDWINTER BIRDS</span></h1></div> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>WINTER COMRADES</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Plume and go, ye summer folk</p> -<p class='line0'>Fly from Winter’s killing stroke,</p> -<p class='line0'>Bluebird, Sparrow, Thrush, and Swallow,</p> -<p class='line0'>Wild Geese from the marshes follow,</p> -<p class='line0'>Wood-dove from the lonesome hollow</p> -<p class='line0'>Rise and follow South—all follow!</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Now I greet ye, hardy tribes,</p> -<p class='line0'>Snowy Owl, and night-black Crow,</p> -<p class='line0'>Starling with your wild halloo;</p> -<p class='line0'>Blue Jay screaming like the wind,</p> -<p class='line0'>In the tree-tops gaunt and thinned;</p> -<p class='line0'>You in summer called “Bob-white”</p> -<p class='line0'>(Voice of far-off fields’ delight).</p> -<p class='line0'>Now among the barnyard brood</p> -<p class='line0'>Fearless, searching for your food;</p> -<p class='line0'>Nuthatch, Snowbird, Chickadee,</p> -<p class='line0'>Downy tapper on the tree;</p> -<p class='line0'>And you twittering Goldfinch drove</p> -<p class='line0'>(Masked in gray) that blithely rove</p> -<p class='line0'>Where the herby pastures show</p> -<p class='line0'>Tables set above the snow:</p> -<p class='line0'>And ye other flocks that ramble,</p> -<p class='line0'>Where the red hop trims the bramble,</p> -<p class='line0'>Or the rowan-berry bright</p> -<p class='line0'>And the scarlet haw invite—</p> -<p class='line0'>Winter comrades, well betide ye,</p> -<p class='line0'>Friendly trunk and hollow hide ye,</p> -<p class='line0'>Hemlock branches interlace,</p> -<p class='line0'>When the Northern Blast gives chase.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Edith M. Thomas.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='294' id='Page_294'></span> -These were the hard days for birds and people both, -days of sleet and ice, when the snow seemed to chill and -bind the trees down, instead of winding lovely draperies -about them as it did at first.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Toward the end of January the cedar-berries gave out, -and the juicy blackberries of the honeysuckle, that clings -to everything that will hold the vines, became watery and -poor; most of the seed-stalks of weeds were beaten down, -and it was “mighty poor picking for birds,” as Sarah -Barnes expressed the matter.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The lunch-counter in Birdland received a fresh supply -of food every morning, and yet, sometimes before dark, -every grain had been eaten, and the generous lumps of -suet picked to shreds. The feeding-stations for the game-birds -all had visitors, and the boys, who kept them supplied, -saw, in their walks, many winter birds that they -never before knew came so near to the cultivated farmland.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Acting on the general idea of feeding and sheltering -birds that now seemed to pervade the air of Fair Meadows -township, many people scattered food on the roofs of -their sheds, and made openings in their corn-stacks, or left -a window of the hay-barn ajar, where birds might seek a -shelter.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>All through the month the resident winter birds were -seen at intervals. Of course, there would be many days -<span class='pageno' title='295' id='Page_295'></span> -when no birds would appear, and it would seem as if they -had all gone, but let the sun shine, and the least breath -of wind blow from the southeast, and they would come out -of the near-by shelter where they had been hiding.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The orchard lunch-counter was the one place where, at -least, a single bird was always to be found, and, at times, -as many as half a dozen different kinds would be seen -feeding peaceably together.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady kept a list of all the birds that the children -reported, and sometimes it was quite a puzzle for her to -name a bird, unknown to the discoverer, from the description -that was brought of it. For to see the chief points of -a bird at a glance is difficult enough in itself, but to put -them into exact words seemed sometimes impossible.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When Dave, on his return from a sleigh-ride to the -shore, said that he’d seen a “big round-headed Owl -sitting on a stump in the salt meadows, and it looked as -if it had sat out all night in a snow-squall,” Gray Lady -knew at once that he had seen one of the Arctic or <a id='snowyowl'></a><a id='snowy'></a>Snowy -Owls that occasionally drift down from the North on a -short visit, and that it was on the lookout for a meal of -meadow-mice or other little gnawers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But when Bobbie, who went to the same location, reported -that he had seen “a flock of birds that were sort of -Sparrows with a yellow breast, and a black mark on it, -and long ears,” it took a little time and many questions -before she found that the birds were visiting Horned -Larks, with pinkish brown backs, a black crescent on the -breast, and a black bar across the forehead, that, extending -around the sides of the head, forms two little tufts, or -feather horns. For the rest, the throat and neck were dull -<span class='pageno' title='296' id='Page_296'></span> -yellow, and the underparts white streaked with black. -These birds were little known. They only made flying -visits, and gave merely a call-note, keeping their beautiful -song, during which they soar in the air like the Sky-lark, -for their nesting-haunts in the far North.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady’s ingenuity was taxed to its utmost, however, -when one Saturday morning little Clary came to the playroom, -her face aglow, and said that she had seen “a brown -Blue Jay with a yellow tail and red wings; not just one, -but a whole family.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For a moment Gray Lady was quite at a loss how to -proceed; yellow tail and red wings were surely startling; -then she saw that there must be some point about the bird -that reminded the child of a Jay other than its colour.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How did this bird look like a Jay, Clary?” she -asked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In the head,” came the prompt reply; “it had feathers -on top that moved up and down, the way a Jay’s does, and -it was dark in the nose.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>On thinking over the winter birds that had a crest of -feathers that could be raised or lowered, she realized that -the Cedar-bird had such a one, also a black beak, and -a black eye-stripe that made it look “dark in the nose,” -but yellow tail and red wings it certainly did not have, -merely a narrow yellow band on the tail and small, -waxen, coral-red tips to some of the wing quills. However, -taking half a dozen coloured pictures from one of the -portfolios that she kept at hand to settle disputed points, -she spread them in front of the little girl, who, without -a moment’s hesitation, picked out the Cedar-bird, or Cedar -Waxwing, as it is properly called from its coral wings-tips.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='297' id='Page_297'></span> -These are the resident birds on the list that Gray Lady -kept of those the children saw during that winter:—</p> - -<div class='lgl' style=''> <!-- rend=';' --> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'>Bob-white</p> -<p class='line'>Ruffed Grouse</p> -<p class='line'>Red-shouldered Hawk</p> -<p class='line'>Meadowlark</p> -<p class='line'>Long-eared Owl</p> -<p class='line'>Screech Owl</p> -<p class='line'>Downy Woodpecker</p> -<p class='line'>Robin</p> -<p class='line'>Bluebird</p> -<p class='line'>Song Sparrow</p> -<p class='line'>White-breasted Nuthatch</p> -<p class='line'>Red-tailed Hawk</p> -<p class='line'>Sharp-shinned Hawk</p> -<p class='line'>Barred Owl</p> -<p class='line'>Cedar Waxwing</p> -<p class='line'>Hairy Woodpecker</p> -<p class='line'>Flicker</p> -<p class='line'>Blue Jay</p> -<p class='line'>Crow</p> -<p class='line'>American Goldfinch</p> -<p class='line'>Chickadee</p> -<p class='line'>Herring Gull</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'>This is a list of the visiting birds, that nest in the far -North and drift southward, either in search of food or -driven on the course of the storm clouds; and before -February came, with its longer afternoons, the children -could name them all, either from sight or from the pictures -in Gray Lady’s portfolio.</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Horned Lark.</span><a id='lark'></a> (See above.)</p> - -</div> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Snowflake.</span> A bird of the Sparrow tribe, winter plumage -soft brown and white, colour of dead leaves and snow, -black feet and bill. Comes in flocks to feed on weed -seeds, especially of snowy winters.</p> - -</div> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='hang'><a id='redpoll'></a><span class='it'>Redpoll.</span> Of the Sparrow tribe and the size of the Chippy. -Dusky gray and brown, with long, pointed wings -and short, forked tail. <span class='it'>Head, neck, and rump washed -with crimson!</span> A canary-like call-note.</p> - -</div> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='hang'><span class='it'>The Two Crossbills.</span> (See page <a href='#cross1'>252</a>.)</p> - -</div> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Snowy Owl.</span> (See page <a href='#snowyowl'>295</a>.)</p> - -</div> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='298' id='Page_298'></span></p> -<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Tree-sparrow.</span> (See page <a href='#chippy'>249</a>.)</p> - -</div> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='hang'><a id='sparwh'></a><span class='it'>White-throated Sparrow.</span> The most beautiful of all our -Sparrows; a plump handsome bird. <span class='it'>White throat -and crown stripes.</span> Back striped with black, bay, -and whitish. Rump light olive-brown. Bay edgings -to wings, and two white cross-bars; underparts -gray. <span class='it'>Yellow spot before eye.</span> Female, crown -brown, markings less distinct. Song, sweet and -plaintive “Pee-a-peabody, peabody, peabody!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Abundant migrant; also a winter resident from -September to May.</p> - -</div> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Junco.</span> (See page <a href='#juncobird'>250</a>.)</p> - -</div> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Myrtle Warbler.</span> (See page <a href='#myrtle'>250</a>.)</p> - -</div> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Winter Wren.</span> (See page <a href='#wwren'>247</a>.)</p> - -</div> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Golden-crowned Kinglet.</span> (See page <a href='#gking'>249</a>.)</p> - -</div> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Brown Creeper.</span> (See page <a href='#bcreeper'>184</a>.)</p> - -</div> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='hang'><a id='shrike'></a><span class='it'>Northern Shrike.</span> A roving winter resident with Hawklike -habits, Hawklike in flight: called “Butcher-bird,” -from its meat-eating habits.</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='hang'>Length: 9-10.50 inches.</p> - -</div> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='hang'>Male and Female: Powerful head, neck, and blackish -beak with hooked point. Above bluish ash, lighter -on the rump and shoulders. Wide black bar on each -side of the head from the eye backward. Below, light -gray with a brownish cast, broken on breast and sides -by waved lines of darker gray. Wings and tail black, -edged and tipped with white. Large white spot on -wings, white tips and edges to outer quills of tail. -Legs bluish black.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>A call-note, and in its breeding-haunts a sweet, -warbling song.</p> - -</div> - -</div> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='299' id='Page_299'></span> -In common with all winter birds, its movements are -guided by the food supply, and if severe cold and heavy -snows drive away the small birds, and bury the mice -upon which it feeds, the Shrike must necessarily rove.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Grasshoppers, beetles, other large insects, and field-mice -are staple articles of its food in seasons when they -are obtainable; in fact, next to insects, mice constitute -the staple article of its diet; and protection should be -accorded it on this account, even though we know the -Shrike chiefly as the killer of small birds. The victims are -caught by two methods: sneaking,—after the fashion of -Crows,—and dropping upon them suddenly from a -height, like the small Hawks. In the former case the -Shrikes frequent clumps of bushes, either in open meadows -or gardens, lure the little birds by imitating their call-notes, -and then seize them as soon as they come within -range. They often kill many more birds than they can -possibly eat at a meal, and hang them on the spikes of a -thorn or on the hooks of a cat-brier in some convenient -spot, until they are needed, in the same manner as a butcher -hangs his meat; and from this trait the name “Butcher-bird” -was given them.</p> - -<hr class='tbk119'/> - -<p class='pindent'>During some of these wintry days of meeting, questions -and answers about the birds seen filled the time, and then -Gray Lady read to them from some of her many books -what people living in other places had said and thought of -these same familiar birds. Besides the stories, she told -them many things about the building of a bird, its bones, -its feathers, the reasons why of the various kinds of feet -<span class='pageno' title='300' id='Page_300'></span> -and bills, the grouping of race, tribe, and family that both -divide the bird world and at the same time bind it together; -for she very well knew that when spring came with its -procession of songsters, the children would be so eager to -listen, see, follow, and learn the names of the living birds -that they would not have patience to listen to the dry -details.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE SNOWBIRD</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>When the leaves are shed</p> -<p class='line0'>    And the branches bare,</p> -<p class='line0'>    When the snows are deep</p> -<p class='line0'>    And the flowers asleep,</p> -<p class='line0'>And the autumn dead;</p> -<p class='line0'>And the skies are o’er us bent</p> -<p class='line0'>Gray and gloomy since she went,</p> -<p class='line0'>And the sifting snow is drifting</p> -<p class='line0'>    Through the air;</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Then mid snowdrifts white,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Though the trees are bare,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Comes the Snowbird bold</p> -<p class='line0'>    In the winter’s cold.</p> -<p class='line0'>Quick and round and bright,</p> -<p class='line0'>Light he steps across the snow.</p> -<p class='line0'>Cares he not for winds that blow,</p> -<p class='line0'>Though the sifting snow be drifting</p> -<p class='line0'>    Through the air.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Dora R. Goodale.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='301' id='Page_301'></span></p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>ON HEARING A WINTER WREN SING IN WINTER</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>When wintry winds through woodlands blow</p> -<p class='line0'>And naked tree-tops shake and shiver;</p> -<p class='line0'>While all the paths were bound in snow,</p> -<p class='line0'>And thick ice chains the merry river,</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>    One little feathered denizen,</p> -<p class='line0'>    A plump and nut-brown winter wren,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Sings of springtime even there—</p> -<p class='line0'>    “Tsip-twis-ch-e-e-e cheerily-cheerily-dare”—</p> -<p class='line0'>    Who could listen and despair?</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Charmed with the sweetness of his strain,</p> -<p class='line0'>My heart found cheer in winter’s bluster;</p> -<p class='line0'>The leafless wood was fair again,</p> -<p class='line0'>Its ice-gems sparkled with new lustre.</p> -<p class='line0'>    The tiny, trembling, tinkling throat</p> -<p class='line0'>    Poured forth despair’s sure antidote,</p> -<p class='line0'>    No leafy June hears sweeter note—</p> -<p class='line0'>    “Tsip-twis-ch-e-e-e cheerily-cheerily-dare”—</p> -<p class='line0'>    The essence of unspoken prayer.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Lynn Tew Sprague</span>, in <span class='it'>Bird-Lore</span>.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE CHICKADEE</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>When piped a tiny voice hard by,</p> -<p class='line0'>Gay and polite, a cheerful cry,</p> -<p class='line0'>Chic-chickadee-dee! saucy note</p> -<p class='line0'>Out of sound heart and merry throat,</p> -<p class='line0'>As if it said, “Good day, good sir!</p> -<p class='line0'>Fine afternoon, old passenger!</p> -<p class='line0'>Happy to meet you in these places</p> -<p class='line0'>Where January brings few faces.”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>R. W. Emerson.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<hr class='tbk120'/> - -<p class='pindent'>These are a few of the many bits of verse and poems -that Gray Lady read or recited to the children in these -days, some of which they learned by heart. Once learned, -she knew they would never be forgotten, but that years -afterward, when they saw the birds that the lines described, -the words and the days in the schoolhouse and playroom, -<span class='pageno' title='302' id='Page_302'></span> -and the faces of their companions, would all come back to -them.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>BIRD SONGS OF MEMORY</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Oh, surpassing all expression by the rhythmic use of words,</p> -<p class='line0'>Are the memories that gather of the singing of the birds:</p> -<p class='line0'>When as a child I listened to the Whip-poor-will at dark,</p> -<p class='line0'>And with the dawn awakened to the music of the Lark.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Then what a chorus wonderful when morning had begun,—</p> -<p class='line0'>The very leaves, it seemed to me, were singing to the sun,</p> -<p class='line0'>And calling on the world asleep to waken and behold</p> -<p class='line0'>The king in glory coming forth along his path of gold.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>The crimson-fronted Linnet sang above the river’s edge,</p> -<p class='line0'>The Finches in the evergreens, the Thrasher in the hedge;</p> -<p class='line0'>Each one as if a dozen songs were chorused in his own,</p> -<p class='line0'>And all the world were listening to him and him alone.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>In gladness sang the Bobolink upon ascending wing,</p> -<p class='line0'>With cheery voice the bird of blue, the pioneer of spring,</p> -<p class='line0'>The Oriole upon the elm, with martial note and clear,</p> -<p class='line0'>While Martins twittered gayly by the cottage window near.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Among the orchard trees were heard the Robin and the Wren,</p> -<p class='line0'>And the army of the Blackbirds along the marshy fen;</p> -<p class='line0'>The songster in the meadow and the Quail upon the wheat,</p> -<p class='line0'>And the warbler’s minor music made the symphony complete.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Beyond the tow’ring chimney’d walls that daily meet my eyes,</p> -<p class='line0'>I hold a vision beautiful beneath the summer skies;</p> -<p class='line0'>Within the city’s grim confines, above the roaring street,</p> -<p class='line0'>The Happy Birds of Memory are singing clear and sweet.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Garrett Newkirk.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='303' id='Page_303'></span><h1>XXI<br/> <span class='sub-head'>JACOB HUGHES’ OPINION OF CATS</span></h1></div> - -<p class='pindent'>One morning after a light snow-storm, followed by -sparkling sunshine, Gray Lady took the younger children -out for a walk through Birdland and the lane. Not but -what even the younger children knew the way! But often -as they had trodden it, there were many things that they -noticed for the first time: the wonderful shapes of the -snow crystals, the snow flowers that blossomed on the old -weed stalks, the snow filling that brought many hidden -nests into view, and all the other wonders that are so often -wrought in the winter night, while we sleep soundly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Tommy and Dave, who had walked on ahead, halted -suddenly and picked up a handful of feathers from the -snow and stood looking at them as Gray Lady came up.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A bad Hawk or a Crow or Owl or something big has -been here,” said Dave, with a quaver in his voice, “and -it’s killed a banty rooster that looks just like mine, that -is, this bunch of feathers does; but then, Goldilocks has -banties, too, so perhaps it is one of hers,” and he held the -feathers up.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady took them; yes, they were banty feathers, -and from a bird that had not been long dead, for the quill -ends were still moist. Then she looked at the ground: -“Something that did not fly has killed the bantam, and -dragged its body along the ground, and it had feet with -<span class='pageno' title='304' id='Page_304'></span> -padded claws, look!” she said, and there was a blood-stained -trail that skirted the bushes and then ran -across the lane toward a hay-barn that now held only -bedding and cornstalks.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You children amuse yourselves here while Tommy, -Dave, and I follow this up.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Nothing could have been more simple than this following, -as the footprints of the large cat, for that is what it -was, showed plainly in the new snow, and, here and there, -a few drops of blood also marked the way. Straight to -the barn ran the trail, and then through a small door that -had been left open at Gray Lady’s request, that birds -might take shelter inside.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So they had, poor things, and so had the cat also. On -the floor were other feathers of many kinds, among which -Gray Lady recognized the white-spotted tail-feathers of a -Robin, the pointed shafts of the Flicker, and gray-and-white -down that might have come from a Junco’s breast; -while half hidden by loose cornstalks was the foot of a -Grouse, also yellow legs that had belonged to a good-sized -chicken.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The boys stood still in amazement, and Dave said, “I -knew foxes and dogs carried things home or buried them, -but I didn’t know cats did unless they have kittens hidden. -I wonder if there are kittens in the cornstalks, and if this -cat stole all the chickens we’ve been losing every day -almost along since fall? Because it couldn’t be any kind -of birds that stole them, they couldn’t get in; and father -said it lay between cats, rats, and weasels.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We will soon find out,” said Gray Lady. “Will you -boys go down to the stable and ask Jacob to come up? -<span class='pageno' title='305' id='Page_305'></span> -I will watch here.” As soon as they had gone, Gray Lady -went into a corner and seated herself upon a box. Presently -she heard a rustle among the cornstalks and out -stalked a great tiger-striped cat, licking her whiskers. -After snuffing the footsteps of the boys, she began to lash -her tail to and fro, which in a cat means anger, and quite -the reverse of the dog’s sociable, “I’m glad to see you” -tail-wag. Then, looking back at the hole in the corn stack -through which she had come, she made a strange sound, -half purr, half growl, that Gray Lady thought was evidently -intended as a note of warning, and then the cat -slunk off through the snow, keeping as close to the fence -as possible and dropping her body low as she hurried -away.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>When Jacob came, he took a hayfork and began to shift -the cornstalks from the corner to the empty floor opposite. -The feathers, he said, had all been gathered during the -two past weeks, for when he had last taken the wood-sled -from the barn, no feathers were to be seen.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Here they are!” he exclaimed, as the last stack was -reached, but even as he spoke, six half-grown kittens, -brindled like their parent, sprang in different directions, -some going up on the beams and others diving into the -hay, only one remaining, with arched back and flashing -eyes, to hiss a protest at the disturbing of their comfortable -home.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What’s the use of making bird laws and feeding birds -and all that, and letting wild beasts like these multiply -about the country?” said Jacob, resting on the handle of -the fork. “<span class='it'>No, ma’am</span>, if I had my way, I’d get up a -Kind Heart Club of men to help the birds and rid the -<span class='pageno' title='306' id='Page_306'></span> -township of homeless cats, red squirrels, and English -Sparrows—yes, I would, ma’am!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have eyes and I use them, and I know cats are worse -enemies to birds, counting wild birds and poultry together, -than everything else that walks or flies humped together. -Tame house cats are bad enough, for they’ll kill for pleasure -when they’re not hungry. My sister over at Hill’s farm -says she’s taken over fifty dead or half-dead birds away -from her pet cat this summer, until it sickened her of the -idea of keeping cats.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But when it comes to the half-breeds that some folks -let grow up because they’re too slack to kill ’em, it’s just -a crime! Look at this piece of work here; the cat that -has done all this is one of the outcasts of the lot down at -the grist-mill. Cats are only half tamed at best; let them -get a taste of hunting and back they go and are savages.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They don’t belong to this country; we folks brought -’em, like we did English Sparrows, and we made a mistake, -and we ought to undo it when we can. Transplanted -animals, like pauper foreigners, always get the upper hand. -Traps can catch up the rats and mice, only we’re too lazy -to set them. Cats are no good, even for pets, for they’re -tricky, and they aren’t healthy for children to have -because they carry skin diseases and such in their fur. -They claim that Jessie Lyons that died in Bridgeton ’long -in the fall got the diphtheria from her cat’s trampin’ all -over creation, and then her huggin’ it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If it’s right and proper to license dogs, and if one kills -fowls or sheep, for the town to pay damages, then, say -I, the least we can do is to license cats and hold the owners -for their mischief.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='307' id='Page_307'></span> -“Next to cats I’m most put out with red squirrels and -English Sparrows. The first are sneaks; they take eggs, -little birds, and all. They make free with young gray -squirrels, too, and don’t spare their next-door neighbours -even, while Sparrows hustle and do much likewise, taking -the nesting-places of Swallows and Bluebirds and Jenny -Wrens, and fighting and wrastling with anything smaller -than themselves, breaking up nests and pitching out young -ones until I just can’t stand it! Now it’s woe to any of -these three that comes across my path. Maybe some -folks will say I’m cruel. Will those folks let mice and -rats eat their groceries and not kill them? and by themselves -rats and mice are decent, clean animals.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not they; and to us that love our tree birds, cats and -red squirrels and English Sparrows are hateful as are rats -and mice, and I warrant you’ll not think I’m going too -far when I say it, ma’am!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, Jacob, you are right, though I’m sorry to say so,” -answered Gray Lady, still looking at the feathers. “The -cat tribe is by nature cruel. All animals kill for food, -but the cat tortures before she kills. I used to defend the -keeping of pet cats until one that I had trusted bit me -through the hand at a moment when I was petting her, -without the slightest provocation. I never knew a dog to -bite his master unprovoked—unless he was ill—and -even if we love our cats, we should be unselfish, for birds -are of value to the country at large and cats are not. -Only, I insist upon this, that the killing, even of vermin, -is a matter for the grown-up, and some one with authority -should be appointed to do it. It should not be left to the -young and irresponsible, just as the punishing of human -<span class='pageno' title='308' id='Page_308'></span> -criminals is not a matter for the people in general to decide -and put in execution.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, boys,” Gray Lady continued, “I wish every one -would feel responsible in this matter. No farmer will -raise more poultry or calves or colts than he can feed -and then turn them loose to either starve or prey upon -his neighbours. Why, then, should he allow his cats to -straggle about and kill the song-birds that even much -money cannot buy or replace? But come, we must go -on; the others will be wondering where we are.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I want you all to look at something at the lane end,—that -great beech tree with the gray streaked trunk. Do -you see the sunbeams playing checkers on the bark, this -side? Do you know what this means? I will tell you. -It means that the tide of winter is turning toward spring, -that February is here. We should not know it unless we -looked at the day in the calendar. It is quite as cold as -it has been all through the winter, but the days are growing -longer, and now, once more, the sun slips by the barn in -the morning and lies upon the beech trunk that has -been in shadow all winter long.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My father showed me this when I was a child; and -whenever I grew tired of winter, the earth seemed dead, -and it seemed as if spring would never come back, he would -say, ‘Go up the lane and see if the sun’s message is written -on the beech tree.’ So, while it is still winter here, down -in the South the flocks of Robins and Song Sparrows and -Bluebirds are reading the sun’s message, and, far away -as spring seems, they are planning their return. Meanwhile -we have the brave winter birds to keep us cheerful. -<a id='junc2'></a>See the flock of Juncoes alighting yonder. They are as -<span class='pageno' title='309' id='Page_309'></span> -plump and freshly plumed as new arrivals in spring dress. -This Snowbird is no sloven, he always wears a trim dress-suit.”</p> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Better far, ah yes! than no bird</p> -<p class='line0'>Is the ever-present snowbird;</p> -<p class='line0'>Gayly tripping, dainty creature,</p> -<p class='line0'>When the snow hides every feature;</p> -<p class='line0'>Covers fences, field, and tree,</p> -<p class='line0'>Clothes in white all things but thee.</p> -<p class='line0'>Restless, twittering, trusty snowbird</p> -<p class='line0'>Lighter heart than thine hath no bird.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>C. C. Abbott</span>, <span class='it'>Snowbird</span>.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='310' id='Page_310'></span><h1>XXII<br/> <span class='sub-head'>FEBRUARY, “THE LONG-SHORT MONTH”</span></h1></div> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><span class='it'>Bluebird, <a id='song2'></a>Song Sparrow, Robin</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“I wonder why February is so long, when it is the -very shortest month in the year?” said Goldilocks one -Saturday, as she and Miss Wilde were walking from -Swallow Chimney, up through Birdland, to the big house -for the bird class.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I have often thought the same thing myself,” answered -Rose Wilde, “and I think it must be because, knowing -that it is a short month, we think spring is hurrying to us -because we are trying to hurry toward it. Spring, however, -never hurries to return to New England, even when -nature faces her this way she seems to take pleasure in -walking backward!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Miss Wilde and Goldilocks had become fast friends since -the little teacher had come to live on the hill. With the -interest Gray Lady had shown in the children and school, -the dreary, lonely days had passed away, and she no -longer looked pale and nervous, but was bright-eyed, with -a lovely soft colour in her cheeks, so that, as Goldilocks -told her one day, her name could be written in two ways, -Rose Wilde, and Wild Rose, which, of course, made her -blush with pleasure, and look all the more like that -radiant June flower.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Goldilocks would have liked to go to school at Foxes -<span class='pageno' title='311' id='Page_311'></span> -Corners with the others, but the doctor shook his head -and said something to her mother about “unwholesome -stove heat, fresh air but not draughts,” but Gray Lady -smiled at Goldilocks with a mysterious sort of glance that -always hid a surprise and said, “Be content to grow strong -this winter and wait and see what will happen.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, but Miss Wilde may go to a better school next -year, if she is well, for you know that Sarah Barnes’ -grandmother heard that she had two chances, one at the -Bridgeton High School and one to teach the eighth grade -at the Centre. Besides, the children I like best—Sarah, -and Tommy, and Dave, and Eliza—won’t be at Foxes -Corners next year. If their parents can take turns in lending -them a horse, they will have to go to the Centre -School for the eighth grade, because no one can go from -Foxes Corners straight into the High School, and they do -<span class='it'>so</span> want to learn.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of course it is quite possible that Rose Wilde may go -to another school, and we would not wish to keep her back, -I’m sure, little daughter.” Something in Gray Lady’s -voice made Goldilocks look at her quickly.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I can’t guess what it is, motherkin, but I simply <span class='it'>know</span> -that you have a secret and a plan in your head that I may -not know until summer.” Then Goldilocks smiled to -herself, as she remembered that she also had, or rather -was a part of, a secret of Miss Wilde’s that her mother -could not know until summer; and this secret had many -things in it,—girls and boys, needles and thread and bits -of coloured cloth, long walks into the far-away hemlock -woods, axes, and many other things!</p> - -<hr class='tbk121'/> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='312' id='Page_312'></span> -It was now the last week in February. Every one was -on the lookout for the first spring migrants, and the children -were beginning to bring news of birds that they -had seen imperfectly and yet were sure were new arrivals -from the South. It was impossible that most of these -birds should have been in the vicinity, but the pictures -on the charts, mixed with equal portions of imagination -and hope, caused the children to <span class='it'>think</span> they saw the bird -that they wished to be the first to report, rather than the -one that was actually there.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Aside from the birds that are represented by a few -individuals all the year the only newcomers to hope for -are a few adventurous Blackbirds, the Purple Grackle, -and the Red-wing, and they are not usually seen in any -numbers before the beginning of March. There are three -birds, however, that, unless the month is very stormy, may -be expected at any time to show their fresh plumage and -bring the latest news of travel to their stay-at-home -brothers who have remained behind. These are the Bluebird, -the Song Sparrow, and the Robin.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We all know those. Even little brother Ebby knows -<span class='it'>those</span> birds,” said Clary, when Gray Lady proposed to -spend the morning in the company of the most homelike -and familiar birds of New England. “That is, Ebby -knows the Bluebird and Robin, and the Song Sparrow if -it is singing; but I do think Sparrows are dreadful hard to -tell by sight. If a Song Sparrow doesn’t sing, and turns -his back so’s I can’t see the big spot and the little one on -his breast, I don’t always know him myself.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I hope that we all know these three birds,” said Gray -Lady, “but, like old friends, we are even more glad to see -<span class='pageno' title='313' id='Page_313'></span> -them when they come than if they were the most brilliant -of strangers. Old friends also may bring news, and as for -birds, no one can ever be sure that there is nothing new -to learn of them. And as for what we do know, it becomes -fresh and new each spring with his return. One thing -about this bird is worthy of notice, and that is the wonderful -way in which Nature uses colour, both as an ornament -and a protection to her children. The majority of the -brightly coloured birds do not arrive until there are at -least a few leaves to screen them; the Oriole, Tanager, -Rose-breast, and Indigo-bird perching on leafless branches. -Yet the Bluebird and the Blue Jay, both of brilliant and -striking plumage, are with us when the trees are entirely -bare, and when evergreens are lacking they have only sky -or earth for a background.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What does this mean? Look out of the window, -Sarah, as you are the nearest to it, and perhaps you will -discover. <a id='bbird'></a>Do you see two Bluebirds in the branches of -the old Bell pear tree in the garden? No? Look again; -they are in the top, where the blue sky shows through the -smaller limbs.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No, ma’am; that is, I see something moving, but I -can’t see any colour. Oh, yes! now I do; it was because -the blue of their backs came right against the sky and -matched it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes,” said Gray Lady, “and the light underparts -match the snow and the ruddy breast the fresh earth, so -that the Bluebird’s beauty is his protection also; for as -our dear old friend John Burroughs says, ‘When Nature -made the Bluebird, she wished to gain for him the protection -of both earth and sky, so she gave him the colour -<span class='pageno' title='314' id='Page_314'></span> -of one on his back and the other on his breast; yes, and -we might also add a touch beneath of the snow that falls -from sky to earth.’</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“For the rest, who dares write of the Bluebird, thinking -to add a fresher tint to his plumage, a new tone to his melodious -voice, or a word of praise to his gentle life, -that is as much a part of our human heritage and -blended with our memories as any other attribute of home?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Not I, surely, for I know him too well, and each year -feel myself more spellbound and mute by memories he -awakens. Yet I would repeat his brief biography, lest -there be any who, being absorbed by living inward, have -not yet looked outward and upward to this poet of the -sky and the earth and the fulness and goodness thereof.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“For the Bluebird was the first of all poets,—even -before man had blazed a trail in the wilderness or set up -the sign of his habitation and tamed his thoughts to wear -harness and travel to measure. And so he came to inherit -the earth before man, and this, our country, is all the -Bluebird’s country, for at some time of the year he roves -about it from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from -Mexico to Nova Scotia, though westward, after he -passes the range of the Rocky Mountains, he wears a different -dress and bears other longer names.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In spite of the fact that our eastern Bluebird is a -home-body, loving his nesting-haunt and returning to it -year after year, he is an adventurous traveller. Ranging -all over the eastern United States at some time in the -season, this bird has its nesting-haunts at the very edge of -the Gulf States and upward, as far north as Manitoba and -Nova Scotia.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i376.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0039' style='width:69%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='credit'>National Association of Audubon Societies</p> -</div> - -<div class='lgc' style=''> <!-- rend=';' --> -<p class='line'><span class='sc'>Upper Figures</span>—<span style='font-size:smaller'>CHESTNUT-BACKED BLUEBIRD</span></p> -<p class='line'>Order—<span class='sc'>Passeres</span> Family—<span class='sc'>Turdidæ</span></p> -<p class='line'>Genus—<span class='sc'>Sialia</span> Species—<span class='sc'>Mexicana</span></p> -<p class='line'><span class='sc'>Subspecies—Bairdi</span></p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'><span class='sc'>Lower Figures</span>—<span style='font-size:smaller'>BLUEBIRDS</span></p> -<p class='line'>Order—<span class='sc'>Passeres</span> Family—<span class='sc'>Turdidæ</span></p> -<p class='line'>Genus—<span class='sc'>Sialia</span> Species—<span class='sc'>Sialis</span></p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='315' id='Page_315'></span> -“When the breeding season is over, the birds travel -sometimes in family groups and sometimes in large flocks, -moving southward little by little, according to season and -food supply, some journeying as far as Mexico, others -lingering through the middle and southern states. The -Bluebirds that live in our orchards in summer are very unlikely -to be those that we see in the same place in winter -days. Next to breeding impulse, the migrating instinct -seems to be the strongest factor in bird-life. When the -life of the home is over, Nature whispers, ‘To wing, up -and on!’ So a few of the Bluebirds who have nested in -Massachusetts may be those who linger in New Jersey, -while those whose breeding-haunts were in Nova Scotia -drift downward to fill their places in Massachusetts. But -the great mass of even those birds we call winter residents -go to the more southern parts of their range every winter; -those who do not being but a handful in comparison.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Before more than the first notes of the spring have -sounded in the distance, Bluebirds are to be seen by twos -and threes about the edge of old orchards along open roads, -where the skirting trees have crumbled or decaying knot-holes -have left tempting nooks for the tree-trunk birds, -with which the Bluebird may be classed. For, though -he takes kindly to a bird-box, or a convenient hole -in fence-post, telegraph pole, or outbuilding, a tree hole -must have been his first home, and consequently he has a -strong feeling in its favour.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As with many other species of migrant birds, the male -is the first to arrive; and he does not seem to be particularly -interested in house-hunting until the arrival of the -female, when the courtship begins without delay, and -<span class='pageno' title='316' id='Page_316'></span> -the delicate purling song, with the refrain, ‘Dear, dear, -think of it, think of it,’ and the low two-syllabled answer -of the female is heard in every orchard. The building of -the nest is not an important function,—merely the -gathering of a few wisps and straws, with some chance -feathers for lining. It seems to be shared by both parents, -as are the duties of hatching, and feeding the young. The -eggs vary in number, six being the maximum, and they -are not especially attractive, being of so pale a blue that -it is better to call them bluish white. Two broods are -usually raised each year, though three are said to be not -uncommon; for Bluebirds are active during a long season, -and, while the first nest is made before the middle of April, -last year a brood left the box over my rose arbour September -12, though I do not know whether this was a belated -or a prolonged family arrangement.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As parents the Bluebirds are tireless, both in supplying -the nest with insect food and attending to its sanitation; -the wastage being taken away and dropped at a -distance from the nest at almost unbelievably short intervals, -proving the wonderful rapidity of digestion and the -immense amount of labour required to supply the mill -inside the little speckled throats with grist.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The young Bluebirds are spotted thickly on throat -and back, after the manner of the throat of their cousin, -the Robin; or rather, the back feathers are spotted, the -breast-feathers having dusky edges, giving a speckled -effect.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The study of the graduations of plumage of almost -any brightly coloured male bird, from its first clothing until -the perfectly matured feather of its breeding season, is -<span class='pageno' title='317' id='Page_317'></span> -in itself a science and a subject about which there are -many theories and differences of opinion by equally distinguished -men.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The food of the nestling Bluebird is insectivorous, or, -rather, to be more exact, I should say animal; but the -adult birds vary their diet at all seasons by eating berries -and small fruits. In autumn and early winter cedar and -honeysuckle berries, the grapelike cluster of fruit of -the poison ivy, bittersweet and cat-brier berries, are all -consumed according to their needs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Professor Beal, of the Department of Agriculture, -writes, after a prolonged study, that 76 per cent of the -Bluebird’s food ‘consists of insects and their allies, while -the other 24 per cent is made up of various vegetable substances, -found mostly in stomachs taken in winter. -Beetles constitute 28 per cent of the whole food, grasshoppers -22 per cent, caterpillars 11 per cent, and various -insects, including quite a number of spiders, comprise the -remainder of the insect diet. All these are more or less -harmful, except a few predaceous beetles, which amount -to 8 per cent, but in view of the large consumption of -grasshoppers and caterpillars, we can at least condone -this offence, if such it may be called. The destruction of -grasshoppers is very noticeable in the months of August -and September, when these insects form more than 60 per -cent of the diet.’</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is not easy to tempt Bluebirds to an artificial feeding-place, -such as I keep supplied with food for Juncoes, -Chickadees, Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, Jays, etc.; yet it -has been done, and they have been coaxed to nest close -to houses and feed on window-sills like the Chickadees. -<span class='pageno' title='318' id='Page_318'></span> -In winter they will eat dried currants, and make their -own selection from mill sweepings if scattered about the -trees of their haunts. For, above all things, the Bluebird, -though friendly, and seeking the borderland between -the wild and the tame, never becomes familiar, and never -does he lose the half-remote individuality that is one of -his great charms. Though he lives with us, and gives no -sign of pride of birth or race, he is not one of us, as the -Song Sparrow, Chippy, or even the easily alarmed Robin. -The poet’s mantle envelops him as the apple blossoms -throw a rosy mist about his doorway, and it is best so.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>BLUEBIRDS’ GREETING</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Over the mossy walls,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Above the slumbering fields,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Where yet the ground no vintage yields,</p> -<p class='line0'>Save as the sunlight falls</p> -<p class='line0'>  In dreams of harvest yellow,</p> -<p class='line0'>What voice remembered calls—</p> -<p class='line0'>  So bubbling fresh, so soft and mellow?</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>A darting, azure-feathered arrow</p> -<p class='line0'>  From some lithe sapling’s low curve fleet</p> -<p class='line0'>The Bluebird, springing light and narrow,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Sings in flight, with gurglings sweet.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>George P. Lathrop.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'>“We become attached to some birds for one reason, -and to others for totally different qualities. We admire -the Oriole and Tanager first through the eye, -because of their rich colouring. The Robin we -like because he is always with us, and he was probably -the very first bird that we knew by name and we could -<span class='pageno' title='319' id='Page_319'></span> -watch from the moment the nest was built until the -young left it; so he awakens the general interest first, -and then the ear is won by his cheerful and sometimes -remarkable song.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Catbird stirs one’s curiosity. We wonder what -he will say and do next; and when he throws back his -head to sing, we never can tell whether a dreamy melody -or a series of jeers will be the result. But the Song Sparrow -we love for himself alone, from the very beginning -of our acquaintance.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In personal appearance he bears nearly all the markings -of his characteristic family, but the few exceptions, -if remembered, will tell you his name: his brown crown-feathers -have a gray parting-line, <span class='it'>his wings have no white -bars or yellow markings</span>, while the breast and sides are -streaked; one large spot in the centre, with sometimes a -smaller one close to it, tell the Song Sparrow’s identity.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“He is seldom seen feeding on the ground like the -Chippy, but loves the shelter of low bushes, from which -he gives his warning cry of ‘Dick-Dick!’ and then flies -out with a jerking motion of the tail and, never going -high into the air, perches on another bush. If he wishes -to sing, he climbs from the dense lower branches to a -spray well above the others, as if he needed plenty of air -and light for the effort, and bubbles into song.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As to the nest, well made of roots and bedded soft -with fine grass and hairs, the Song Sparrow uses his own -taste, as all birds do, and though the favourite place is -within the crown of a small bush not far above the ground, -or even in a grass tuft close to the earth itself, yet I have -found them in very different places.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='320' id='Page_320'></span> -“Down in the garden a Song Sparrow once insisted on -building, not only in a flower-bed, but among the stalks -of perishable plants that would wither long before the -young left the nest. To prevent disaster, we drove -stakes on each side of the nest, fastened a fruit-box underneath, -and a shelter overhead, so that, when the overhanging -blossoms faded, the sun might not make broiled squabs -of the little ones. This brood was raised successfully, but -to our surprise the Sparrows began a second nest directly -opposite the first in the brush of the line of sweet-peas. -The location was chosen with more judgment, but in -picking the pea blossoms I passed within a foot of the -nest every morning during the whole time of building, -hatching, and feeding of the young.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This did not trouble the parents in the least; they -seemed to know that I would neither hurt them nor -intrude upon their privacy, by watching their movements -too closely, and the father of the family repaid me by such -music as I never before believed could come from the -throat of even a Song Sparrow.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“At first I wondered why they should have chosen a -garden border, when there were so many near-by bushes -about the orchard edge, and tufted grasses and scrubs in -a waste meadow over the way. For, familiar as the Song -Sparrow is, and fearless, too, yet he is a reserved bird even -among his kin, not even travelling in great flocks, and does -not care, even when in the full spring ecstasy of song, to -be very near another singer.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Presently I discovered the reason. Song Sparrows -love water, both for drinking and bathing: and, possibly -from close association with it, these bubblings of the little -<span class='pageno' title='321' id='Page_321'></span> -wayside brooks have had an influence upon their song. -This particular year was a time of severe drought; the -near-by streams were dried up early in June, and the -‘birds’ bath,’ made of a hollowed-out log, and put in the -shelter of some vines at the far end of the garden, was -the nearest available water within half a mile. This trough -was filled every night, and as the hollow sloped gently at -one end, small birds could either walk in it to bathe, or -perch on the edge to drink; and it was the sight of the -first brood all bathing there, a few days after they left the -nest, that made me sure that it was this little watering -trough to which I owed their presence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Many other birds besides the Sparrows came as well, -and Robins and Wood Thrushes, who use wet clay in the -shaping of their nests, found it particularly useful. Now -I have a stone basin for the water, because the old wooden -one was decayed on our return, but I’m sure the birds -liked the mossy log the best, and Jacob Hughes is on the -lookout for another.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady paused and looked up quickly, as though a -new idea had come to her; then, glancing at the older boys -who had that morning been working on a large Martin -house which had been ordered, and which made it certain -that the wayside drinking-fountain would be built as soon -as frost left the ground, she said, “This suggests something -more to be made for the spring sale. I saw some -fine oak and beech logs with the bark still on at the lumber -camp last week. If you are willing to undertake hollowing -them out, it will be a good investment for the Kind -Hearts’ Club to buy a half a dozen of them. When sawn -into lengths of three feet, and the ends covered with bark -<span class='pageno' title='322' id='Page_322'></span> -securely nailed, as all the bark covering must be, to prevent -splitting, the logs will be attractive both as drinking-troughs -for the birds and as features of the gardens where -they are placed, and I am sure that we shall have no difficulty -in selling them. Many people would establish drinking-places -for the birds if they had something suitable to -hold the water, but tin pans glisten, heat quickly, and -even earthenware dishes are slippery, while the hollow -log, that soon mosses over, must seem to the wild bird -like a natural bit of the woods. Only one thing must be -remembered: the log must not be allowed to become dry -at any season, or it will warp and split.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It would be worth the trouble of keeping such a fountain -filled, I am sure, if only to lure a single pair of Song -Sparrows about the garden or yard. For this Sparrow -is the only bird whose song I have heard in every month -of the year. Not the full spring song, of course, though I -have heard a very perfect melody in December; but in -dreary winter, when the scatter-brained <a id='rob2'></a>Robin has forgotten -his alarm cry of ‘Quick-Quick-Quick!’ the dear little -bird will find a warm spot in which to sun himself after -a hard-earned meal of gleaned weed seeds,—for like all -of his tribe he is a valiant Weed Warrior, working in the -home-fields when other birds have followed the sun for -richer fare,—and, after swelling his throat vainly for a few -moments, begin to whisper a song, as if in a dream, that -finally grows strong and clear.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, neither winter nor the darkness of night dishearten -the Song Sparrow. Last season, in the darkest -of summer nights, when some slight sound had awakened -the feathered sleepers, I have heard a few subdued bars of -<span class='pageno' title='323' id='Page_323'></span> -his song from almost under my window, and I have -thought, ‘Yes, there you are, dear little companion, -cheerful by day and night, in summer and in winter; how -much we, who are called the “higher animals,” have yet -to learn from you.’</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Another thing of interest about the Song Sparrow: -like the Bluebird, he belongs not alone to us of the East, -but to the whole United States as well. To be sure, he -changes his size, dress, and name slightly according to -location, as does the Bluebird; another proof of the -adaptability of the bird to circumstances.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE SONG SPARROW</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>By the road in early spring</p> -<p class='line0'>Always hopefully you sing;</p> -<p class='line0'>It may rain or it may snow,</p> -<p class='line0'>Sun may shine or wind may blow,</p> -<p class='line0'>Still your dainty strain we hear—</p> -<p class='line0'>      “Cheer—Cheer—</p> -<p class='line0'>      Never, never fear,</p> -<p class='line0'>      May will soon be here.”</p> -<p class='line0'>Darling little prophet that you are!</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>When at last the leaves are out</p> -<p class='line0'>And wild flowers all about,</p> -<p class='line0'>Songs of other birds are fraught</p> -<p class='line0'>With the spirit that you taught.</p> -<p class='line0'>Still you sing on, sweet and clear—</p> -<p class='line0'>      “Hear—Hear—</p> -<p class='line0'>      Happy, happy cheer,</p> -<p class='line0'>      Singing all the year.”</p> -<p class='line0'>Jocund little brother of the air.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Lynn Tew Sprague.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='324' id='Page_324'></span> -“Many birds that inhabit parts of the country having -different climates vary thus in colour. In the hot, dry -desert regions the bird will be found smaller and paler; -in the cool, well-watered North, larger and of deeper hue.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Bob-white comes under this law, and our birds in -New England are larger and of more brilliant hue than -their southern brothers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now is a chance for you to look at the map. The -Song Sparrow as we know him lives east of the Rockies. -Start at the extreme northern portion of Alaska. Here -is found the largest of the race, the Aleutian Song -Sparrow. Next come down to the coast of British Columbia -and Southern Alaska, where the rainfall is one hundred -and twenty-five inches in a year, and you see the -home of the Sooty Song Sparrow, the darkest in colour -of all.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If you then travel farther to the desert regions of -Nevada and Arizona, where the rainfall is only six inches, -you will find the palest of all, the Desert Song Sparrow; and, -finally, on the border between Mexico and Central America, -lives the Mexican Song Sparrow, the smallest of the tribe.<a id='r4'/><a href='#f4' style='text-decoration:none'><sup><span style='font-size:0.9em'>[4]</span></sup></a></p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So, wherever we wander our country over, we find this -bird to be a reminder of home, which, after all, is the best -thing that can happen to us, wherever we go or whatever -we see; for the proof that journeys are healthful for body -and mind lies in the joy with which, like the bird wanderers, -we turn homeward at the end.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You children may not think of this now. You may -think, possibly, that home is dull and full of work, that -<span class='pageno' title='325' id='Page_325'></span> -the birds and flowers of other places are better. Wait -a few years and see. Wait until you have been so far -away that you could not get home, or have been filled -with dread that a day was near when there would be -no home there. Then return, and stand under the sky -at evening, and listen to the voice of the Song Sparrow -down in the alders, and you will not only know that God -is very near, but that He is very good, and a part of your -home itself.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE SONG SPARROW</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>There is a bird I know so well,</p> -<p class='line0'>  It seems as if he must have sung</p> -<p class='line0'>  Beside my crib when I was young;</p> -<p class='line0'>Before I knew the way to spell</p> -<p class='line0'>  The name of even the smallest bird,</p> -<p class='line0'>  His gentle, joyful song I heard.</p> -<p class='line0'>Now see if you can tell, my dear,</p> -<p class='line0'>What bird it is that every year,</p> -<p class='line0'>Sings “Sweet-sweet-sweet, very merry cheer.”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>He comes in March when winds are strong,</p> -<p class='line0'>  And snow returns to hide the earth;</p> -<p class='line0'>  But still he warms his heart with mirth,</p> -<p class='line0'>And waits for May. He lingers long</p> -<p class='line0'>  While flowers fade; and every day</p> -<p class='line0'>  Repeats his small contented lay,</p> -<p class='line0'>As if to say, we need not fear</p> -<p class='line0'>The season’s change, if love is here,</p> -<p class='line0'>With “Sweet-sweet-sweet, very merry cheer.”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>He does not wear a Joseph’s coat</p> -<p class='line0'>  Of many colours, smart and gay:</p> -<p class='line0'>  His suit is Quaker brown and gray,</p> -<p class='line0'>With darker patches at his throat.</p> -<p class='line0'>  And yet of all the well-dressed throng</p> -<p class='line0'>  Not one can sing so brave a song.</p> -<p class='line0'>It makes the pride of looks appear</p> -<p class='line0'>A vain and foolish thing, to hear</p> -<p class='line0'>His “Sweet-sweet-sweet, very merry cheer.”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Henry Van Dyke</span>, from <span class='it'>The Builders and Other Poems</span>.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<hr class='tbk122'/> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='326' id='Page_326'></span></p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>ROBIN REJOICE</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Among the first of the spring,</p> -<p class='line0'>The notes of the Robin ring;</p> -<p class='line0'>    With flute-like voice,</p> -<p class='line0'>    He calls, “Rejoice,</p> -<p class='line0'>For I am coming to sing!”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>To any one gloomy or sad,</p> -<p class='line0'>He says, “Be glad! be glad!</p> -<p class='line0'>    Look on the bright side,</p> -<p class='line0'>    ’Tis aye the right side;</p> -<p class='line0'>The world is good, not bad.”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>At daybreak in June we hear</p> -<p class='line0'>His melody, strong and clear:</p> -<p class='line0'>    “Cheer up, be merry,</p> -<p class='line0'>    I’ve found a cherry;</p> -<p class='line0'>’Tis a glorious time of the year!”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Garrett Newkirk</span>, in <span class='it'>Bird-Lore</span>.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i389.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0040' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>ROBIN</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'><a id='rob3'></a>“Our Robin is a big-bodied Thrush, whereas the Robin-redbreast, -the Cock Robin of story, is more nearly akin -in size and build to our Bluebird. If you want -to see the family marks that yoke the Robin -to his Thrush cousin, look carefully at the youngsters -as they are leaving the nest, and you will see that instead -of wearing plain brick-coloured breasts like the parents, -<span class='pageno' title='327' id='Page_327'></span> -they are striped like the Thrushes; this marking disappears -after their first moult. As for Robin himself, -you know him well, but can any of you tell exactly the -colour of his clothing?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Sarah and Tommy raised their hands at the same -time, but as ladies come first, Sarah began: “He is -gray on top, and red underneath, and he’s got white spots -outside of his wings.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Very good, indeed,” said Gray Lady; “but can you -add anything to that, Tommy?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Yes, ma’am; he’s black on top of his head, and he’s -got a white chin and eye spot and a yellow beak.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why, Tommy, that is really very good; I didn’t know -that any of you children had learned to look so carefully -and remember.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I saw all that yesterday,” said Tommy, in a state -of glee. “There came a flock of bran’-new fresh birds, -and sat in the cedar bushes back of the barn, but they -didn’t find many berries, because the winter birds have -eaten them. Ma gave me some old cake to crumble -up, and I put some on the top of the stone fence, and -some right on the shed, and this morning when I first -looked out, a couple of them were out there eating it, and -I got a good square look at them. They liked that cake -because it had currants in it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So Tommy is the first to report a ‘bran’-new’ Robin -flock,” said Gray Lady. “Now that they have really -come, will any of the others tell me what they know -about Robins? Begin at Sarah’s end of the table.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Robins build mud nests before there are any leaves -to hide them, and cats often get them when they are -<span class='pageno' title='328' id='Page_328'></span> -sitting,” said Sarah; “and then by and by, when they -build another nest, maybe they’ll put it out on a branch -that’s weak, and when it storms and the nest gets wet -and heavy, it falls down all of a lump. They seem to -get along best when they come under the porch or get -in a high up crotch.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I like Robins,” said Eliza, who sat next, “because -they stay around and let you look at them; but I think -that they aren’t very clever birds, for instead of keeping -quiet when anything comes near the nest, they holler -like everything, so that you can tell just where it is. -We had a nest in the grape-vine outside the kitchen -window, and you couldn’t believe what those little birds -ate in one day. I had the mumps and had to stay inside, -so I watched them. They ate all the time, that is, in -turn, for the old birds seemed to know just which one -had food last. Sometimes, if they had a little worm -or a bug, they gave it all to one, but if it was one of those -long, rubberneck earthworms, they would twist it and -bite pieces off and ram one down each throat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My Ma said it made her dreadful tired to see how -much those four little birds ate, and that if children were -as hungry as that, nobody would have the patience to -cook food and raise any. When they grew too big for -the nest, they sort of fell out into the vine and stayed -in that for a few days, and their father and mother fed -them just the same. They couldn’t fly well at first, -because their tails were so short that they upset.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You watched them quite carefully,” said Gray -Lady, “but can you tell me what happened after they -were able to fly?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='329' id='Page_329'></span> -“Yes, ma’am, they acted real mean. They went right -down in the cedar trees beyond the garden to sleep, and -every morning before father or my brothers were up they -went into the strawberry bed, and even before any were -ripe, they bit the red side of the green ones and -spoiled them. Father was pretty mad, because our -land has run out for onions and we’ve got to raise berries -for a few years—all kinds, raspberries, currants, blackberries—to -even up.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Father dassent shoot the Robins, ’cause of the law, -and besides, we like ’em real well after berry time, so -brother John he made a plan, and it worked splendid. -He fixed up a nice little house like a chicken-coop and -put it on a stump in the middle of the bed, and then -he put our cat in the house. She was comfortable and -had good eating and plenty of air, but of course she -couldn’t get out, so she just sat there and growled and -switched her tail at the birds, and they stayed away.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady laughed heartily at this scheme, which certainly -was very ingenious.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That was truly a new sort of scarecrow, and much -better than firing off blank cartridges in the nesting -season, when other birds might be frightened. However, -it proves one thing without a doubt, that cats are -the worst enemies that wild birds have to fear, and -shows us how careful we should be about turning -them out at large, outside of the cities where there are -no birds, or keeping more than one under any circumstances.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“What I meant to ask was, do you know what the -young Robins do after they leave the nest and the -<span class='pageno' title='330' id='Page_330'></span> -mother bird is perhaps busy with some younger brothers -and sisters?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The father birds choose some tall trees with plenty -of leaves, or if evergreens are at hand, they prefer them, -and go there in parties of from half a dozen to a hundred -every night, leaving the mother birds to tend the nest. -When the first brood is able to fly, they go with papa to -this roost, where his warning ‘Quick! Quick!’ tells them -of dangers they do not yet understand.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then, when the nesting is over, all the Robins unite -in a flock, but wherever they go, or however far they range -in the day, night sees them collected at some favourite -roosting-place. I know about this habit very well, -because ever since I can remember these spruces outside -the window have been used as roosts by many -generations of Robins all through the season, except in -the dead of winter, when they prefer to nestle into the -heart of the young cedars.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Of course it is not to be denied that Robin likes berries -and eats them without asking leave or waiting for sugar -and cream, but we must think of this: the farmers -are of more importance than any other class of people, -for they give the world food. Therefore, the bird laws -are made for their benefit, even when at first it might -seem otherwise.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Robin only troubles berries in June, July, and -August, and grapes in September, while all the rest of -the year he does valiant work as a gleaner of insects -that cannot easily be destroyed by man,—many beetles -that destroy foliage and their white grubs that eat the -roots of hay, grass, and strawberry plants, grasshoppers, -<span class='pageno' title='331' id='Page_331'></span> -crickets, ants, moths, army-worms, and the larvæ of the -owlet moths, better known as army-worms.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So you can see that if the Robin helps the farmers -in this way, the fruit grower should be willing to protect -his crops in other ways than by shooting his friend and -his children’s friend, the Robin.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“One other reason there is, also, why we of the North -should protect the Robin at home; in many southern -states he is a legal mark for all who wish to kill him. -Not only is the Robin to be found in the markets, but -shooting him merely for competition, to see who can -bag the most, is a common form of—sport, I was going -to say, but game of chance is better.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Let the Kind Hearts of the North be kind to dear -blundering brother Robin, that by the very force of -example the hearts of others may be warmed to show -mercy and their heads be given the intelligence to see -that, in shooting the migrant Robins by the hundreds, -the loss is to their country and themselves.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Look! Oh, look, Gray Lady!” cried little Clary, -climbing to the window-seat; “here are some bright, -fresh Robins lighting on the spruces. Let’s play they -are some that roosted there last summer; or maybe were -hatched right in the orchard, and that they are real glad -to get home again.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='332' id='Page_332'></span></p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>ROBIN’S MATE</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Everybody praises Robin,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Singing early, singing late;</p> -<p class='line0'>But who ever thinks of saying</p> -<p class='line0'>  A good word for Robin’s mate?</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Yet she’s everything to Robin,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Silent partner though she be;</p> -<p class='line0'>Source and theme and inspiration</p> -<p class='line0'>  Of each madrigal and glee.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>For as she, with mute devotion,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Shapes and curves the plastic nest,</p> -<p class='line0'>Fashioning a tiny cradle</p> -<p class='line0'>  With the pressure of her breast,</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>So the love in that soft bosom</p> -<p class='line0'>  Moulds his being as ’twere clay,</p> -<p class='line0'>Prints upon his breast the music</p> -<p class='line0'>  Of his most impassioned lay.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>And when next you praise the Robin,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Flinging wide with tuneful gate</p> -<p class='line0'>To his eager brood of love-notes,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Don’t forget the Robin’s mate.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Eliza Gilbert Ives.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<hr class='footnotemark'/> - -<div class='footnote'> -<table summary='footnote_4'> -<colgroup> -<col span='1' class='footnoteid'/> -<col span='1'/> -</colgroup> -<tr><td style='vertical-align:top;'> -<div class='footnote-id' id='f4'><a href='#r4'>[4]</a></div> -</td><td> - -<p class='pindent'>See <span class='it'>Climatic Variations in Colour and Size of Song Sparrow</span>, F. M. -Chapman.</p> - -</td></tr> -</table> -</div> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='333' id='Page_333'></span><h1>XXIII<br/> <span class='sub-head'>MARCH</span></h1></div> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><span class='it'>Red-wings and Pussy-willows</span></h2> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>MARCH</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>March! March! March! They are coming</p> -<p class='line0'>  In troops to the tune of the wind;</p> -<p class='line0'>Red-headed Woodpeckers drumming,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Gold-crested Thrushes behind.</p> -<p class='line0'>Sparrows in brown jackets hopping</p> -<p class='line0'>  Past every gateway and door.</p> -<p class='line0'>Finches with crimson caps stopping</p> -<p class='line0'>  Just where they stopped years before.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Lucy Larcom.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'>“How do the birds know when spring has come? -How can they tell the difference between a warm day -in December and a warm day in March when the ground -is still snow covered? We ourselves might be puzzled -to tell the difference if we had not kept record of the -days and weeks by the almanac.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But the birds know. The <a id='rwbird'></a>Red-wings, Grackles, and -<a id='cow1'></a>Cowbirds will not return for the warmest December -sun, but let the sun of early March but blink, and they -are up and away, oftentimes stealing a march on shy -Pussy-willow herself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Unless the season is very stormy, as we have seen -for ourselves this year, a few Robins, Bluebirds, and -<span class='pageno' title='334' id='Page_334'></span> -Blackbirds are added to the winter residents in February. -These, however, belong to a sort of roving advance-guard; -the real procession comes in March, the exact -time depending upon the weather, for the insect-eating -birds cannot stay if their larder of field and air is ice -locked.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So we may look for larger flocks of the birds that -drifted along in February, and in addition to these -the Woodcock, the Great Fox Sparrow as big as the -Hermit Thrush, Phœbe, Kingfisher, Mourning Dove, and -Field Sparrow of the flesh-pink bill, rusty head and back, -and buff breast, who sings his little strain, ‘cherwee-cher-wee-cherwee-iddle-iddle-iddle -ee,’ as the sun goes down.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The three birds that are the most noticeable in the -latter part of March, that has made up its mind to go -out like a lamb and let Pussy-willow wave in peace in -moist pasture and the delicate blue-and-white hepaticas -star the edges of dry woods, are the Red-winged Blackbirds, -the Kingfishers, and the cheerful little Phœbe. -All love the vicinity of water, but the Red-wing locates often -in merely marshy ground, while the bird who is a fisherman -by trade locates near a pond or stream of considerable -size and the Phœbe comes to house or woodshed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ‘Among all the birds that return to us in late March -or April, which is the most striking and most -compels attention?’ asked a bird-lover of a -group of kindred spirits.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ‘<a id='sparfox'></a>The Fox Sparrow,’ said one, who lived on the edge -of a village where sheltered wild fields stretched uphill -to the woodlands. ‘Every morning when I open my -window I can hear them almost without listening.’</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i398.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0041' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD<br/>(<span class='sc'>Upper Figure, Male; Lower Figure, Female</span>)</span></p> -</div> - -<div class='lgc' style=''> <!-- rend=';' --> -<p class='line'>Order—<span class='sc'>Passeres</span> Family—<span class='sc'>Icteridæ</span></p> -<p class='line'>Genus—<span class='sc'>Agelaius</span> Species—<span class='sc'>Phœniceus</span></p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='335' id='Page_335'></span> -“ ‘<a id='phe2'></a>The Phœbe,’ said another, who was the owner of -a pretty home, where many rambling sheds broke the -way from cow-barn to pasture.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ‘The <a id='whip1'></a>Whip-poor-will, but that does not come until -late in the month,’ answered a third, a dweller in a remote -colony of artists in a picturesque spot of cleared woodland, -where the ground dropped quickly to a stream.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ‘No, the Woodcock,’ said her nearest neighbour, -a man whose cottage was upon the upper edge of these -same woods, where they were margined by moist meadows -and soft bottom-lands,—a man who spent much time -out-of-doors at dawn and twilight studying sky effects.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ‘And I think it’s Red-winged Blackbirds,’ cried the -ten-year-old son of the latter; ‘for when I go out up -back of the trout brook by the little path along the -alders near the squashy place where the cat-tails grow -in summer, you’ve just got to hear them. You can’t -listen to them as you do to real singing-birds, for they -make too much noise, and when you listen for a bird it’s -got to be still, at least in the beginning. Sometimes -they go it all together down in the bushes out of sight, -then a few will walk out up to the dry Meadowlark’s -field with Cowbirds, or maybe it’s their wives, and then -one or two will lift up and shoot over the marsh back -again, calling out just like juicy sky-rockets. Ah, -they’re in it before the leaves come out to hide them -even the least bit.’ And, in spite of difference of viewpoint, -the group finally acknowledged that the boy was -right.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In point of colouring, the Red-wing is faultlessly plumed,—glossy -black with epaulets of scarlet edged with gold, -<span class='pageno' title='336' id='Page_336'></span> -the uniform of a soldier,—and this, coupled with the -three martial notes that serve him as a song, would -make one expect to find in him all the manly and -military virtues. But aside from the superficial matter -of personal appearance, the Red-wing is lacking in many -of the qualities that endear the feathered tribe to us -and make us judge them, perhaps, too much by human -standards.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When Red-wings live in colonies it is often difficult to -estimate the exact relationship existing between the -members, though it is apparent that the sober brown-striped -females outnumber the males; but in places -where the birds are uncommon and only one or two -male birds can be found, it is easily seen that the household -of the male consists of from three to five nests, each -presided over by a watchful female, and when danger -arises, this feathered Mormon shows equal anxiety for -each nest, and circles screaming about the general location. -In colony life the males ofttimes act in concert -as a general guard, being diverted oftentimes from the -main issue, it must be confessed, to indulge in duels and -pitched battles among themselves.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Red-wing belongs to a notable family,—that of -the Blackbirds and Orioles,—and in spite of the structural -semblances that group them together, the differences -of plumage, voice, and breeding habits are very -great.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Cowbird<a id='cow2'></a>, the Red-wing’s next of kin, even lacks -the rich liquid call-note of the latter, and the lack of -marital fidelity, on the part of the male, is met in a truly -progressive spirit by the female, who, shirking all domestic -<span class='pageno' title='337' id='Page_337'></span> -responsibility, drops her eggs craftily in the nests of -other and usually smaller birds, who cannot easily resent -the imposition; though a strong proof of the unconscious -affinity of race lies in the fact that these young -foundling Cowbirds invariably join the parent flocks in -autumn instead of continuing with their foster-mothers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<a id='mead2'></a>The Meadowlark, with the true spring song, who hides -his nest in the dry grass of old fields, is also kin to the -Red-wing, and the Bobolink, too, the vocal harlequin -of the meadows and hillside pastures. The Orchard -and Baltimore Orioles, also next of kin, are skilled musicians -and model husbands.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Still another plane is to be found in the Red-wing’s -<a id='grack2'></a>dismal cousins, the Grackles,—Purple, <a id='grack3'></a>Rusty, Bronzed, -and Boat-tailed,—all harsh of voice and furtive in -action, as if a Crow fairy had been present at their creating -and, endowing them with ready wits, had, at the -same time, deprived them of all sense of humour and -cast a shadow upon their happiness. For a Grackle is -gloomy even during the absurd gyrations of his courtship, -and when, in autumn, the great flocks settle on -lawns and fields, and solemnly walk about, as they forage -they seem like a party of feathered mutes waiting to -attend the funeral of the year; and this trait somewhat -tinctures the disposition of the Red-wing before and -after the breeding season.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Red-wing in one of his many subspecific forms, -and masquerading under many names,—Red-shouldered -Blackbird, American Starling, and Swamp Blackbird,—lives -in North America from Nova Scotia and the -Great Slave Lake southward to Costa Rica. The -<span class='pageno' title='338' id='Page_338'></span> -Red-wing, as known to us of middle and eastern -North America, breeds in all parts of its United -States and Canadian range, though it is more numerous -by far in the great prairies of the upper Mississippi Valley, -with their countless back-water sloughs, than anywhere -else. It is in regions of this sort that the great flocks -turn both to the fall-sown grain, as well as that of the -crop in the ear, causing the farmers the loss that puts -a black mark against the Red-wings. Yet those that -dwell east of this area, owing to the draining and ditching -of their swampy haunts being in much reduced -numbers, are comparatively harmless.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“During the winter months the Red-wings are distributed -throughout the South, though stragglers may be occasionally -seen in many parts of their summer range. -Exactly why they begin the southward migration in -September and end it with the falling of the leaves -in late October, it is not easy to guess; for the food -supply is not at an end, and they do not dread -moderate cold, else why should they be in the front -rank of spring migrants?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The last of February will bring a few individuals of -the advance-guard of males. In early March their calls -are heard often before the ice has melted and the hylas -found voice; yet in spite of this hurried return, the -nesting season does not begin until the middle of May; -and so for two months and more the flock life continues, -and foraging, fighting, and general courting serve to kill -time until the remote marshes show enough green drapery -to hide the nests.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As a nest-builder the Red-wing shows much of the -<span class='pageno' title='339' id='Page_339'></span> -weaver’s skill of its Oriole cousins, though the material -they work with is of coarser texture, being fastened -firmly to low bushes or reeds and woven of grass -and the split leaves of reeds and flags, all nicely lined -with soft grasses and various vegetable fibres. Often, -like that of the Marsh Wren, the nest will be suspended -between three or four reeds, and so firmly -knit that it resembles one of the four-legged work-baskets -that belonged to the ‘mother’s room’ of -our youth. The pale blue eggs of the Red-wing are -particularly noticeable from the character of the markings -that thickly cover the larger end, for they seem -the work of a sharp scratching pen dipped in purplish -black ink and held by an aimless human hand, rather -than the distribution of natural pigment.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“An eater of grain though the Red-wing is, and a menace -to the farmer in certain regions, Professor Beal concedes -to him a liberal diet of weed seeds and animal food, -itself injurious to vegetation. Dr. B. H. Warren, who -has made a wide study of the food habits of this -Blackbird, says: ‘The Red-wing destroys large numbers -of cutworms. I have taken from the stomach -of a single Swamp Blackbird as many as twenty-eight -cutworms. In addition to the insects, etc., mentioned -above, these birds also, during their residence -with us, feed on earthworms, grasshoppers, crickets, -plant-lice, and various larvæ, so destructive at times -in field and garden. During the summer season fruits of -the blackberry, raspberry, wild strawberry, and wild cherry -are eaten to a more or less extent. The young, while under -parental care, are fed exclusively on an insect diet.’</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='340' id='Page_340'></span> -“Mr. Forbush also tells us that Kalm states in his -<span class='it'>Travels in America</span>, that in 1749, ‘after a great destruction -among the Crows and Blackbirds for a legal reward -of three pence per dozen, the northern states experienced -a complete loss of their grass and grain crops. The -colonists were obliged to import hay from England to -feed their cattle. The greatest losses from the ravages -of the Rocky Mountain Locust were coincident with, -or followed soon after, the destruction by the people of -countless thousands of Blackbirds, Prairie Chickens, -Quail, Upland Plover, Curlew, and other birds. This -coincidence seems significant, at least. A farmer from -Wisconsin informed me that, the Blackbirds in his -vicinity having been killed off, the white grubs increased -in number and destroyed the grass roots, so that he lost -four hundred dollars from this cause.’</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“These facts should make us of the East welcome rather -than discourage the Red-wing; for this is one of the -species of familiar birds that must become extinct in -many localities, owing to the circumstance, so desirable -in itself, of reducing the waste marshlands, and though, -later in the year, other birds replace him acceptably, -March and April would seem lonely without the Red-wing, -for then, as the child said, ‘you’ve just got to -look at him.’</p> - -<hr class='tbk123'/> - -<p class='pindent'>“<a id='kingf'></a>The Kingfisher is certainly one of the most dashing -birds that we have; without having the cruel -and ferocious expression of some of the smaller -Hawks, he has the swagger and dash of a feathered -brigand.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i405.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0042' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='credit'>National Association of Audubon Societies</p> <p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>BELTED KINGFISHER<br/>(<span class='sc'>Upper Figure, Female; Lower Figure, Male</span>)</span></p> -</div> - -<div class='lgc' style=''> <!-- rend=';' --> -<p class='line'>Order—<span class='sc'>Coccyges</span> Family—<span class='sc'>Alcedinidæ</span></p> -<p class='line'>Genus—<span class='sc'>Ceryle</span> Species—<span class='sc'>Alcyon</span></p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='341' id='Page_341'></span> -“His plumage is beautiful in texture and soft in colour; -bluish gray that sometimes looks quite blue in the bright -light; wings and tail-feathers spotted with white, a white -collar deep in front and narrow at the back, and a broad -belt of the gray crossing the white breast and seeming -to keep the gray mantle from slipping from his shoulders. -The long head-feathers, also of the bluish gray, form a -crest that the bird can raise at will and thus put on an -expression of combined alertness and defiance.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Kingfisher’s plumage is more perfect than his -form, his head, with its beak two inches in length, being -out of proportion to his short tail, and his small, weak -feet seeming too small to support a body more than -a foot long.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In disposition the Kingfisher seems to be rather remote -and unfriendly; they never seem to travel in flocks, -and even in the nesting season, the only time in which -they associate in pairs, they seem to be quarrelling and -wrangling, so very harsh are their notes. Hereabouts -we have very few Kingfishers. Last summer a pair -tunnelled a hole in the loamy bank of the river fifty -feet below the grist-mill; for the Kingfisher does not -build a tree nest, or, in fact, any nest, but, like the -Bank Swallow, burrows sidewise into a bank of -sufficiently stiff soil not to cave in for the depth -of anywhere from three to fifteen feet. This burrow -may be only a few feet below the surface, or if the -bluff rises above the stream, the hole may be twenty -feet from the top and close to high-water mark.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sometimes the hole runs straight, and then again it -may have several turns before the nesting-chamber is -<span class='pageno' title='342' id='Page_342'></span> -reached, the turns probably being made to avoid stones -or tough roots; though one<a id='r5'/><a href='#f5' style='text-decoration:none'><sup><span style='font-size:0.9em'>[5]</span></sup></a> careful observer, whose -account of this bird is so novel and charming (I will -read it to you from the scrap-book), thought for a time -that these turns might be for the purpose of keeping -light from the nesting-chamber.</p> - -<hr class='tbk124'/> - -<p class='pindent'>“A hole in a bank seems a strange place in which to -build a nest, but although one may know it to be the -home of a Kingfisher, he little imagines the singular -course of the passage leading to the room at the other -end, and is hardly aware of the six long weeks of faithful -care bestowed by the parent birds upon their eggs -and family.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Early in April we may hear the Kingfisher’s voice, -sounding like a policeman’s rattle, as he patrols the -stream, and we often see him leaving a favourite limb, -where he has been keeping watch for some innocent -minnow in the water below. Off he goes in his slaty -blue coat, shaking his rattle and showing his top-heavy -crest, his abnormal bill, and pure white collar.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The mother bird, as usual with the sex, does most of -the work at home. The hole is generally located high -upon the bank, is somewhat less than four inches in -diameter, and varies from at least five to eight feet in -length. It slightly ascends to the dark, mysterious -den at the other end,—dark because the passage generally -bends once or twice, thereby entirely excluding -the light. The roof of the passage is vaulted from end -to end, merging into a domed ceiling almost as shapely -<span class='pageno' title='343' id='Page_343'></span> -as that of the Pantheon. Such a home is built to stay, -and if undisturbed would endure for years. Two little -tracks are worn by the female’s feet the full length of -the tunnel as she passes in and out.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Kingfisher’s knowledge of construction, her -ingenious manner of hiding her eggs from molestation, -and her constancy to her young arouse our interest -and admiration. We must also appreciate the difficulty -with which the digging is attended, the meeting of frequent -stones to block the work, which, by the way, may -be the cause of the change in direction of the hole, but -which I was inclined to believe intentional until I found -a perfectly straight passage, in which a brood was successfully -raised.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“To get photographs of a series of the eggs and young -was almost as difficult a task, I believe, as the Kingfisher -had in making the hole. It was necessary to walk -at least four miles and dig down to the back of the nest, -through the bank above, and fill it in again four times, -without deranging the nest or frightening away the parent -birds. But we were well repaid for the trouble, for the -pictures accurately record what could not be described.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A photograph of the seven eggs was taken before they -had even been touched, and numerous disgorgements of -fish bones and scales show about the roomy apartment. -The shapely domed ceiling, as well as the arch of the -passage, is constructionally necessary for the safety of -the occupants, the former being even more perfect than -the pictures show. What is generally called instinct in -birds has long since been to me a term used to explain -what in reality is intelligence.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='344' id='Page_344'></span> -“Some writer has mentioned that as soon as the -young Kingfishers are able, they wander about their -little homes until they are able to fly, but evidently his -experience was limited. My four pictures of the young -birds were taken by lifting them out of their nests and -placing them in a proper place to be photographed in -the light, but the first two pictures were taken in the -positions in which they were naturally found in the nest. -The first, when they were about two days old, was obtained -on the 21st of May, 1899, and the young were not -only found wrapped together in the nest, but the moment -they were put on the ground, one at a time, though their -eyes were still sealed, they immediately covered one -another with their wings and wide bills, making such -a tight ball that when any one shifted a leg, the whole -mass would move like a single bird. This is a most -sensible method of keeping warm, since the mother -bird’s legs are so short that she could not stand over -them, but, as they are protected from the wind and -weather, they have no need of her. Their appearance -is comical in the extreme, and all out of proportion. -This clinging to one another is apparently kept up for -at least ten days, for a week later, when nine days old, -they were found in exactly a similar position.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When the young were first observed, they were absolutely -naked, without the suggestion of a feather, -and, unlike most young birds, showed no plumage of -any kind until the regular final feathering, which was -the same as that of the adult, began to appear. The -growth of the birds was remarkably slow, and even -when nine days old the feathers were just beginning to -<span class='pageno' title='345' id='Page_345'></span> -push through their tiny sheaths, but so distinctly showed -their markings that I was able to distinguish the sexes -by the colouring of the bands on the chest. They did -not open their mouths in the usual manner for food, -but tried to pick up small objects from the ground, and -one got another by his foot, as the picture shows. I -took two other photographs the same day, showing -several birds searching on the ground with their bills, -as if they were already used to this manner of feeding.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When the birds were sixteen days old, they had -begun to look like formidable Kingfishers, with more -shapely bills and crests, but as yet they evidently knew -no use for their wings. They showed little temper, -though they appeared to be somewhat surprised at -being disturbed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“My next visit to the hole in the bank was when the -birds were twenty-three days old, and, to ascertain -whether they were still at home, I poked into the entrance -of the hole a long, thin twig, which was quickly accepted -by quite a strong bite. Taking the precaution to stop -the hole with a good-sized stone, I proceeded to my -digging for the last time on the top of the bank. This -time I found the chamber had been moved, and I had -some difficulty in locating it about a foot higher up and -about the same distance to one side. The old birds had -evidently discovered my imperfectly closed back door, -and either mistrusted its security, or else a heavy rain -had soaked down into the loosened earth and caused -them to make alterations. They had completely closed -up the old chamber and packed it tightly with earth -and disgorged fish bones.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='346' id='Page_346'></span> -“The skill with which they met this emergency was -of unusual interest, showing again the ingenuity and -general intelligence which so often surprises us in the -study of birds. Their home was kept perfectly clean -by its constant caretaker. One of the full-grown birds, -with every feather, as far as I could see, entirely developed, -sat just long enough for me to photograph -him, and then flew from the branch where I had placed -him, down the stream, and out of sight, loudly chattering -like an old bird. One more bird performed the same -feat, but before I was able to get him on my plate. The -rest I left in the nest, and no doubt they were all in the -open air that warm, sunny day, before nightfall.</p> - -<hr class='tbk125'/> - -<p class='pindent'>“It happens that but few of us may look into a Kingfisher’s -home as Mr. Baily did, but it is very pleasant -to know where this dashing bird goes when, on securing -a fish, instead of swallowing it, he seems to dive, drop -into the water, and disappear, when in reality he is taking -his prey home to the nest.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We must be content to enjoy the Kingfisher as a -feature in the landscape, as the centre of a picture of -woods, pond, or river, to which he gives the needful -touch of life. The river scenery of March is lifeless and -dreary, for, if the snow has melted and the ice broken -up, the bushes alongshore are beaten down by the storms -of winter or partly submerged by the spring freshets. -Here and there, in sunny spots on the low shore, we may -see the purple-pointed hood and bright green leaves of -the skunk-cabbage, but if a Kingfisher is perching on -<span class='pageno' title='347' id='Page_347'></span> -a dead branch overhanging the water, crest erect, gazing -into the water and on the alert for a fish to pass, the -scene at once becomes full of interest. Of course the -Kingfisher, as his name implies, is above all a fisherman, -and complaints come sometimes from those who are -stocking ponds and rivers with fish, and who object to -his taking his tithe, but when pressed by hunger through -the sudden skimming of their hunting ponds with ice -in early winter, he has been known to eat berries of -many kinds, and in time of drought when streams run -low or dry up entirely, the Kingfisher will feed upon -beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, frogs, lizards, etc. But -here in the East, at any rate, the bird is not plentiful -enough to be a danger to the fishing industry.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve seen a Kingfisher fishing in the salt-water creek -that goes into the bay. We camped right there on the -point last summer,” said Tommy. “He must have -lived up the river somewhere, for he used to come down -early in the morning, and stay about all day, and I suppose -he must have got through feeding his children, for -it was along in August. I never saw but one,—the male, -I guess, because it didn’t have any brown on its breast -like what there is in the picture of the female.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was great fun to watch him. One day the rest -all went off fishing to Middle Ground Light, and I stayed -at home because I’d cut my finger with a fish-hook, and it -hurt a lot, and the Doctor made me keep it soaking in -medicine, so I just lay in the sand under the shady side -of the tent, only moving enough to keep out of the sun, -and watched out.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When the Kingfisher first came, the tide was just -<span class='pageno' title='348' id='Page_348'></span> -turned and beginning to rush out of the creek like everything. -Mr. Fisherman sat on a tall post that we tie the -boats up to at night. It was close to the water, not -where the strong current was, but a little to one side, -where it was more still. He did pretty well for a while; -the fish looked small, and he swallowed ’em without -wriggling his throat so very much.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“One thing he did was very funny; he didn’t dive -right down from the post after the fish, but he took a -little fly up first and then folded his wings to his sides -and dropped right in beak first, same as we fellows do -when we jump off the spring board dad rigged to a raft -and then dive. I couldn’t make out whether he always -did it, or if it was because the post was too near the water.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“After a little, the water went down so that the post -wasn’t near enough to the water; then what did he do -but shift over to the bowsprit of an old oyster boat that -was wrecked and half buried in the sand, right in the -bank just inside the creek; this gave him a fine perch -right over the channel. When he saw that there was -no one about, he sort of settled down, and looking -at him so long made me lazy, and I guess I fell asleep -and didn’t see him dive, because the next thing I -knew, there was the Kingfisher back on the perch, but -he had an eel in his beak instead of a fish.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Say, Gray Lady, did you ever try to hold an eel in -your fingers, without rubbing wet sand on them first? -Well, you should have seen that bird twist and flop about. -It was only a little eel, not any bigger than a pencil, but, -oh my!” And Tommy laughed heartily at the very memory -of the fray.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='349' id='Page_349'></span> -“Kingfisher couldn’t stick to the perch, so he dropped -right on to a piece of the deck of the boat that wasn’t -buried, and began to beat the eel on the wood and dance -about. The eel squirmed so, it didn’t hit often, and it -acted as if it had legs and was dancing too. When -the fun began, the bird had the eel about in the middle, -but it pulled away until one end was longer than the -other, and that made it harder to hold.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Which was the head end, the one that hung down?” -asked Eliza, who always insisted on precise details.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I didn’t know then,” said Tommy; “I couldn’t see, -and it didn’t keep still long enough for me to ask!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“At last Kingfisher gave the eel a good bang, and it -didn’t squirm so much (then I knew the head must have -been on the long piece because it wouldn’t have hurt -its tail), and the bird began to swallow and work his -throat, just like when a snake begins to work a toad -down. Once or twice he stopped, and I thought that he -was going to choke and keel over. He didn’t, though, -but after it was all down, he looked real sorry and uncomfortable -and his feathers laid down almost flat to -his head, and he crouched there on the boat quite a while -before he flew up creek and didn’t fish any more that day.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Maybe he’d never caught a salt-water eel before, and -didn’t know how lively they are; you can’t measure them -by mud eels out of still water any more’n you can match -snakes with ground-worms.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='350' id='Page_350'></span></p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE KINGFISHER</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>He laughs by the summer stream</p> -<p class='line0'>Where the lilies nod and dream,</p> -<p class='line0'>As through the sheen of water cool and clear</p> -<p class='line0'>He sees the chub and sunfish cutting shear.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>His are resplendent eyes;</p> -<p class='line0'>His mien is kingliwise;</p> -<p class='line0'>And down the March wind rides he like a king</p> -<p class='line0'>With more than royal purple on his wing.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>His palace is the brake</p> -<p class='line0'>Where the rushes shine and shake;</p> -<p class='line0'>His music is the murmur of the stream,</p> -<p class='line0'>And the leaf-rustle where the lilies dream.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Such life as his would be</p> -<p class='line0'>A more than heaven to me;</p> -<p class='line0'>All sun, all bloom, all happy weather,</p> -<p class='line0'>All joys bound in a sheaf together.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>No wonder he laughs so loud!</p> -<p class='line0'>No wonder he looks so proud!</p> -<p class='line0'>There are great kings would give their royalty</p> -<p class='line0'>To have one day of his felicity!</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Maurice Thompson.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'>“<a id='phe3'></a>The very name of Phœbe calls us from the Red-wing in -the marsh meadows and the Kingfisher by the -waterways and brings us home again. Not only -within the home acres, but close to the house, barns, and -woodshed, for has she not been living in and about them -quite as long as we have, or even longer? There was -a Phœbe who always built her first nest on the deep -sill of the dormer-window of the store-closet, and her -second in the bracket that supports the hood of the -north window in the guest-room.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She was not very tidy about her work of nest-building -(it seems more natural to call the Phœbe <span class='it'>she</span> than <span class='it'>he</span>), but -then, it must be very difficult to make a nest with a high -<span class='pageno' title='351' id='Page_351'></span> -foundation of crumbling moss and mud, with hairs and grass -for a lining, without spilling some of the nesting material. -My mother used to grumble about having the store-room -window-sill remain in such a litter for so long, but she -never disturbed the nest, even by brushing away the -loose moss, and almost every day she would look through -the window to see how the eggs or young were faring, and -I thought it a great privilege to be allowed to go to the -store-room and sit quite still inside the closed window -and watch the Phœbe’s housekeeping.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was in this way that I first learned how the bird -stands up in the nest and turns the white eggs over with its -feet so that they may be evenly warmed through; how the -young are fed and the droppings removed from the nest -so that it need not become foul.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In spite of great care and constant bathing, for -Phœbe is very fond of a bath and was always a great -patron of the log water-trough, the puddles that gathered -in the gutter after rain, and upon occasion would dash into -the bucket that always stood under the well-spout, the -poor bird suffers greatly from insect parasites. The -reason for this I cannot tell, unless it is that the foundation -of the nest is so light and spongy on account of the moss, -that the air does not pass through and the lice breed -freely. One thing I remember, however, is that as -soon as the birds had flown, mother always removed the -empty nest and had its resting-place thoroughly cleansed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This is not so apt to happen when the bird chooses a -fresh location and makes a new nest for a second brood, -but upon the only occasion that the window-sill nest was -used twice in a season, the lice crawled through the window-frame -<span class='pageno' title='352' id='Page_352'></span> -into the house, and of the second brood, only -one lived to fly, and he was a miserable, emaciated little -thing, so badly did the lice beset the young birds. After -that, mother always gave them a hint that a new nest was -best by making it impossible for them to use the old one.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I should think the Phœbes might have got mad and -gone away for good,” said Sarah Barnes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No; they either understood that mother’s intentions -were good, or else they appreciated the comfort and -cleanliness of the new nest, for their children and grandchildren -have occupied the two sites ever since, and this -summer when I stood inside the store-room window showing -the nest to Goldilocks, bird and nest were just the -same as when my mother stood there by me.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is why the everyday birds that live about our -homes are so precious and should be so carefully guarded. -We never see them grow old, and so they help us to keep -young in heart.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Phœbe belongs to a very important family, that of -the Flycatchers, songless birds with call-notes that are -distinctive; these take their food upon the wing, diving -from a perch into the air for it as the Kingfisher dives -into the water for his. In this way the flycatchers are -among the most valuable of the Sky Sweepers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Among Phœbe’s cousins you will find the <span class='it'>Kingbird</span>, -who wears a slate-coloured coat and white vest, a crest on -his head, and a white band on the end of his tail by which -you may know him, as he sits on a fence rail, stump, -or even on a tall mullen stalk and sallies out into the -air, crying a shrill ‘Kyrie-Kyrie!’ The Great Crested -Flycatcher, with an olive-brown coat, gray throat, and yellow -<span class='pageno' title='353' id='Page_353'></span> -belly, who builds in a tree hole well above the ground, -and uses dried snake skins among his materials when he -can get them, is another relative, and the largest of the -family; while a third is the little Wood-pewee, of the dark -olive-brown coat and two whitish wing-bars, who saddles -his lichen-covered nest, as dainty as that of a Humming-bird -high up on a limb, and calls his plaintive note, Pee-wee-pee-a-wee -peer,’ through the aisles of the deep woods, -as constantly as Phœbe lets her name be known in a more -shrill and rasping voice to the barnyard flock.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“These and several other flycatchers do not come to us -until May, but the Phœbe of all his tribes trusts his livelihood -to the care of gusty March. Perhaps it is the early -return that makes the Phœbe so friendly and causes -it to choose either a site by the water or near a house. -Insect life awakes much more quickly in gardens and about -the farm-yards, or near open running water, than in the -remote woods; for certain it is that no other member of -the family is so easily domesticated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Phœbe not only eats the earliest insects that -appear, but it has peculiarly constructed eyes, like the -Whip-poor-will and Night Hawk; it can catch its food until -the end of twilight, so that it kills many bugs that hide all -day. Among the hurtful insects that it catches are the -click-beetle, brown-tail moth, canker-worm moth, and the -elm beetle. As a berry-eater no one can find fault with it, -as when late in a dry season it takes a little fruit, wild -berries supply the need.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“All this should be a hint to us to leave a few nooks -about the place for a pair of Phœbes to appropriate for -a homestead; a little shelf under suitable shelter is all -<span class='pageno' title='354' id='Page_354'></span> -they ask, or, better yet, nail a few wide braces under the -roof of a wagon, cattle, or wood shed, even if it does not -need supporting. Then, before the first Robin or Chipping-sparrow -awakens, when the first flush of light penetrates -the darkness of night, you will have a home sentinel -at hand to cry, ‘Phœbe! I see, all’s well!’ to the morning, -and at evening she will blend her voice with the Whip-poor-will’s -in wishing you good night, for though Phœbe -is early to come in the spring and early to rise in the morning, -she goes late to bed and meets the bats in the sky -during her evening excursions.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Maybe Phœbes don’t really sing, but they think they -do,” said Tommy, as Gray Lady looked in vain in her -scrap-book for a poem that should do the bird justice -and be catching in rhythm.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sometimes in May they get up on the roof or the telephone -wire or something like that, and tumble somersaults -into the air and cry ‘phœbe-phœbe-phœbe-phœbe,’ -on and on and on and over again, like the Katydids and -Katydidn’ts in the maples at night, only the Phœbe is so -worked up she can only think of her own name.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then this verse of Lowell’s at least is true,” said Gray -Lady, closing the scrap-book.</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>“Phœbe is all it has to say</p> -<p class='line0'>In plaintive cadence o’er and o’er,</p> -<p class='line0'>Like children that have lost their way</p> -<p class='line0'>And know their names, but nothing more.”</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -</div> - -<hr class='footnotemark'/> - -<div class='footnote'> -<table summary='footnote_5'> -<colgroup> -<col span='1' class='footnoteid'/> -<col span='1'/> -</colgroup> -<tr><td style='vertical-align:top;'> -<div class='footnote-id' id='f5'><a href='#r5'>[5]</a></div> -</td><td> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='it'>The Kingfishers’ Home Life</span>, W. L. Baily in <span class='it'>Bird-Lore</span>.</p> - -</td></tr> -</table> -</div> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='355' id='Page_355'></span><h1>XXIV<br/> <span class='sub-head'>THE TIDE HAS TURNED</span></h1></div> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><a id='cdee4'></a>THE MASQUERADING CHICKADEE</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>I came to the woods in the dead of the year,</p> -<p class='line0'>  I saw the wing’d sprite thro’ the green-brier peeping:</p> -<p class='line0'>“Darling of Winter, you’ve nothing to fear,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Though the branches are bare and the cold earth is sleeping!”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>With a <span class='it'>dee, dee, dee</span>! the sprite seemed to say,</p> -<p class='line0'>  “I’m friends with the Maytime as well as December,</p> -<p class='line0'>And I’ll meet you here on a fair-weather day;</p> -<p class='line0'>  Here, in the green-brier thicket,—remember!”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'> * * * * * *</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>I came to the woods in the spring of the year,</p> -<p class='line0'>  And I followed a voice that was most entreating:</p> -<p class='line0'><span class='it'>Phebe! Phebe!</span> (and yet more near),</p> -<p class='line0'>  <span class='it'>Phebe! Phebe!</span> it kept repeating!</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>I gave up the search, when, not far away,</p> -<p class='line0'>  I saw the wing’d sprite thro’ the green-brier peeping,</p> -<p class='line0'>With a <span class='it'>Phebe! Phebe!</span> that seemed to say,</p> -<p class='line0'>  “I told you so! and my promise I’m keeping.”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>“You’ll know me again, when you meet me here,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Whether you come in December or Maytime:</p> -<p class='line0'>I’ve a <span class='it'>dee, dee, dee!</span> for the Winter’s ear,</p> -<p class='line0'>  And a <span class='it'>Phebe! Phebe!</span> for Spring and Playtime!”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Edith M. Thomas.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<hr class='tbk126'/> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='356' id='Page_356'></span> -“When the Chickadee, who has persistently told us his -name all winter, and has assured us also in the darkest -weather that it was ‘day-day-day,’ changes his call for -the flute-like spring song of ‘Phewe-Phe-wee,’ clear as the -wind blowing through a reed, we know that at last the -springtide has really turned. Chickadee occasionally -gives this note in autumn as if in anticipation, but it is -really a love-song of tender accent.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<a id='goose'></a>Another spring sign comes to us in April, a sign to be -seen. It comes out of a clear sky and has all the mystery -about it that still shrouds the bird migrations. Spring and -fall I see it, but it always fills me with awe. This morning -I stood out in the open meadow below the orchard, looking -at the sky to see if the clouds were going to break away, -or if it was to be a day of April showers. To the southwest -a curious fine black bar appeared high up against the -clouds. Quickly it drew nearer, and I saw what seemed -to be a great letter that moved rapidly and yet kept -its shape printed on the sky,—a letter V coming toward me, -point on. In another minute the line proved to be made -of separate marks, then each mark developed a long neck -and rapidly moving wings.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Tommy Todd could stand it no longer; without giving -the usual school “hand up” warning he cried out, “The -V was Wild Geese, with the wise old gander that leads -them for the point, and maybe if he wanted them to shift -and change their way, he gave a big honk, honk, like the -automobiles when they turn the sharp corner at the foot -of our hill.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We saw Wild Geese yesterday, grandpa and I; they -were flying so low over the mill-pond that grandpa said -<span class='pageno' title='357' id='Page_357'></span> -maybe they had been resting somewhere. They do stop -in fall sometimes, but in spring they generally go right over -in a big hurry. This time I could see their feathers pretty -well, black, gray, and light underneath, and a white mark -around the neck as if it was tied up for a sore throat. -Grandpa says he shot one once that was a yard long, but -their necks looked all of that. How far away do they -have to go before they can stop to nest, please, Gray -Lady?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They nest only in our most northern states, and from -there up through British America; but as the country is -settled they have to shift their haunts very often, for -you can well imagine that a colony, even in the nesting -season, would have but little peace if hunters could reach -it easily. These great birds on their journeys are one of -the most thrilling sights that everyday people can see, -for they travel the thousands of miles that separate their -summer and winter homes, straight through the night as -well as the day, without chart or compass, but with the -same lack of fear and unfailing directness as a train would -follow the rails upon the road-bed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We hear and read stories of Nature that are inventions, -and could not have happened because they are not according -to the plan of creation,—so the people who tell these -instead of being clever are really very stupid,—but not -one of these is as wonderful as the simple truth, or -as awe-inspiring as the flight of Wild Geese that goes -on before our sight year after year in the April sky, -or that we know by their cries and the rush of wings -is passing overhead in the gloom of a wild and stormy -night.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='358' id='Page_358'></span></p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>WILD GEESE</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>A far, strange sound through the night,</p> -<p class='line0'>    A dauntless and resolute cry,</p> -<p class='line0'>Clear in the tempest’s despite,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Ringing so wild and so high.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Darkness and tumult and dread,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Rain and the battling of gales,</p> -<p class='line0'>Yet cleaving the storm overhead,</p> -<p class='line0'>    The wedge of the Wild Geese sails.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Pushing their perilous way,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Buffeted, beaten, and vexed;</p> -<p class='line0'>Steadfast by night and by day,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Weary, but never perplexed;</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Sure that the land of their hope</p> -<p class='line0'>    Waits beyond tempest and dread,</p> -<p class='line0'>Sure that the dark where they grope</p> -<p class='line0'>    Shall glow with the morning red!</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>O birds in the wild, wild sky!</p> -<p class='line0'>    Would I could so follow God’s way</p> -<p class='line0'>Through darkness, unquestioning why,</p> -<p class='line0'>    With only one thought to obey!</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Celia Thaxter</span>.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><a id='nest'></a><span class='sc'>Nest-Building</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“Though a few of our common birds, like the Robin, -Bluebird, Woodcock, Crow, Grackle, and some of the -Hawks and Owls, begin to nest in April, May and June are -the real nesting months.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“When the spring migration is over, we call those birds -who have decided to stay with us and build their homes -<span class='pageno' title='359' id='Page_359'></span> -Summer Residents, and it is from these that we must learn -of the home life of birds.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The visitors who stop awhile on their way to other -places we may learn to call by name, but we can never -really know them any more than we can a chance visitor -who boards a few weeks in our vicinity.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The nesting habits of birds and the manner in which -they build their homes vary according to the necessity and -skill of the species. (See <span class='it'>Citizen Bird</span>.)</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In their house-building you will find that the birds -know almost as many trades as human beings, for among -them are weavers, basket-makers, masons, and carpenters, -as well as workers in felt, hair, and feathers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Many water-birds merely make a hollow in the sand or -gather a few bits of grass together for a nest.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Grouse, Quail, and Woodcock scratch up a few -leaves in a ground hollow or between stumps, for, like -domestic fowl, they always nest on the ground and their -colour, being dull, blends with it, and you may almost -step on one of these birds when it is on its nest and never -know it.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The dull brown Sparrows build nests of grasses set in -a low bush or between its roots, but the flaming Oriole -weaves himself a snug hammock high out on a swaying elm -bough, and the Scarlet Tanager builds high in an oak. -The Blue Jay weaves small roots into a firm nest set well -above reach, while the Bluebird lines a hollow in a tree -or takes an abandoned Woodpecker’s hole for his house. -The Woodpeckers chisel out homes in tree-trunks, and -Robins and Cliff and Barn Swallows use more or less mud, -and plaster the inside of their homes. If you watch carefully -<span class='pageno' title='360' id='Page_360'></span> -now when the birds are building, and associate the -various nests with the birds that build them, in autumn, -when the young have flown, you can collect many of these -nests and study their beautiful workmanship. But pray -keep your hands off them while they are in use, for it is -not being either kind or polite to meddle.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“How do you think your mother would feel if somebody -climbed in at the window and tumbled up your -baby brother’s crib, perhaps spilling him out on the floor, -or at least frightening him badly, in order to find out if he -slept on a mattress or a feather bed, or if the crib itself -was made of wood or metal?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“At the time of the spring migration the birds that -have been living in flocks all winter put on fresh feathers, -and court and separate into pairs just as people do when -they marry and begin housekeeping. Naturally they feel -very happy, and have a great deal to say to each other, -and this is what makes birds break into song when the -spring comes to give them new life.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Though some few females can sing, it is the males who -make the beautiful music that we hear in the spring -mornings. The female is too busy with her housekeeping -to do more than answer, but her husband’s song cheers -her while she is brooding, and he probably tells her how -pretty her new feathers are, and how much he loves her, too.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Among our gayly coloured birds, unlike people, it is -the male who wears the brightest clothes. You have -heard of this all through our fall and winter lessons, and -you have seen the difference in pictures; now that the -birds themselves have come, you will have a chance to -see how well you remember, and if you can name the birds -<span class='pageno' title='361' id='Page_361'></span> -as they fly. The Scarlet Tanager and the Goldfinch both -have plain greenish olive-coloured wives. The female -Blue Jay is of a less bright hue than her mate, and the -mate of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak wears a buff, brownish -streaked vest.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why? Because, as the mother bird spends more time -about the nest than the father, if she wore bright clothes -she would attract too much attention, and cruel Hawks, -squirrels, and thieving people would find it too easily; -and Nature’s first thought is always of the care and protection -of young life, whether of plant, bird, or beast.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Almost all of our birds feed the young nestlings with -animal food, even if they themselves are seed-eaters; -for little birds must grow quickly, and you would hardly -believe the number of worms and flying things it takes to -turn one little Robin from the queer, helpless, featherless -thing that it is when it hatches from the egg, into the -clumsy, clamouring ball of feathers, with awkward wings -and hardly a bit of tail to balance it, that it is when it -leaves the nest.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“No human father and mother work harder to feed their -children than do these feathered parents, who toil ceaselessly -from sunrise until sunset to bring food, and share -by turns the protection of the nest.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='362' id='Page_362'></span></p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE NEST</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>When oaken woods with buds are pink,</p> -<p class='line0'>  And new-come birds each morning sing,</p> -<p class='line0'>When fickle May on summer’s brink</p> -<p class='line0'>  Pauses, and knows not which to fling,</p> -<p class='line0'>Whether fresh bud and bloom again,</p> -<p class='line0'>Or hoar-frost silvering hill and plain,</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Then from the honeysuckle gray</p> -<p class='line0'>  The Oriole with experienced quest</p> -<p class='line0'>Twitches the fibrous bark away,</p> -<p class='line0'>  The cordage of his hammock-nest,</p> -<p class='line0'>Cheering his labour with a note</p> -<p class='line0'>  Rich as the orange of his throat.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>High o’er the loud and dusty road</p> -<p class='line0'>  The soft gray cup in safety swings,</p> -<p class='line0'>To brim ere August with its load</p> -<p class='line0'>  Of downy breasts and throbbing wings,</p> -<p class='line0'>O’er which the friendly elm tree heaves</p> -<p class='line0'>  An emerald roof with sculptured eaves.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Below, the noisy world drags by</p> -<p class='line0'>  In the old way, because it must;</p> -<p class='line0'>The bride with heartbreak in her eye,</p> -<p class='line0'>  The mourner following hated dust;</p> -<p class='line0'>Thy duty, winged flame of spring,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Is but to love, and fly, and sing.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>O happy life, to soar and sway</p> -<p class='line0'>  Above the life by mortals led,</p> -<p class='line0'>Singing the merry months away,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Master, not slave of daily bread,</p> -<p class='line0'>And, when the autumn comes, to flee</p> -<p class='line0'>  Wherever sunshine beckons thee!</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>James Russell Lowell</span>.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='363' id='Page_363'></span></p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>OUT OF THE SOUTH</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>      A migrant song-bird I,</p> -<p class='line0'>Out of the blue, between the sea and the sky,</p> -<p class='line0'>Landward blown on bright, untiring wings;</p> -<p class='line0'>      Out of the South I fly,</p> -<p class='line0'>Urged by some vague, strange force of destiny,</p> -<p class='line0'>To where the young wheat springs,</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>      And the maize begins to grow,</p> -<p class='line0'>      And the clover fields to blow.</p> -<p class='line0'>      I have sought</p> -<p class='line0'>In far wild groves below the tropic line</p> -<p class='line0'>To lose old memories of this land of mine;</p> -<p class='line0'>      I have fought</p> -<p class='line0'>This vague, mysterious power that flings me forth</p> -<p class='line0'>      Into the North;</p> -<p class='line0'>But all in vain. When flutes of April blow,</p> -<p class='line0'>The immemorial longing lures me, and I go.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Maurice Thompson.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>WHAT TO EXPECT</h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“In April we may look for the coming of a score or -more of different birds. How quickly they come and in -what numbers depends upon the season. If it is mild, -they come gradually; if stormy, by fits and starts, and -sometimes in strangely mixed flocks.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“These belong to the first half of the month:—</p> - -<p class='hang'><a id='heron'></a><span class='it'>The Great Blue Heron.</span> Cousin to the white Egret; we -always used to have a pair of them by the upper -mill-pond.</p> - -<p class='hang'><span class='it'>The Purple Finch.</span> <a id='pfinch'></a>A large sparrow with a beautiful -voice; the fully grown male having a rosy flush to his -feathers as if, it has been said, the juice of crimson -berries had been squeezed over him.</p> - -<p class='hang'><a id='vesp'></a><span class='it'>The Vesper-sparrow.</span> The wayside Sparrow of our -afternoon walk that we have known as long as the -Song Sparrow and Bluebird; famous for his clear, -ringing song at twilight and dawn. Rather light in -color, with <span class='it'>rust-red wing-markings and white outside -<span class='pageno' title='364' id='Page_364'></span> -tail-feathers</span> that show conspicuously as he flits along -and tells his name.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE VESPER-SPARROW</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>It comes from childhood land,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Where summer days are long</p> -<p class='line0'>And summer eves are bland—</p> -<p class='line0'>  A lulling good-night song.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Upon a pasture stone,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Against the fading west,</p> -<p class='line0'>A small bird sings alone,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Then dives and finds its nest.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>The evening star has heard</p> -<p class='line0'>  And flutters into sight.</p> -<p class='line0'>Oh, childhood’s vesper bird,</p> -<p class='line0'>  My heart calls back good night.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Edith M. Thomas.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='hang'><a id='sparchip'></a><span class='it'>The Chipping-sparrow.</span> Our least Sparrow, who wears -a little chestnut velvet cap, gray back, and black bill, -and has a mild, innocent expression in keeping with -his friendly ways. He puts his dainty hair-lined -nest (from which he is sometimes called Hair-bird) -in a near-by shrub or rose-bush in the garden, and -then hops about the door, picking up almost invisible -bits of food, calling “chip-chip-chip.” His courting -song is a long trill that begins at dawn almost with -the Phœbe, and the dear little bird often sings as he -sits on the ground.</p> - -<p class='hang'><a id='tree4'></a><span class='it'>The Tree Swallow.</span> This we saw last fall in the migration, -<span class='pageno' title='365' id='Page_365'></span> -and we may hope that it will take lodging in some -of the new bird-boxes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In the second half of the month:—</p> - -<p class='hang'><a id='barnsw5'></a><span class='it'>The Barn Swallow.</span></p> - -<p class='hang'><a id='spot2'></a><span class='it'>Spotted Sandpiper.</span></p> - -<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Bank Swallow.</span><a id='swalb4'></a></p> - -<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Purple Martin.</span><a id='mart5'></a></p> - -<p class='hang'><a id='whip2'></a><span class='it'>Whip-poor-will.</span> One of the birds of the air that, together -with its brother the Nighthawk and its cousins the -Chimney Swift and Humming-bird, may well be called -winged mysteries.</p> - -<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Towhee-Chewink, or Ground-robin</span>, of the tribe of Sparrows -and Finches, but, like the Cardinal, without stripes, -and having a stout beak. Head, throat, back, and -breast black; white belly and rust-red sides. Black -tail with white outer feathers. A handsome, vigorous -bird and a lover of bushes and thickets, where he -scratches among the leaves. Call-note, “Tow-hee-tow-hee.”</p> - -<p class='hang'><a id='warbbw'></a><span class='it'>Black-and-white Warbler.</span> This you will at first take to -be a small Woodpecker from its black-and-white -stripes and tree-creeping habits that remind one of the -Brown Creeper of winter, but its slender bill names -it a warbler; one of the “lispers,” who, though -they have musical names, whisper or lisp a few -notes as if to themselves.</p> - -<p class='hang'><a id='oven'></a><span class='it'>Ovenbird.</span> Also a warbler, but, though it sings high -among the trees, nests on the ground among the -leaves, the nest being closed at the top and open on -the sides like an oven. A shy bird with a <span class='it'>golden -brown crown edged by a black line</span>. Plain olive above, -<span class='pageno' title='366' id='Page_366'></span> -white beneath, with thrush-like black streaks on breast -and sides.</p> - -<p class='hang'><a id='housew'></a><span class='it'>House Wren.</span> Dear little Jenny Wren, of several nests -and a large family, who lives in our bird-boxes, outbuildings, -and garden trellises. Gowned in reddish -brown, with fine black bars and a pert little tail that -she jerks nervously as she flies. Johnny Wren is -the singing partner, for Jenny has no voice left of a -morning after she has spluttered and scolded her -bird neighbours and attended to her housekeeping.</p> - -<p class='hang'><a id='thrash1'></a><span class='it'>Brown Thrasher.</span></p> - -<p class='hang'><span class='it'>Catbird.</span><a id='cat2'></a></p> - -<p class='hang'><a id='wood1'></a><span class='it'>Wood Thrush.</span></p> - -<p class='hang'><a id='veery1'></a><span class='it'>Veery.</span>—No matter how familiar with them we may be, -we must always pause to look and listen when we -meet one of this wonderful quartette of vocalists, whose -voices belong with the gorgeously apparelled singers -of the opera; but the quiet plumage and demeanour -of three of the four mark them for peaceful home -life and seclusion.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>WINGED MYSTERIES</h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“Four birds there are that live under one roof, so to -speak, for they belong to one order divided into three different -families. They are perfectly familiar to most of us who -have lived in the real country, and yet they awaken our -curiosity anew every season when they return. These -birds are the Whip-poor-will, <a id='swift3'></a>Chimney Swift, <a id='nhawk2'></a>Nighthawk, -and <a id='hum1'></a>Humming-bird. The two first return to New England -late in April; the two last during the first part of May, -<span class='pageno' title='367' id='Page_367'></span> -but it is better for us to take them all together now in -April so as to be ready to recognize the first one that -comes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The <span class='it'>Whip-poor-will</span> comes first. It is a bird of the -woods; in size a little less than the Robin, but of a -build peculiar to its own family, long and low, a contrast -heightened by its short legs and its habit of sitting length-wise -on a limb and close to it. In short, it does not -perch, it ‘squats.’ Its general colour is black, white, and -buff, much streaked and mottled. Its tail is <span class='it'>round</span>, half -of the three outer feathers white, giving the effect of a -white spot.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“All of you children of this wooded hill country know -this bird that flies about the house and across the fields -to the woods before dawn or soon after dark, making no -more noise than the bats, until, stopping to rest, he mechanically -jerks out his name, ‘Whip-poor-will-Whip-poor-will-Chuck!’ -So lonely and mournful does the cry sound -in the distance that many weird stories have been told -about the bird. But when the call comes close at hand, -it is more cheerful, though always startling.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This bird builds no nest, but lays its pair of dull white -eggs, so marked that they blend with the earth like -lichens and mosses, on the bare ground, or at best among -a few leaves. But rash as this seems, the protective -colour that nature has given to the parents, eggs, and -young serves to keep them as safe as many another bird -in a well-woven tree nest.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Then, too, aside from its picturesque qualities, the -Whip-poor-will, as Mr. Forbush says of it, ‘is an animated -insect trap. Its enormous mouth is surrounded by long -<span class='pageno' title='368' id='Page_368'></span> -bristles which form a wide fringe about a yawning cavity, -and the bird flies rather low among the trees and over the -undergrowth, snapping up nocturnal insects in flight. -It is, perhaps, the greatest enemy of night-moths, but is -quite as destructive to May beetles and other leaf-eating -beetles.’</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE WOOD THRUSH AND THE WHIP-POOR-WILL</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>When the faintest flush of morning</p> -<p class='line0'>  Overtints the distant hill,</p> -<p class='line0'>      <span class='it'>If you waken, if you listen</span>,</p> -<p class='line0'>  You may hear the Whip-poor-will.</p> -<p class='line0'>Like an echo from the darkness,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Strangely wild across the glen,</p> -<p class='line0'>Sound the notes of his finale,</p> -<p class='line0'>  And the woods are still again.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Soon upon the dreamy silence</p> -<p class='line0'>  There will come a gentle trill,</p> -<p class='line0'>Like the whisper of an organ,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Or the murmur of a rill,</p> -<p class='line0'>And then a burst of music,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Swelling forth upon the air,</p> -<p class='line0'>Till the melody of morning</p> -<p class='line0'>  Seems to come from everywhere.</p> -<p class='line0'>A Thrush, as if awakened by</p> -<p class='line0'>  The parting voice of night,</p> -<p class='line0'>Gives forth a joyous welcome to</p> -<p class='line0'>  The coming of the light.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>In early evening twilight</p> -<p class='line0'>  Again the Wood Thrush sings,</p> -<p class='line0'>Like a voice of inspiration</p> -<p class='line0'>  With the melody of strings;</p> -<p class='line0'>A song of joy ecstatic,</p> -<p class='line0'>  And a vesper hymn of praise,</p> -<p class='line0'>For the glory of the summer</p> -<p class='line0'>  And the promise of the days.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'> * * * * * *</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>And when his song is ended,</p> -<p class='line0'>  And all the world grows still,</p> -<p class='line0'>As if but just awakened,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Calls again the Whip-poor-will.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Garrett Newkirk</span>, in <span class='it'>Bird-Lore</span>.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='369' id='Page_369'></span> -“<a id='nhawk3'></a><span class='it'>The Nighthawk</span>, when perching, bears a general resemblance -to the Whip-poor-will. The white band on its -throat is wider, the tail is <span class='it'>not</span> round, and it has -white band near the end. There is a white -bar across the quills of the wings that in flight looks like -a round white spot or a hole.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“These four white patches, throat, wings, and tail tell -you his name plainly, so when he is on the wing the Nighthawk -should never be mistaken for a Whip-poor-will. -Then, too, their habits are unlike. The Nighthawk does -not belong to the night, neither is he a Hawk, which is -a Bird of Prey with talons and a hooked beak. Early -morning and late afternoon are his favourite times for -hunting the sky for insects, for he also is one of our most -valuable sky sweepers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Having no song, the cry of Skirk-skirk! given when -on the wing, has a wild and eerie sound which is often -followed by a booming noise of the quality that can be -imitated by placing tissue-paper over a long, coarse comb -and then blowing rapidly across it from one end to the -other. This noise is made by the rush of the wind through -<span class='pageno' title='370' id='Page_370'></span> -the wing quills as the bird drops through the air after its -winged food.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Nighthawk builds no nest, but lays its eggs on a -bare rock in a field, amid the stones of rocky ground, on -roofs even of city houses. Again does colour protection -aid a bird, for the arrangements of its markings blend -the Nighthawk with granite as perfectly as those of the -Whip-poor-will conceal it in the woods.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Nighthawk, whose erratic flight makes it a target -that piques the skill of a certain class of sportsmen, has -frequently been shot at for prowess, the excuse being that -it ‘wasn’t any good, anyway.’ Aside from the list of insects -harmful to agriculture and domestic animals that -it destroys, let us remember its crowning virtue, and cry -‘Hands off!’ It kills mosquitoes, and has thus earned -the local name of Mosquito-hawk.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is hard to believe that any one should insist that -the Nighthawk and the Whip-poor-will are one and the -same bird, but such has been the case, and among intelligent -people also, though the mistake has been definitely -settled by one of the Wise Men.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>A NIGHTHAWK INCIDENT</h2> - -<p class='pindent'>A discussion of the specific distinctness of the Whip-poor-will -and Nighthawk, following an address to Connecticut -agriculturists some years ago, led to my receipt, -in July, 1900, of an invitation from a gentleman who was -present, to come and see a bird then nesting on his farm -that he believed combined the characters of both the -Whip-poor-will and Nighthawk; in short, was the bird to -which both these names applied.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i437.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0043' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>NIGHTHAWKS</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='371' id='Page_371'></span> -Here was an opportunity to secure a much-desired -photograph, and armed with the needed apparatus, as -well as specimens of both the Nighthawk and Whip-poor-will, -I boarded an early train for Stevenson, Connecticut, -prepared to gain my point with bird as well as with man.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The latter accepted the specimens as incontrovertible -facts, and readjusted his views as to the status of the birds -they represented, and we may therefore at once turn our -attention to the Nighthawk, who was waiting so patiently -on a bit of granite out in the hayfields. The sun was -setting when we reached the flat rock on which her eggs -had been laid and young hatched, and where she had last -been seen; but a fragment of egg-shell was the only evidence -that the bare-looking spot had once been a bird’s -home. The grass had lately been mowed, and there was -no immediately surrounding cover in which the bird -might have hidden. It is eloquent testimony of the value -of her protective colouring, therefore, that we should almost -have stepped on the bird, who had moved to a near-by -flat rock as we approached the place in which we had -expected to find her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Far more convincing, however, was her faith in her own -invisibility. Even the presence of a dog did not tempt her -to flight, and when the camera was erected on its tripod -within three feet of her body, squatting so closely to its -rocky background, her only movement was occasioned by -her rapid breathing.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There was other cause, however, besides the belief in her -own inconspicuousness to hold her to the rock: one little -downy chick nestled at her side, and with instinctive -obedience was as motionless as its parent.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='372' id='Page_372'></span> -So they sat while picture after picture was made from -various points of view, and still no movement, until the -parent was lightly touched, when, starting quickly, she -spread her long wings and sailed out over the fields. -Perhaps she was startled, and deserted her young on the -impulse of sudden fear. But in a few seconds she recovered -herself, and circling, returned and spread herself -out on the grass at my feet. Then followed the evolutions -common to so many birds but wonderful in all. With -surprising skill in mimicry, the bird fluttered painfully -along, ever just beyond my reach, until it had led me a -hundred feet or more from its young, and then, the feat -evidently successful, it sailed away again, to perch first -on a fence and later on a limb in characteristic (length-wise) -Nighthawk attitude.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>How are we to account for the development in so many -birds of what is now a common habit? Ducks, Snipe, -Grouse, Doves, some ground-nesting Sparrows and Warblers, -and many other species also feign lameness, with -the object of drawing a supposed enemy from the vicinity -of their nest or young. Are we to believe that each individual -who in this most reasonable manner opposes strategy -to force, does so intelligently? Or are we to believe that -the habit has been acquired through the agency of natural -selection, and is now purely instinctive? Probably -neither question can be answered until we know beyond -question whether this mimetic or deceptive power is -inherited.—<span class='sc'>Frank M. Chapman</span>, in <span class='it'>Bird-Lore</span>.</p> - -<hr class='tbk127'/> - -<p class='pindent'>“<a id='swift4'></a>Now comes the <span class='it'>Chimney Swift</span>, universally called the -Chimney Swallow; with small, compact body, only a little -<span class='pageno' title='373' id='Page_373'></span> -larger than a Bank Swallow, and long, strong wings, it -dominates the air in which it lives and feeds, and so -little does it use its feet that it does not perch -on them, but brackets itself against post, wall, -or chimney, Woodpecker fashion, the sharp, pointed quills -of its short tail acting as a brace.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In colour the Chimney Swift is sooty gray, and as it -darts about the sky it looks like a winged spruce cone, the -wings being held further forward in flight than those of -the average bird.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Like their cousins the Nighthawks, they feed chiefly -in early morning and late afternoon, though in the nesting -season this work continues all day. In the old wild days, -like many another bird, this Swift built its basket nest of -twigs and bird glue on the inside wall of hollow trees, -but when man came, hollow trees went, and so, with the -happy adaptability of Heart of Nature himself, the bird -moved to the hollow chimneys of man’s own invention, -and so, unwittingly, descended from his sky parlour and -became the one real fireside bird that we have. And -for this companionship he is willing to brave the risk of -being smoked out and having sparks scorch his nest.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now that wide-mouthed stone chimneys are also disappearing, -what remains for this Swift? We do not -know, unless he changes his home to the open air and -builds his bracket nests on outside walls.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Swift folds his wings and dives down the chimney -to his nest silently as a bird cleaves the water, but when he -rises, a roar of rapidly whirring wings marks the ascent, -so that sometimes it annoys the people in whose rooms -the chimney opens. Last summer, in the old orchard-house -<span class='pageno' title='374' id='Page_374'></span> -where Miss Wilde lives, we used to sit before the -wide fireplace and listen to the Swifts twittering and -whirling in and out of the chimney, and by looking up on -a bright day their nests could be seen plainly. Once in -a while an accident would happen, and Goldilocks will -show you a beautiful bracket nest and five white eggs that -became loosened after a storm and fell out on to the -hearth.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But now that there is a fire all the time and a coal -stove at Swallow Chimney, won’t the birds choke if they -live there?” asked Sarah Barnes. “Grandma says they -can stand wood smoke, but that coal-gas ‘spixiates’ ’em; -’cause we’ve never had any at our house since we’ve been -burning coal.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I believe that your grandmother is right,” said Gray -Lady, “and for this reason I have planned to have a new -outside chimney for the cooking stove, so that the real -‘Swallow Chimney’ may be only used for the wood -hearth fires, and so continue to be their home for as long -as I live or the birds wish to rent it.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i442.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0044' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='credit'>R. H. Beebe, Photo.</p> <p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>CHIMNEY SWIFT RESTING</span></p> -</div> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>TO A CHIMNEY SWIFT</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Uncumbered neighbour of our race!</p> -<p class='line0'>    Thou only of thy clan</p> -<p class='line0'>Hast made thy haunt and dwelling-place</p> -<p class='line0'>    Within the walls of man.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Thy haughty wing, which rides the storm,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Hath stooped to Earth’s desires,</p> -<p class='line0'>And round thy eery rises warm</p> -<p class='line0'>    The smoke of human fires.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Still didst thou come from lands afar</p> -<p class='line0'>    In childhood days as now,—</p> -<p class='line0'>Yet alien as the planets are,</p> -<p class='line0'>    And elfin-strange art thou.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Thy little realm of quick delights,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Fierce instincts, untaught powers—</p> -<p class='line0'>What unimagined days and nights</p> -<p class='line0'>    Cut off that realm from ours!</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Thy soul is of the dawn of Earth,</p> -<p class='line0'>    And thine the secrets be</p> -<p class='line0'>Of sentient being’s far-off birth</p> -<p class='line0'>    And round-eyed infancy.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>With thee, beneath our sheltering roof,</p> -<p class='line0'>    The starry Sphinx doth dwell,</p> -<p class='line0'>Untamed, eternally aloof</p> -<p class='line0'>    And inaccessible!</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Dora Read Goodale</span>.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><span class='pageno' title='375' id='Page_375'></span><a id='hum2'></a>THE RUBY-THROATED HUMMING-BIRD</h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“The last and least of the four-winged mysteries is -also the smallest of our birds, lacking a quarter of being -four inches long. But it does not need size to proclaim -its beauty any more than a glowing ruby or emerald; -and indeed it wears both of these gems, the one on its -throat and the other on its back. Its world is the garden -where everything is brightest, its food nectar, and such -little aphis as gather in it, and its home lashed by cobwebs -to a slender branch, a fairy nest of plant, wool, and lichens, -soft as feather down, wherein lie two eggs, white and -opaque and glistening like some fresh-water pearls.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='376' id='Page_376'></span> -“When on the wing it either darts about like a ray of -feathered light, or else, poised before a deep-throated -flower, remains apparently motionless, though its wings -vibrate with the mechanical hum of a fly-wheel of perfect -workmanship.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In spite of the fact that Father Humming-bird takes -himself to parts unknown and leaves his mate to tend both -eggs and birds, the mother is neither put out nor discouraged, -and makes a model parent, who gathers and -swallows the food for her tiny offspring and then, by a -pumping process called regurgitation, brings it up and, taking -no chances of spilling a drop, literally rams it into -the little throat! This bird is to me the greatest mystery -of all. It comes and it goes, but how does it endure the -stress of weather and travel? Many a moth outspans it -in breadth of wings. If the flight of the Wild Goose is -wonderful in its courage, what of the Humming-bird? -Is Puck of Pook’s Hill still alive, and has he feathered -playfellows?</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE HUMMING-BIRD</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Is it a monster bee,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Or is it a midget bird,</p> -<p class='line0'>Or yet an air-born mystery</p> -<p class='line0'>  That now yon marigold has stirred,</p> -<p class='line0'>And now on vocal wing</p> -<p class='line0'>  To a neighbour bloom has whirred</p> -<p class='line0'>In an aëry ecstasy, in a passion of pilfering?</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Ah! ’tis the Humming-bird,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Rich-coated one,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Ruby-throated one,</p> -<p class='line0'>That is not chosen for song,</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>But throws its whole rapt sprite</p> -<p class='line0'>  Into the secrets of flowers</p> -<p class='line0'>The summer days along,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Into most odorous hours</p> -<p class='line0'>It’s a murmurous sound of wings too swift for sight.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Richard Burton.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='377' id='Page_377'></span></p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE WOOD THRUSH</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>He has a coat of cinnamon brown,</p> -<p class='line0'>The brightest on his head and crown,</p> -<p class='line0'>A very low-cut vest of white</p> -<p class='line0'>That shines like satin in the light,</p> -<p class='line0'>And on his breast a hundred spots,</p> -<p class='line0'>As if he wore a veil with dots;</p> -<p class='line0'>With movement quick and full of grace,</p> -<p class='line0'>The highbred manner of his race;</p> -<p class='line0'>A very prince of birds is he</p> -<p class='line0'>Whose form it is a joy to see.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>And <span class='it'>music</span>—was there ever heard</p> -<p class='line0'>A sweeter song from any bird?</p> -<p class='line0'>Now clarion-like, so loud and clear,</p> -<p class='line0'>Now like a whisper low and near,</p> -<p class='line0'>And now, again, with rhythmic swells</p> -<p class='line0'>And tinkling harmony of bells,</p> -<p class='line0'>He seems to play accompaniment</p> -<p class='line0'>Upon some harp-like instrument.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Garrett Newkirk</span>, in <span class='it'>Bird-Lore</span>.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>MOCKERS AND THRUSHES</h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“How many of you know the <a id='wood2'></a><span class='it'>Wood Thrush</span>, or, if you do -not know his name, can recognize him by aid of these -verses?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='378' id='Page_378'></span> -“I know it,” answered little Clary; “I know his colour -and the way his song tinkles, but up at our house we call -him Song Thrush. Why, Gray Lady, he doesn’t -live in the woods; we haven’t any woods. He -stays right around the garden and orchard, and last -summer they made a nest in the crotch of a sugar-maple -so low that I could see into it by standing on the fence. -It looked just like Robin’s nest, and it had some rags -woven into it, and the eggs are like the Robin’s, too.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Mother said that I mustn’t watch too long, or they -might not come back next year, but that if we didn’t -bother them, they might come back, and the children, -too, and bring their wives.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This pair seemed real tame; they used to hop all -round on the grass where the clothes dry, and they drank -out of Roy’s dish. He’s a Collie dog, you know, and they -don’t bother birds at all the way bird-dogs will sometimes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Thrushes did eat some strawberries and currants, -but mother said to credit those to company, for they -pleasured her when she sat sewing on the porch of afternoons -more than all the company she ever had to tea, -for they had to have sugar and cream on their berries, -and left plates and spoons to wash up, and the Thrushes -cleared up after themselves and gave a concert every -night.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You know, Gray Lady, it isn’t nice to have company -and not give them any lunch, so mother says if you have -nice garden birds, why should you expect more of them -than of folks?”</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i447.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0045' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='credit'>E. Van Alterna, Photo.</p> <p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>WOOD THRUSH AND NEST</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>“Why, indeed,” said Gray Lady. “I will go and see -your mother and ask her to come to Birdland. A mother -<span class='pageno' title='379' id='Page_379'></span> -in a community who thinks as she does is better than half -a dozen bird wardens.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I know that bird, too,” said Dave, “but on the hill -where I live he stays in the river woods and only comes -out to the lane edge to get wild cherries and blackcaps -and shadberries. We call it Wood Robin, ’cause it’s -shaped like a Robin and runs on the ground like one, only -it’s different in colour. Do you suppose they are the -same bird? Or are there two that seem alike, like the -Nighthawk and Whip-poor-will?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Wood Thrush, Song Thrush, Wood Robin, are all one; -the shy bird of river woods or the lovely musician of gardens -and home grounds, where they are protected and -dogs reign instead of cats. This place is vocal with them all -through May, June, and well into July. Not only Birdland -and the orchard, but the garden and trees on the lawn.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“One afternoon last June, when Goldilocks lay in her -hammock under the spruces, four were singing where I -could see all at once,—and oh, that song! As the bird -sits in a tree-top with head thrown back and pours it -forth,</p> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='noindent'>‘the song of the Wood Thrush is one of the finest -specimens of bird music that America can produce. -Among all the bird songs I have ever heard, it is second -only in quality to that of the Hermit Thrush. Its tones -are solemn and serene. They seem to harmonize with the -sounds of the forest, the whispering breeze, the purling -water, or the falling of raindrops in the summer woods.’</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:2em;'>—<span class='sc'>E. H. Forbush.</span></p> - -</div> - -<hr class='tbk128'/> - -<p class='pindent'>“This Thrush has a sharp alarm note, ‘Pit! Pit!’ and -a sort of whistle that he seems to use as a signal. Fruit -<span class='pageno' title='380' id='Page_380'></span> -he does eat at times, but he has as long a list of evil -insects to his credit as the Robin himself. Unfortunately, -owing to his size and plumpness, southern vandals shoot -him in the fall and winter. Fancy silencing his heavenly -voice for a pitiful mouthful of meat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There is another Thrush that lives in your river woods, -Dave, smaller than the Wood Thrushes, tawny of back, -and a buffy breast with faint arrow-shaped spots upon it, -the Wilson’s Thrush, or Veery. It has not so long and -varied a song as either the Wood Thrush or the more -northern Hermit Thrush, is really but an echo song, -wonderfully pure and spiritual in quality. One of the -Wise Men gives in syllables this ‘Ta-weel-ah-ta-weel-ah,’ -pronounced in whispering head tones, and then repeated -a third lower, ending with the twang of a stringed instrument.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“At evening and until quite late into the night these -birds echo themselves and each other. It is not a song -to hear amid laughter and talking, but for the heart that -is alone, even if not lonely. To at least one of our poets, -he who best interprets the song-life of birds, it rivals the -famous English Nightingale.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><a id='veery2'></a>“Aside from its musical value, the Veery, feeding as it -does almost altogether on insects, has a practical side as -a neighbour. It also has a most penetrating call-note, a -‘Whew! Whew!’ heard after the song is over, that is at -once resentful, critical, and challenging, as if questioning -your right to be in its woodland retreat in the nesting -time, and condemning your persistence. Many people, -who do not know the bird by sight, know both its echo -song and its note of alarm and challenge.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='381' id='Page_381'></span></p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE INCREDULOUS VEERY</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Two hunters chanced one day to meet</p> -<p class='line0'>  Near by a thicket wood;</p> -<p class='line0'>They paused each other there to greet,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Both in a playful mood.</p> -<p class='line0'>Said one, “I had to wade a stream,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Now, this you must not doubt,</p> -<p class='line0'>And when I reached the other shore</p> -<p class='line0'>  My boots were full of trout.”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'><span class='it'>Whew!</span> cried a Veery perched in view</p> -<p class='line0'>To hear if what they said were true. <span class='it'>Whew!</span></p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>The other’s wit was now well whet.</p> -<p class='line0'>  Said he, “Let me narrate:</p> -<p class='line0'>I bought three hundred traps and set</p> -<p class='line0'>  For fur both small and great;</p> -<p class='line0'>Now, when next morning came, behold,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Each trap contained a skin;</p> -<p class='line0'>And other disappointed game</p> -<p class='line0'>  Stood waiting to get in.”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>The astonished Veery whistled, <span class='it'>Whew!</span></p> -<p class='line0'>I hardly think that story true. <span class='it'>Whew!!!</span></p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Florence A. Van Sant</span>, in <span class='it'>Bird-Lore</span>.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<hr class='tbk129'/> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><a id='thrash2'></a>THE BROWN THRASHER</h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“Also called <span class='it'>Brown Thrush</span>, <span class='it'>Red Mavis</span>, <span class='it'>Planting Bird</span>. -Brown of back, with his white throat and belly speckled -with black arrow marks, a long, curved bill, and long, restless -tail, whose thrashing gives the bird his name, this -bird combines the markings of the Thrush with the general -<span class='pageno' title='382' id='Page_382'></span> -build of a true Mockingbird, while in varied and rich -song it rivals the <a id='cat3'></a>Catbird, its shorter song season, however, -leaving its gray-backed neighbour in the lead.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This spring Brown Thrasher came to the bushy end -of the orchard the last of April, and scratched about in -the leaves like a Grouse. In a few days I saw him in -the back of the garden, where Jacob had a great pile of -pea-brush. This the bird looked at favourably. Birds -know how to get in and out of pea-brush, but cats are -afraid of the sharp twigs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“For a couple of weeks or more I heard him singing -every day in the tree-tops, and I wondered where he would -locate.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Jacob, one morning, told me that he wished to use the -pea-brush, but that a ‘pair of great brown birds that beat -their tails and “sassed” him when he came near’ had built -a nest of twigs in the back of the heap. ‘My friends, the -Thrashers,’ said I, ‘will need that brush for a couple of -months. Have you no more in the lot?’ Jacob had -plenty with only the trouble of carting.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now hardy vines have grown over the brush and -tangled into what Goldilocks calls a lovely ‘Thrashery’ -that will last for several years.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I know them,” said Jack Todd; “they are mockers -and jeerers for certain; when Dad and I plant the big -south field with corn every spring, they come in the berry-bushes -by the fence and tell us how to do it, and that if -we’re smart and take their advice, we won’t cut the fence -brush until they are done with nesting.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But can’t they pick cherries to beat the band? Last -summer I was up in the ox-heart tree and they came in -<span class='pageno' title='383' id='Page_383'></span> -the top and picked ’em off, just as they grew in pairs, and -flew away with them as pleased and satisfied as if they -were picking them for market and were a week ahead of -the season. Dad was awfully down on them once, but -one morning about two years ago he got up at daylight -to try and get the cutworms that were spoiling his early -cauliflowers, and there were Thrashers and Catbirds doing -the work for him, watching out for the worms to move -ground just as clever as a man could.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As<a id='cat4'></a> for the <span class='it'>Catbird</span> or <span class='it'>New England Mockingbird</span>, trim -of shape, and shrewd of eye, what should we do without -him? He is a graphophone in feathers, that -gives us selections from all the popular bird songs of -the day, with this addition—there is no mechanical -twang to mar the melody, and when the repertoire is -ended he improvises by the hour.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Ah, the merry, mischievous Mocker, all dressed in a -parson’s suit of gray, with a solemn black cap on his head -that is as full of tricks as his throat is of music.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You say, ‘Yes, I know that he is a jolly musician, but -my father says that he bites the best strawberries and -cherries, and always on the ripest cheek!’</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well, so he does <span class='it'>sometimes</span>; but his ancestors lived -on that spot where your garden stands before yours did, -and you have more ways of earning a living than he has. -Give him something else to eat. Plant a little wild fruit -along your fences.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Some people think that he likes to live in seclusion, -but he doesn’t; he likes to be near people and perch on a -clothes-pole to plume and sing. Yes, indeed, and he -shall nest in the syringa nearest my garden, where he gets -<span class='pageno' title='384' id='Page_384'></span> -his fresh fruit for breakfast, and be the only thing with -anything catlike about it on my premises!”</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE CATBIRD</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>He sits on a branch of yon blossoming bush,</p> -<p class='line0'>This madcap cousin of Robin and Thrush,</p> -<p class='line0'>And sings without ceasing the whole morning long</p> -<p class='line0'>Now wild, now tender, the wayward song</p> -<p class='line0'>That flows from his soft, gray, fluttering throat.</p> -<p class='line0'>But often he stops in his sweetest note,</p> -<p class='line0'>And, shaking a flower from the blossoming bough,</p> -<p class='line0'>Drawls out, “Mi-ew, mi-ou!”</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i454.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0046' style='width:100%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='credit'>Dr. T. S. Roberts, Photo.</p> <p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>CATBIRD ON NEST</span></p> -</div> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='385' id='Page_385'></span><h1>XXV<br/> <span class='sub-head'>BIRD AND ARBOUR DAY AT FOXES CORNERS</span></h1></div> - -<p class='pindent'>It was the first Friday of May, the day that was set -apart for Arbour and Bird Day in the schools. Gray Lady -and Miss Wilde had thought of having the celebration in -Birdland, but for a good reason decided to hold it in the -schoolhouse.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The reason was this: One day after the schoolhouse -had been put in order,—for Gray Lady had persuaded -the town fathers to have the walls painted, and had then -given a band of soft green burlap that covered the wall -just above the chair board, and made a fine background -against which pictures might be pinned and then changed -at will,—little Clary said with a sigh, “I wish we could -have a bird party here in school some day, so’s mother -could <span class='it'>see</span> how we learn about the birds; it would be much -realer than my telling her about it.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So a very simple programme was arranged for the forenoon, -and the parents invited. It is a great mistake to -hold celebrations that are too long when it is spring, and -the weather is so bright and the bird music so fine that -people can learn much more by being out-of-doors than in -poring over books.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The first part of the programme was under the charge -of Jacob Hughes and the older boys. It consisted in the -planting of some strong young sugar-maples to complete -the row between the schoolhouse and the highway that -<span class='pageno' title='386' id='Page_386'></span> -had been begun last autumn. The holes had been dug -the day previous, and Mr. Todd brought the trees from -his grove in the hay-cart, with plenty of earth about their -roots, and after they were set straight and true, the boys -filled in the holes and tramped the earth down firmly. -After this the little boys brought water, four pails being -considered a sufficient drink for each tree.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Next, a dozen shrubs were planted in the eastern corner -of the bit of ground where it rolled up toward the brush-lot -and the earth was deep and good. They were varieties -that would flower in May and June, before the closing of -school. Syringa, Weigela, Yellow Forsythia, Purple and -White Lilac, Snowballs, Spireas, Scarlet Flowering Quince, -Strawberry Shrub, and Deutzia. Between this shrubbery -a little strip along the north fence had been made into a -long bed of about thirty feet, and the girls had been asked -to collect enough hardy plants from about the farm gardens -to fill it; for there is little use in planting bedding or -annual flowers in school yards, for these are later in starting -and are killed by early frost.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The girls had been very successful in their task, and a -goodly assortment of old-fashioned, hardy plants, that -many a gardener would envy, was the result: Iris of -several shades, Peonies, Sweet Williams, Larkspur, Foxgloves, -Honesty, May Pinks, Lemon Lilies, Johnny-jumpers, -and several good roots of Cinnamon and Damask -Roses were among the collection, while Sarah Barnes’ -grandmother sent a basket of the roots of hardy button -Chrysanthemums—pink, white, crimson, yellow, and -tawny—that she said would hold out from October to -Thanksgiving if they had “bushes between them and the -<span class='pageno' title='387' id='Page_387'></span> -north.” It was quite eleven o’clock when, the planting -over and the benches that the boys had made during -the winter set in place, the children, whose hands were -washed under very difficult conditions, gathered in the -school.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But those parents who cared to come had meanwhile had -a chance to go into the little building, see the pictures, -charts, and books on the shelf behind the desk, and chat -with Miss Wilde in a friendly, informal way that was -helpful to all concerned.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Goldilocks had been there all the morning, but when -Gray Lady arrived she brought with her a friend of “the -General’s,” who was also a <span class='it'>Wise Man</span> in one of the chief -agricultural colleges of the country, who had promised -to talk to the children. Gray Lady herself was to read -them some bird poetry, and Miss Wilde a little story of -her own invention, while as a finale the children themselves -were to recite some verses where ten familiar birds -were represented each by a child who wore a cap and -shoulder cape, cleverly made of crêpe paper, that would -give a clew, at least, to the bird he or she represented.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>These costumes had been made at the last Saturday -meeting of the Kind Hearts’ Club, in the playroom at -“the General’s,” and had caused no little fun, the idea of -them having come from the caps in the mottoes at that -orchard party, in September, eight months before, when -the children first entered Birdland.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This is the poem that Gray Lady read. She had a voice -that sang even in speaking, and as Goldilocks often said, -“When mother reads bird poetry you don’t hear the words, -but the birds themselves.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='388' id='Page_388'></span></p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>BIRDS IN SPRING</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>What time the rose of dawn is laid across the lips of night,</p> -<p class='line0'>And all the drowsy little stars have fallen asleep in light,</p> -<p class='line0'>’Tis then a wandering wind awakes, and runs from tree to tree,</p> -<p class='line0'>And borrows words from all the birds to sound the reveille.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>        This is the carol the Robin throws</p> -<p class='line0'>            Over the edge of the valley;</p> -<p class='line0'>        Listen how boldly it flows,</p> -<p class='line0'>            Sally on sally:</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>                <span class='it'>Tirra-lirra, down the river,</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                <span class='it'>Laughing water all a-quiver.</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                <span class='it'>Day is near, clear, clear.</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>Fish are breaking,</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>Time for waking.</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>Tup, tup, tup!</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                <span class='it'>Do you hear? All clear.</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>Wake up!</span></p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>The phantom flood of dreams has ebbed and vanished with the dark,</p> -<p class='line0'>And like a dove the heart forsakes the prison of the ark;</p> -<p class='line0'>Now forth she fares through friendly woods and diamond-fields of dew,</p> -<p class='line0'>While every voice cries out “Rejoice!” as if the world were new.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>        This is the ballad the Bluebird sings,</p> -<p class='line0'>            Unto his mate replying,</p> -<p class='line0'>        Shaking the tune from his wings</p> -<p class='line0'>            While he is flying:</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>                <span class='it'>Surely, surely, surely,</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>Life is dear</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>Even here.</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>Blue above,</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>You to love,</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                <span class='it'>Purely, purely, purely.</span></p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>There’s wild azalea on the hill, and roses down the dell,</p> -<p class='line0'><span class='pageno' title='389' id='Page_389'></span></p> -<p class='line0'>And just a spray of lilac still a-bloom beside the well;</p> -<p class='line0'>The columbine adorns the rocks, the laurel buds grow pink,</p> -<p class='line0'>Along the stream white arums gleam, and violets bend to drink.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>        This is the song of the Yellowthroat,</p> -<p class='line0'>            Fluttering gayly beside you;</p> -<p class='line0'>        Hear how each voluble note</p> -<p class='line0'>            Offers to guide you:</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>Which way, sir?</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>I say, sir,</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>Let me teach you,</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>I beseech you!</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>Are you wishing</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>Jolly fishing?</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>This way, sir!</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>Let me teach you.</span></p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Oh come, forget your foes and fears, and leave your cares behind,</p> -<p class='line0'>And wander forth to try your luck, with cheerful, quiet mind;</p> -<p class='line0'>For be your fortune great or small, you’ll take what God may give,</p> -<p class='line0'>And all the day your heart will say, “ ’Tis luck enough to live.”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>        This is the song the Brown Thrush flings</p> -<p class='line0'>            Out of his thicket of roses;</p> -<p class='line0'>        Hark how it warbles and rings,</p> -<p class='line0'>            Mark how it closes:</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>Luck, luck,</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>What luck?</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>Good enough for me!</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>I’m alive, you see.</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>Sun shining, no repining;</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>Never borrow idle sorrow;</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>Drop it! Cover it up!</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>Hold your cup!</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>Joy will fill it,</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>Don’t spill it!</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>Steady, be ready,</span></p> -<p class='line0'>                    <span class='it'>Love your luck!</span></p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Henry van Dyke</span>, in <span class='it'>Bird-Lore</span>.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='390' id='Page_390'></span> -“I do declare!” exclaimed Tommy Todd’s grandfather, -speaking out loud, much to the boy’s embarrassment. -“I reckon I’ll get out a pole and go a-trout-fishing to-morrow -dawn. I haven’t thought of a yallerthroat, not since -I used to go casting in the brook that ran through Ogden’s -meadows among the bush willows, and them birds kept -hollerin’ on ahead.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>This is what the Wise Man told the children, standing -in front of Miss Wilde’s desk and speaking as if he knew -them all by name.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE BIRDS AND I</h2> - -<p class='pindent'>The springtime belongs to the birds and me. We own -it. We know when the May-flowers and the buttercups -bloom. We know when the first frogs peep. We watch -the awakening of the woods. We are wet by the warm -April showers. We go where we will, and we are companions. -Every tree and brook and blade of grass is ours; -and our hearts are full of song.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There are boys who kill the birds, and girls who want to -catch them and put them in cages; and there are others -who steal their eggs. The birds are not partners with -them; they are only servants. Birds, like people, sing -for their friends, not for their masters. I am sure that -one cannot think much of the springtime and the flowers -if his heart is always set upon killing or catching something. -<span class='pageno' title='391' id='Page_391'></span> -We are happy when we are free; and so are the -birds.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The birds and I get acquainted all over again every -spring. They have seen strange lands in the winter, and -all the brooks and woods have been covered with snow. -So we run and romp together, and find all the nooks and -crannies which we had half forgotten since October. The -birds remember the old places. The Wrens pull the sticks -from the old hollow rail and seem to be wild with joy to -see the place again. They must be the same Wrens that -were here last year and the year before, for strangers -could not make so much fuss over an old rail. The Bluebirds -and Wrens look into every crack and corner for a -place in which to build, and the Robins and Chipping-sparrows -explore every tree in the old orchard.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>If the birds want to live with us, we should encourage -them. The first thing to do is to let them alone. Let -them be as free from danger and fear as you or I. Take -the hammer off the old gun, give pussy so much to eat -that she will not care to hunt for birds, and keep away the -boys who steal eggs and who carry sling-shots and throw -stones. Plant trees and bushes about the borders of the -place, and let some of them, at least, grow into tangles; -then, even in the back yard, the wary Catbird may make -its home.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For some kinds of birds we can build houses. You -have been doing this all through the winter, I hear. -Some of the many forms which can be used are shown in -the pictures, but any ingenious boy can suggest a dozen -other patterns. Although birds may not appreciate -architecture, it is well to make the houses neat and tasty -<span class='pageno' title='392' id='Page_392'></span> -by taking pains to have the proportions right. The floor -space in each compartment should be not less than five -by six inches, and six by six or six by eight may be better. -By cutting the boards in multiples of these numbers, one -can easily make a house with several compartments; for -there are some birds, as Martins, Tree Swallows, and -Pigeons that like to live in families or colonies. The size of -the doorway is important. It should be just large enough -to admit the bird. A larger opening not only looks bad, -but it exposes the inhabitants to dangers of cats and other -enemies. Birds which build in houses, aside from Doves -and Pigeons, are Bluebirds, Wrens, Tree Swallows, Martins, -and sometimes the Chickadee. For the Wren and Chickadee -the opening should be an inch-and-a-half augur-hole, -and for the others it should be two inches. Only one -opening should be provided for each house or compartment. -A perch or doorstep should be provided just below -each door. It is here that the birds often stop to arrange -their toilets; and when the mistress is busy with domestic -affairs indoors, the male bird often sits outside and entertains -her with the latest neighbourhood gossip. These -houses should be placed on poles or on buildings in somewhat -secluded places. Martins and Tree Swallows like to -build their nests twenty-five feet or more above the -ground, but the other birds usually prefer an elevation less -than twelve feet. Newly made houses, and particularly -newly painted ones, do not often attract the birds.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>But if the birds and I are companions, I must know them -more intimately. Merely building houses for them is not -enough. I want to know live and happy birds, not dead -ones. We are not to know them, then, by catching them, -<span class='pageno' title='393' id='Page_393'></span> -nor stuffing them, nor collecting their eggs. Persons who -make a business of studying birds may shoot birds now -and then, and collect their eggs. But these persons are -scientists and they are grown-up people. They are trying -to add to the sum of human knowledge, but we want to -know birds just because we want to. But even scientists -do not take specimens recklessly. They do not rob -nests. They do not kill brooding birds. They do not -make collections merely for the sake of making them; -and even their collections are less valuable than a knowledge -of the bird as it lives and flies and sings.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Boys and girls should not make collections of eggs, for -these collections are mere curiosities, as collections of -spools and marbles are. They may afford some entertainment, -to be sure, but one can find amusement in -harmless ways. Some people think that making collections -makes one a naturalist, but it does not. The -naturalist cares more for things as they really are in their -own homes than for museum specimens. One does not -love the birds when he steals their eggs and breaks up -their homes; and he is depriving the farmer of one of his -best friends, for birds keep insects in check!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Stuffed birds do not sing and empty eggs do not hatch. -Then let us go to the fields and watch the birds. Sit down -on the soft grass and try to make out what the Robin is -doing on yonder fence or why the Wren is bursting with -song in the thicket. An opera-glass or spy-glass will -bring them close to you. Try to find out not only what -the colours and shapes and sizes are, but what their habits -are. What does the bird eat? How much does it eat? -Where is its nest? How many eggs does it lay? What -<span class='pageno' title='394' id='Page_394'></span> -colour are they? How long does the mother bird sit? -Does the father bird care for her when she is sitting? -For how long do the young birds remain in the nest? -Who feeds them? What are they fed? Is there more -than one brood in the season? Where do the birds go -after breeding? Do they change their plumage? Are -the mother birds and father birds unlike in size or colour? -How many kinds of birds do you know?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>These are some of the things which every boy or girl -wants to know; and we can find out by watching the -birds! There is no harm in visiting the nests, if one does -it in the right way. I have visited hundreds of them -and have kept many records of the number of eggs and -the dates when they were laid, how long before they -hatched, and when the birds flew away; and the birds -took no offence at my inquisitiveness. These are some -of the cautions to be observed: Watch only those nests -which can be seen without climbing, for if you have to -climb the tree, the birds will resent it. Make the visit -when the birds are absent if possible; at least, never -scare the bird from the nest. Do not touch the eggs or -the nest. Make your visit very short. Make up your -mind just what you want to see, then look in quickly -and pass on. Do not go too often, once or twice a day -will be sufficient. Do not take the other children with -you, for you are then apt to stay too long and to offend -the birds.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Now let us see how intimately you can become acquainted -with some bird this summer.</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:3em;'>—<span class='sc'>L. H. Bailey.</span></p> - -<hr class='tbk130'/> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='395' id='Page_395'></span> -This is the little story that Miss Wilde read them, and -they were very anxious as to what schoolhouse and -children she really meant, but she said that was a secret.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE BIRDS AND THE TREES</h2> - -<p class='pindent'>It was May Day. Half a dozen birds had collected in -an old apple tree, which stood in a pasture close by the -road that passed the schoolhouse; some of them had not -met for many months, consequently a wave of conversation -rippled through the branches.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You were in a great hurry, the last time I saw you,” -said the little black-and-white Downy Woodpecker to -the Brown Thrasher, who was pluming his long tail, exclaiming -now and then because the feathers would not -lie straight.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Indeed! When? I do not remember. What was I -doing?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It was the last of October; a cold storm was blowing -up, and you were starting on your southern trip in such -a haste that you did not hear me call ‘good-by’ from -this same tree, where I was picking insect eggs that -expected to hide safely in the bark all winter, only to -hatch into all kinds of mischief in the spring. But I was -too quick for them; my keen eyes spied them and my beak -chiselled them out. Winter and summer I’m always at -work, yet some house-people do not understand that I work -for my living. They seem to think that a bird who does -not sing is good for nothing but a target for them to -shoot at.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“That is true,” said the dust-coloured Phœbe, dashing -<span class='pageno' title='396' id='Page_396'></span> -out to swallow a May beetle, which stuck in her throat, -causing her to choke and cough. “I can only call, yet I -worked with the best for the farmer where I lodged last -year. I made a nest on his cowshed rafters and laid two -sets of lovely white eggs, but his boys stole them and that -was all my thanks for a season’s toil.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Singing birds do not fare much better,” said the -Thrasher. “I may say frankly that I have a fine voice -and I can sing as many tunes as any wild bird, but children -rob my nest, when they can find it, and house-people -drive me from their gardens, thinking I’m stealing berries.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“They treat me even worse,” said the Robin, bolting -a cutworm he had brought from a piece of ploughed land. -“In spring, when I lead the Bird Chorus night and morning, -they rob my nest. In summer they drive me from -the gardens, where I work peacefully, and in autumn, -when I linger through the gloomy days, long after your -travelling brothers have disappeared, they shoot me for -pot-pie!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It is a shame!” blustered Jennie Wren. “Not that -I suffer much myself, for I’m not good to eat, and I’m a -most ticklish mark to shoot at. Though I lose some eggs, -I usually give a piece of my mind to any one who disturbs -me, and immediately go and lay another nest full. -Yet I say it is a shame, the way we poor birds are treated, -more like tramps than citizens, though we are citizens, -every one of us who pays rent and works for the family.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Hear, hear!” croaked the Cuckoo, with the yellow -bill. He is always hoarse, probably because he eats so -many caterpillars that his throat is rough with their hairs. -<span class='pageno' title='397' id='Page_397'></span> -“Something ought to be done, but can Jennie Wren tell -us what it shall be?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I’ve noticed that most of the boys and girls who rob -our nests and whose parents drive us from their gardens -go every day to that square house down the road yonder,” -said Mrs. Wren. “Now if some bird with a fine voice -that would <span class='it'>make</span> them listen could only fly in the window -and sing a song, telling them how useful even the songless -bird brothers are, they might treat us better and tell their -parents about us when they go home.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Well spoken,” said the Robin; “but who would venture -into that house with all those boys? There is one -boy in there who, last year, killed my mate with a stone -in a bean-shooter, and also shot my cousin, a Bluebird. -Then the boy’s sister cut off the wings of these dead -brothers and wore them in her hat. I think it would be -dangerous to go in that schoolhouse.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The windows are open,” said the Song Sparrow, who -had listened in silence. “I hear the children singing, so -they must be happy. I will go down and speak to them, -for though I have no grand voice, they all know me and -perhaps they will understand my homely wayside song.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>So the Sparrow flew down the road, but as he paused -in the lilac hedge before going in the window, he heard -that the voices were singing about birds, telling of their -music, beauty, and good deeds. While he hesitated in -great wonder at the sounds, the children trooped out, the -girls carrying pots of geraniums which they began to -plant in some beds by the walk. Then two boys brought -a fine young maple tree to set in the place of an old tree -that had died. A woman with a bright, pleasant face -<span class='pageno' title='398' id='Page_398'></span> -came to the door to watch the children at their planting, -saying to the boys, “This is Arbour Day, the day of planting -trees, but pray remember that it is Bird Day also. -You may dig a deep hole for your tree and water it well; -but if you wish it to grow and flourish, beg the birds to -help you. The old tree died because insects gnawed it, -for you were rough and cruel, driving all the birds away -from hereabouts and robbing their nests.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Please, ma’am,” said a little girl, “our orchard was full -of spinning caterpillars last season and we had no apples. -Then father read in a book the government sent him -that Cuckoos would eat the caterpillars all up, so he let -the Cuckoos stay, and this year the trees are nice and -clean and all set full of buds!”</p> - -<hr class='tbk131'/> - -<p class='pindent'>The Song Sparrow did not wait to hear any more, but -flew back to his companions with the news.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I shall put my nest under the lilac hedge to show the -children that I trust them,” said he, after the birds had -recovered from their surprise.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will lodge in the bushes near the old apple tree,” said -the Cuckoo; “it needs me sadly.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will build over the schoolhouse door,” said the -Phoebe; “there is a peafield near by that will need me -to keep the weevils away.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I think I will take the nice little nook under the -gable,” said Jennie Wren, “though I need not build for -two weeks yet, and I have not even chosen my mate.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I shall go to the sill of that upper window where the -blind is half closed,” said the Robin. “They have planted -<span class='pageno' title='399' id='Page_399'></span> -early cauliflowers in the great field and I must help the -farmer catch the cutworms.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I will stay by also,” said the Woodpecker. “I know -of a charming hole in an old telegraph pole and I can see -to the bark of all the trees that shade the schoolhouse.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Just then a gust of wind blew through the branches, -reminding the birds that they must go to work, and May -passed by whispering with Heart of Nature, her companion, -about the work that must be done before June -should come,—June, with her gown all embroidered with -roses and a circle of young birds fluttering about her -head for a hat.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Dear Master,” May said, “why am I always hurried -and always working? I do more than all other months. -July basks in the sun and August sits with her hands -folded while the people gather in her crops. Each year -March quarrels with Winter and does no work; then April -cries her eyes out over her task, leaving it dim and colourless. -Even the willow wears only pale yellow wands -until I touch them. The leaf buds only half unfold, and -the birds hold aloof from the undraped trees; see, nothing -thrives without me.” And May shook the branches -of a cherry tree and it was powdered with white blossoms.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Nothing grows by or for itself,” said Heart of Nature, -tenderly. “The tree is for bird and the bird for the tree, -while both working together are for the house-people if -they will only understand me and use them wisely. -Never complain of work, sweet daughter May. Be thankful -that you have the quickening touch, for to work in -my garden is to be happy.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then the Song Sparrow caught up the words and wove -<span class='pageno' title='400' id='Page_400'></span> -them in his song and carolled it in May’s ear as she swept -up the hillside to set the red-bells chiming for a holiday.</p> - -<hr class='tbk132'/> - -<p class='pindent'>These are the verses that the children recited. Goldilocks -asked the question in the first line of each verse, and -the child who represented the bird answered. Little -Clary was the first,—the Chippy,—and as she said the -words she raised her arms and flapped them like wings; -the parents all applauded with delight.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE BIRDS AND THE HOURS</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>               4 <span style='font-size:smaller'>A.M.</span></p> -<p class='line0'>Who is the bird of the early dawn?</p> -<p class='line0'>    The brown-capped Chippy, who from the lawn</p> -<p class='line0'>Raises his wings and with rapture thrills,</p> -<p class='line0'>    While his simple ditty he softly trills.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>               5 <span style='font-size:smaller'>A.M.</span></p> -<p class='line0'>Who is the bird of the risen sun?</p> -<p class='line0'>    The Robin’s chorus is well-nigh done</p> -<p class='line0'>When Bobolink swings from the clover high,</p> -<p class='line0'>    And scatters his love-notes across the sky.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>               9 <span style='font-size:smaller'>A.M.</span></p> -<p class='line0'>Who is the bird of the calm forenoon?</p> -<p class='line0'>    The Catbird gay with his jeering tune,</p> -<p class='line0'>Who scolds and mimics and waves his wings</p> -<p class='line0'>    And jerks his tail as he wildly sings.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>               Noon</p> -<p class='line0'>Who is the bird of the middle day?</p> -<p class='line0'>    The green-winged, red-eyed Vireo gay,</p> -<p class='line0'>Who talks and preaches, yet keeps an eye</p> -<p class='line0'>    On every stranger who passes by.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>               5 <span style='font-size:smaller'>P.M.</span></p> -<p class='line0'><span class='pageno' title='401' id='Page_401'></span></p> -<p class='line0'>Who is the bird of the afternoon?</p> -<p class='line0'>    The Wood Thrush shy, with his silvery tune</p> -<p class='line0'>Of flute and zither and flageolet;</p> -<p class='line0'>    His rippling song you will never forget.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>               7 <span style='font-size:smaller'>P.M.</span></p> -<p class='line0'>Who is the bird of the coming night?</p> -<p class='line0'>    The tawny Veery, who out of sight</p> -<p class='line0'>In cool dim green o’er the waterway</p> -<p class='line0'>    The lullaby echoes of sleeping day.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>               9 <span style='font-size:smaller'>P.M.</span></p> -<p class='line0'>Who is the bird that when all is still</p> -<p class='line0'>    Like a banshee calls? The Whip-poor-will;</p> -<p class='line0'>Who greets the Nighthawk in upper air</p> -<p class='line0'>    Where they take their supper of insect fare.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>              Midnight</p> -<p class='line0'>Who are the birds that at midnight’s stroke</p> -<p class='line0'>    Play hide-and-seek in the half-dead oak?</p> -<p class='line0'>And laugh and scream ’till the watch-dog howls?</p> -<p class='line0'>    The wise-looking, mouse-hunting young Screech Owls.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>            All in chorus</p> -<p class='line0'>    Good Night! Good Day!</p> -<p class='line0'>Be kind to the birds and help repay</p> -<p class='line0'>The songs they sing you the livelong day,</p> -<p class='line0'>The bugs they gobble and put to flight—</p> -<p class='line0'>Without birds, orchards would perish quite!</p> -<p class='line0'>    Good Day! Good Night!</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—M. O. W.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='402' id='Page_402'></span> -Tommy and Dave, who represented the Screech Owls, -followed up the last “good night” by a very realistic -imitation of the mewing call-note and the cry of the little -Screech Owl, that not only brought down the house, but -caused the guests to go home in a state of laughing good -humour.</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='403' id='Page_403'></span><h1>XXVI<br/> <span class='sub-head'>SOME BIRDS THAT COME IN MAY</span></h1></div> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-bottom:1.2em;'><span class='it'>In Apple-blossom Time look for Orioles and All the Brightly Coloured Birds.</span></p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In May you must get up early and keep both eyes and -ears wide open if you would name this month’s share of -the birds. All that have not come must do so now or -never, though sick and crippled birds may straggle along -at any time.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“These are the birds you may expect during the month. -Some you already know from both pictures and stories, -and these will seem like old friends:—</p> - -<div class='lgl' style=''> <!-- rend=';' --> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'>Yellow-billed Cuckoo<a id='cuck1'></a></p> -<p class='line'>Nighthawk<a id='nhawk4'></a></p> -<p class='line'>Humming-bird<a id='hum3'></a></p> -<p class='line'>Kingbird<a id='kbird'></a></p> -<p class='line'>Baltimore Oriole<a id='orio1'></a></p> -<p class='line'>Bobolink<a id='bobo5'></a></p> -<p class='line'>Indigo-bird<a id='indigo2'></a></p> -<p class='line'>Scarlet Tanager<a id='tan2'></a></p> -<p class='line'>Red-eyed Vireo<a id='vireored1'></a></p> -<p class='line'>Yellow Warbler<a id='yellow'></a></p> -<p class='line'>Maryland Yellowthroat<a id='throat1'></a></p> -<p class='line'>Yellow-breasted Chat<a id='chat1'></a></p> -<p class='line'>Redstart<a id='reds2'></a></p> -<p class='line'>Veery<a id='veery3'></a></p> -<p class='line'>Rose-breasted Grosbeak<a id='gros1'></a></p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'>“Some cloudy morning early in the month, you will -hear a new call. At first it may suggest the coo-oo-oo of -the Mourning Dove, then the drumming of the Flicker, -but after waiting for a moment you realize that it is -<span class='pageno' title='404' id='Page_404'></span> -neither. <a id='cuck2'></a>The first sound is like that made by clicking -the tongue rapidly against the roof of the mouth; the -second sounds like cow-cow-cow-cow-cow repeated in -quick succession. By this you will know that the <span class='it'>Yellow-billed -Cuckoo</span> has come.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You will be disappointed when first you see the bird -itself, for it does not in the least resemble the bird of the -English poets, who lives in Cuckoo clocks and -bobs out to tell the hours. Neither is it a lazy -bird who refuses to build a nest and leaves its -eggs to the care of others like the Cowbird.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This Yellow-billed Cuckoo is a slender bird cloaked -in brownish gray, of a soft hue and with a light belly. -The tail-feathers are tipped with white, so that, as you look -at the bird from below, it shows large white spots. This -Cuckoo takes its name because the lower part of its bill -is yellow, but you will scarcely notice this when he is in -the trees, where he spends the greater part of his time in -searching for insects and caterpillars, which are his favourite -food.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i474.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0047' style='width:100%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO</span></p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'>“The nest is a shallow, rather shiftless sort of an affair, -and very often has so little lining that if the vine or bush -in which it is placed tips a little, the pale blue eggs are -in danger of rolling out. What the Cuckoos lack in housekeeping -thrift they make up as destroyers of harmful -insects, and here it has helped to keep the old orchard -alive by tearing apart the nests of the tent-caterpillar -and eating the inhabitants. These mischievous caterpillars -used to be content to live in the wild cherry trees that line -the roads and old pastures. People cut these down in -consequence, so after a time the caterpillar found that -<span class='pageno' title='405' id='Page_405'></span> -apple trees were quite as much to his taste and seized -upon the orchards. Then comes Master Cuckoo, and -wherever the tent worms are, there we find him also. So -many has he been known to devour that one of the Wise -Men, upon examining the stomach of a Cuckoo that had -been killed, found it lined with a sort of felt made from -the hairs of the caterpillars.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“So, if you hear the harsh call near by, be very glad; -the sound may not please the ear, but the bird is a pleasure -to the sight as he slips away silently through the trees -to do work for us that we cannot do as well.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><a id='vireored2'></a>“The <span class='it'>Red-eyed Vireo</span>, excepting the Catbird, is the most -talkative bird that we have; in fact, so fond is he of the -sound of his own voice that he is rarely silent -during the daylight hours. Then, too, his eloquence -has a questioning and arguing quality that made -Wilson Flagg give him the nickname of ‘The Preacher,’ -by which he will always be known. ‘You see it—you -know it—do you hear me? Do you believe it?’ he -hears this voice say, and if you keep these words in your -mind, you will recognize the bird the first time that you -hear his song. You may hear the Vireo’s words twenty -times for every peep that you may get of his person; not -that he is at all shy, but he is restlessness in feathers, -while unlike many talkers he both talks and works at -the same time. Now he is at the end of a branch close -to you, then on the opposite side of the tree, from whence -he works his way to the very top, clearing the small -limbs and twigs of insects as he goes.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“After trying in vain to see him, one day when you -are not thinking of this or any other bird, you will pass -<span class='pageno' title='406' id='Page_406'></span> -a familiar tree, one of the apples, perhaps, whose branches -nearly sweep the ground. Your eye in going idly over -the leaves halts at an object that is partly suspended -between the forked twigs of a branch almost under your -eye. You look again; it is a nest, pocket-shaped, and -fastened between the twigs as the heel of a stocking is held -between knitting needles. The nest itself is finely woven of -plant-down, soft bark, and perhaps a few shreds of paper.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“You step nearer; a little head with a long, curved beak -rises slightly above the nest,—Madam is at home. An -eye holds your own,—a red eye with a long, clear, white -mark over it by way of an eyebrow. Then you notice -the head wears a gray cap bordered with black. The -bird perhaps breathes a little faster, and the prettily -shaded olive-green back heaves and the wings twitch as -if to make ready to fly, otherwise the bird does not budge, -but simply sits and waits for you to go; this, if you are -really one of the Kind Hearts, you will do very soon.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“True, you may come back the next day and the next, -and from a comfortable distance watch the Vireo’s housekeeping -and the progress of her brood, only please do not -touch either the nest or its contents. After she has done -with it and autumn comes, you may have it for your own -and see for yourself how wonderfully it is made.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“All sorts of amusing bits of printing from newspapers -have been found woven into these nests, and there is one -in Goldilocks’ cabinet, that I will show you later, that -says upon the shred of paper,—‘an eight-room flat,—electric -light and —— —— improvements,’ the -missing words being concealed where the paper was -woven under the plant fibres.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i477.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0048' style='width:100%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='credit'>F. M. Chapman, Photo.</p> <p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'></span>RED-EYED VIREO ON NEST</p> -</div> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='407' id='Page_407'></span> -“There are several other Vireos with richer, more -melodious voices that you will learn to name after you -have made your first bowing and speaking acquaintances -in Birdland. The Red-eyed, however, is the largest and -most easily named of them all if you remember his love -of preaching, his white eyebrow, and gray, black-edged -cap. He will be with us all summer, leaving in early -October with the last flocks of Barn Swallows.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>RED-EYED VIREO</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>When overhead you hear a bird</p> -<p class='line0'>  Who talks, or rather, chatters,</p> -<p class='line0'>Of all the latest woodland news,</p> -<p class='line0'>  And other trivial matters,</p> -<p class='line0'>Who is so kind, so very kind,</p> -<p class='line0'>  She never can say no,</p> -<p class='line0'>And so the nasty Cowbird</p> -<p class='line0'>  Drops an egg among her row</p> -<p class='line0'>Of neat white eggs. Behold her then,</p> -<p class='line0'>  The Red-eyed Vireo!</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Faith C. Lee</span>, in <span class='it'>Bird-Lore</span>.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THREE LISPERS AND A VENTRILOQUIST</h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“When the trees are putting on their best and greenest -leaves, many new sounds mingle with the hum of insects -among the branches. You pause and look up -in the confusing mass of fluttering green and -sunbeams to find, if possible, the origin of these sounds.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Many feathered shapes are fluttering about, some -flying after the manner of birds, while others flit and move -in the irregular fashion of butterflies, while the notes they -utter, instead of being full-throated, have a sort of childish -lisp.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='408' id='Page_408'></span> -“<a id='reds3'></a>These birds belong to the tribe of <span class='it'>Warblers</span>; a few do -really warble, but for the majority the <span class='it'>Lispers</span> would be -a more appropriate title. Listen! there comes a little -call now, as if the bird had kept his beak half closed, -‘Sweet-sweetie-sweazy!’ and a bird of light build and no -larger than a Chippy flits backward from the twig where -he was perching and alights on one below, following in -his flight one of the insects of which he is a valiant destroyer, -as he belongs really to both the order of Tree -Trappers and Sky Sweepers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Now is your chance; he is at rest for a moment; look -at him,—black of back, head, and breast, some salmon-red -feathers on wings and tail, and the sides of breast -rich, pure salmon, and the belly white. What a brave -little uniform, almost the Oriole colours. One of the Wise -Men who has met the Redstart in his winter home in -Cuba says that there he is called ‘<span class='it'>Candelita</span>, the little -torch that flashes in the gloomy depth of tropical forests.’</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“There is nothing secluded about him, however, except -the depths of shade where he feeds and weaves his nest, in -texture much like the Vireo’s. His mate is also a very -dainty bird, but his flame colour and black is replaced -by pale yellow and gray.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Redstart is a bird to know in May and June, -though it does not leave until early in October.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><a id='ybird'></a><span class='it'>The Summer Yellowbird</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“From the apple trees or shrubs near the house -comes a cheerful lisping song that constantly declares -that life up among the leaves is ‘Sweet-sweet-sweet-sweet-sweeter,’ -ending this remark by a warble full of melody. -<span class='pageno' title='409' id='Page_409'></span> -Then a little bird smaller than a Chippy flits out with a -bit of green worm hanging from his beak and disappears in -another tree. Brief as the glimpse is, you see that the -bird is rich olive-yellow, with cinnamon streaks on the -breast. If he pauses a moment, you will notice that -the underparts are almost the colour of gold. This is the -<span class='it'>Yellow Warbler</span> of many names,—<span class='it'>Wild Canary</span>, <span class='it'>Summer -Yellowbird</span>, or simply <span class='it'>Yellowbird</span>; though this name -is also commonly given to the seed-eating Goldfinch of -the Sparrow tribe who wears a jaunty black cap, and -stays with us all the year, while the Yellow Warbler goes -southward before leaf-fall in September.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Yellow Warbler’s nest is one of the most beautiful -and interesting bird-homes, and shares the fame of that -of the Baltimore Oriole, Wood Pewee, Humming-bird, and -Vireo. It is cup-shaped and deep, woven of fibres and -plant-down, and is placed in the fork of a bush or in a fruit -tree, where it is as firmly lashed by cords of vegetable -fibre and cobwebs. The female is the builder and a very -rapid workwoman. This nest is often used by the Cowbird, -but little Mrs. Yellow Warbler is more clever than -many other small birds and refuses to be imposed upon. -She is evidently afraid to push out the alien egg, so she -swiftly walls it in by building a second nest on top of the -first. If this does not check the Cowbird, a third nest is -sometimes added, like the one that Tommy brought me -last fall, and there is a two-story nest in Goldilocks’ -cabinet.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This Warbler is not only beautiful to look at and -pleasant to hear, but he is a very valuable tree trapper, -for he eats the spinning cankerworms and also tent-caterpillars, -<span class='pageno' title='410' id='Page_410'></span> -pulling apart webs of the latter and using them -‘for cordage’ to bind the nest. He is also a destroyer of -plant-lice and something of a flycatcher as well.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><a id='throat2'></a><span class='it'>Maryland Yellowthroat</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“Here is a merry bird that you cannot miss seeing or -fail to name if you have eyes and ears. Olive on head and -back, this bird certainly has a yellow throat, also much -yellow on tail, wings, and underparts, but if I had the -naming of it I should call him the ‘Yellow, Black-masked -Warbler,’ for he wears a narrow mask of black across his -face, through which his keen eyes peer provokingly as he -flits ahead calling for you to follow, ‘Follow me—follow -me—follow!’ When you see the bird, of two points -you may be sure at once; it is yellow, and it wears a black -mask, but whether it is yellowest on back, throat, or -breast will require a second look.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This bird is here about the garden and lane from May -to September, and last June we found its long, bulky nest, -partly covered like an Indian cradle, in the bushes between -the garden and orchard, but it usually is so clever at going -into the bushes and then darting along close to the ground -to its nest, that we had known of this nest for several -days before we discovered that it belonged to Black Mask, -for his wife, who kept the nearest to the nest, wears no -mask, and we thought her some other kind of Warbler.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE MARYLAND YELLOWTHROAT</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>While May bedecks the naked trees</p> -<p class='line0'>With tassels and embroideries,</p> -<p class='line0'>And many blue-eyed violets beam</p> -<p class='line0'>Along the edges of the stream,</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>I hear a voice that seems to say,</p> -<p class='line0'>Now near at hand, now far away,</p> -<p class='line0'>“Witchery-witchery-witchery!”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'> * * * * * *</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>An incantation so serene,</p> -<p class='line0'>So innocent, befits the scene;</p> -<p class='line0'>There’s magic in that small bird’s note.</p> -<p class='line0'>See! there he flits—the Yellowthroat;</p> -<p class='line0'>A living sunbeam, tipped with wings,</p> -<p class='line0'>A spark of light that shines and sings,</p> -<p class='line0'>“Witchery-witchery-witchery!”</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Henry van Dyke</span>, in <span class='it'>The Builders and Other Poems</span>.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='411' id='Page_411'></span> -“A whistle comes out of the bushes that line the wood -lane perhaps when you are gathering the pink Wild Azalea. -If you have a dog with you, he will get up and sniff about. -The whistle is repeated, and you yourself think it is one -of your companions who has rounded the turn calling -you. No; then it is merely a Catbird mocking half a -dozen other songsters and then jeering at them.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><a id='chat2'></a>“By mere chance, glancing at a tree close above, you -see a bird of good size with brilliant yellow throat, breast, -and wing-linings, and a strong curved beak that appears -almost hooked. Perching there is a Yellow-breasted -Chat. He it is who is doing the mocking and jeering, -but throws his voice in such a way that it seems to -come from the opposite bushes. It is this power that -gives him the name of ‘Ventriloquist.’ Being observed, -he slips quickly out of sight, and then you notice the -olive-green colour on his back. He has a song of his own -as well as the power of imitating others and in the nesting -season floats out upon the air, with spread wings and legs -<span class='pageno' title='412' id='Page_412'></span> -trailing behind, in a wild ecstasy of singing, looking to us -humans very foolish, but is doubtless very fascinating to -his mate on her nest hidden amid briers and bushes -and thoroughly protected by vines.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'><span class='it'>Singers in Costume</span></h2> - -<p class='pindent'>“Among the birds many of the best vocalists are choir -singers, as it were. We hear their voices first, and from -hearing them desire to know and name the singers. The -Thrushes belong to the first group. Others there are who -come on the stage in brilliant costume; we see them first, -then desire to hear them sing, and afterward remember -them as pleasing both to eye and ear. These are the -gentlemen of the Opera, and four of them made the garden -and orchard their music-hall last summer and I do not -doubt will do so again. In fact the Goldfinches have -never left, but a flock in sober winter suits have fed at -the lunch-counter on the sunflower heads and fluttered over -the weed seeds in the fields all winter.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The <a id='orio2'></a><span class='it'>Baltimore Oriole</span> is the first of the quartet to settle -down to family life late in May. The <span class='it'>Rose-breast</span> follows -him closely. But the <span class='it'>Tanager</span> waits for the heavy -leafage of June to cover his brilliant colours while, for some -reason not yet understood, the <span class='it'>American Goldfinch</span> keeps -his bachelor freedom longer than any bird except the -Cedar Waxwing. And though he wears his handsome -yellow wedding-clothes from late April, he waits until he -has feasted well on dandelion-down and the best grass -seeds before he ceases to rove and takes to a bush, high -maple, or other tree, to locate his soft nest made of moss -and grasses and lined with thistle-down.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='413' id='Page_413'></span></p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>How falls it, Oriole, thou hast come to fly</p> -<p class='line0'>In tropic splendour through our northern sky?</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>At some glad moment was it Nature’s choice</p> -<p class='line0'>To dower a scrap of sunset with a voice?</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Or did an orange tulip flaked with black,</p> -<p class='line0'>In some forgotten ages back,</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Yearning toward Heaven until its wish was heard,</p> -<p class='line0'>Desire unspeakably to be a bird?</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Edgar Fawcett</span>.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Baltimore Oriole should be first mentioned, for -his voice is that of the bugler that heralds actual spring, -the long-expected, long-delayed mellow period, distinct -from the almanac spring, that, when it once comes to us -of the middle and north country, is quickly absorbed by -the ardour of summer herself. Also is this Oriole the gloriously -illuminated initial letter wrought in ruddy gold -and black pigments heading the chapter that records the -season; and when we see him high in a tree against a -light tracery of fresh foliage, we know in very truth that -not only is winter over, that the treacherous snow-squalls -of April are past, but that May is working day and night -to complete the task allotted.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“For as the Indian waited for the blooming of the dogwood, -<span class='it'>Cornus florida</span>, before planting his maize, so does the -prudent gardener wait for the first call of the Oriole before -she trusts her cellar-wintered geraniums and lemon balms -once more to the care of Mother Earth.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='414' id='Page_414'></span> -“This Oriole has history blended with his name; for it is -said that George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, tired -and discouraged by many of the troubles of his Newfoundland -colony, in visiting the Virginia settlement in 1628, -explored the waters of the Chesapeake, where he found -the shores and woods alive with birds, and conspicuous -among them, vast flocks of Orioles. These so pleased -him that he took their colours for his own and they ever -afterward bore his name—a fair exchange.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The <span class='it'>Baltimore Oriole</span> comes of a party-coloured American -family—<span class='it'>Icteridæ</span>—that to the eye of the uninitiated at -least would appear to be a hybrid clan drawn from all -quarters of the bird world. Yet it is typically American, -even in this variety; for what other race would have the -temerity to harbour the Bobolink, Orchard and Baltimore -Orioles, Red-wing, Meadowlark, various Grackles, together -with the vagrant Cowbird, in the branches of the -same family tree?</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“One of the many welcome facts concerning the Oriole -is the ease with which he is identified; and I say <span class='it'>he</span> advisedly, -for his more industrious half, who is the expert -weaver of the pair, is much the more sombre of hue. In -early May, or even as late as the middle of the month in -backward seasons, you will hear a half-militant, half-complaining -note from the high tree branches. As you -go out to find its origin, it will be repeated, and then a -flash of flame and black will shoot across the range of -vision toward another tree, and the bird, chiding and complaining, -begins a minute search along the smaller twigs -for insects. This is the Oriole, <span class='it'>Icterus galbula</span>, as he -first appears in full spring array,—his head, throat, and -<span class='pageno' title='415' id='Page_415'></span> -top of back and wings black, except a few margins and -quills that are white edged. The breast and underparts, -lower part of back, and lesser wing-coverts are orange -flame, while his tail is partly black and partly orange.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Two other tree-top birds that arrive at about the -same time, one to remain and one to pass on, wear somewhat -the same combination of red and black,—the Redstart -and the Blackburnian Warbler. But, besides -being much smaller birds, they both belong to the -pretty tribe of Warblers that, with a few notable exceptions, -such as the Chat and Water-thrushes, should -be more properly called ‘lispers’ and not be confused -with the clear-toned Oriole.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Once the female Oriole arrives, usually several days -after the male, his complaining call, ‘Will you? Will -you really, truly?’ gradually lessens: and after a few -weeks, when nest-building begins, it quite disappears, or -rather, is appropriated by the songless female, who, while -she weaves the nest, is encouraged by the clarion song of -her mate. The plumage of the female is brown and gray -blended with orange above, the head, back, and throat -being mottled with black, while the underparts are -a dull orange, with little of the flaming tints of the -male.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Though the Oriole exposes himself more freely to view -than most of our highly coloured birds and in fact seems to -regard his gift of beauty anything but seriously, he takes no -chances, however, in the locating of his nest, which is not -only from twenty feet above the ground upward, but is -suspended from a forked branch that is at once tough yet -so slender that no marauding cat would dare venture to -<span class='pageno' title='416' id='Page_416'></span> -it. This pensile nest is diligently woven of grasses, twine, -vegetable fibres, horsehair, bits of worsted, or anything -manageable and varies much in size and shape, as if the -matter of individual taste entered somewhat into the -matter. It has been fairly well proven that location -enters largely into this matter, and that nests in wild -regions, where birds of prey, etc., abound, are smaller -at the top and have a more decided neck than those in -the trees of home lawns and orchard. Of the many nests -that I have found and handled or else observed closely -with a glass, the majority have been quite open at the -top like the one pictured, and the only one with a narrow -and funnel-like opening came from a wayside elm on the -edge of a dense wood.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The female seems to be weaver-in-chief, using both -claw and bill, though I have seen the male carry her -material. It is asserted that Orioles will weave gayly -coloured worsteds into their nests. This I very much -doubt, or if they do, I believe it is for lack of something -more suitable. I have repeatedly fastened varicoloured -bunches of soft linen twine, carpet-thread, flosses, and the -like under the bark of trees frequented by Orioles, and -with one exception, it has been the more sombre tints that -were selected, though I am told that nests are found made -of very bright colours.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In the exceptional case a long thread of scarlet linen -floss was taken and woven into the nest for about half its -length, the remainder hanging down; but on resuming -my watch the next day, I found that the weaver had left -the half-finished task and crossed the lawn to another -tree. Whether it was owing to the presence of red squirrels -<span class='pageno' title='417' id='Page_417'></span> -close by, or that the red thread had been a subject -for domestic criticism and dissension, we may not know.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Be this as it may, in spite of the bright hues of the parent -birds and the hanging shape of the nest that is never -concealed by a branch upon which it is saddled, like the -home of so many birds, an Oriole’s nest is exceedingly -difficult to locate unless one has noticed the trips to and -fro in the building process; but once the half-dozen white, -darkly etched and spotted eggs it contains hatch out, the -vociferous youngsters at once call attention to the spot -and make their whereabouts known, in spite of sky cradle -and carefully adjusted leaf umbrellas.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“If their parents bring them food, they squeal (yes, that -is the only word for it); if they are left alone, they do likewise. -Their baby voices can be heard above the wind, -and it is only either at night or during a heavy shower, -when a parent would naturally be supposed to be upon the -nest, that they are silent.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As an adult, the Oriole lives on rather mixed diet and -has a great love of honey; but of course as a parent he -is, with his sharp beak, a great provider of animal food for -his home, and to his credit must be placed a vast number -of injurious tree-top insects that escape the notice of less -agile birds.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Complaints are frequently heard of his propensity for -opening pods and eating young peas, piercing the throats -of trumpet-shaped flowers for the honey, and in the -autumn, before the southward migration, siphoning grape -and plum juice by means of this same slender, pointed -bill.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Personally, I have never lost peas through his appetite -<span class='pageno' title='418' id='Page_418'></span> -for green vegetables, though I have had the entire floral -output of an old trumpet-vine riddled bud and blossom; -and I have often stood and scolded them from under the -boughs of a Spitzenburgh apple tree, amid the blossoms of -which they were rummaging,—perhaps for insects, but also -scattering the rosy blossoms right and left with torn and -bruised petals. Powell, in <span class='it'>The Independent</span>, writes feelingly -of this trait of the Oriole, thus:—</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ‘An Oriole is like a golden shuttle in the foliage of the -trees, but he is the incarnation of mischief. That is just -the word for it. If there is anything possible to be destroyed, -the Oriole likes to tear it up.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ‘He wastes a lot of string in building his nest. He is -pulling off apple blossoms now, possibly eating a few -petals. By and by he will pick holes in bushels of grapes, -and in plum season he will let the wasps and hornets into -the heart of every Golden Abundance plum on your -favourite tree. . . . Yet the saucy scamp is so beautiful -that he is tolerated—and he does kill an enormous lot -of insects. There is a swinging nest just over there above -the blackberry bushes. It is wonderfully woven and is a -cradle as well as a house. I should like to have been -brought up in such a homestead.’</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“It seems as if the Oriole must be a descendant of one -of the brilliant birds that inhabited North America in -by-gone days of tropic heat and that has stayed on -from a matter of hereditary association; for in the -nesting season it is to be found from Florida and -Texas up to New Brunswick and the Saskatchewan -country and westward to the Rockies, beyond which this -type is replaced by Bullock’s Oriole, of much similar -<span class='pageno' title='419' id='Page_419'></span> -colouring save that it has more orange on the sides of the -head, and the white wing-patch is larger.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“But however much the Baltimore Oriole loves his -native land, the climate and the exigencies of travel -make his stay in it brief; for he does not appear until -there is some protection of foliage and he starts southward -toward his winter home in Central and South -America often before a single leaf has fallen.</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>O Golden Robin! pipe again</p> -<p class='line0'>That happy, hopeful, cheering strain!</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>A prisoner in my chamber, I</p> -<p class='line0'>See neither grass, nor bough, nor sky;</p> -<p class='line0'>Yet to my mind thy warblings bring,</p> -<p class='line0'>In troops, all images of spring;</p> -<p class='line0'>And every sense is satisfied</p> -<p class='line0'>But what thy magic has supplied.</p> -<p class='line0'>As by enchantment, now I see</p> -<p class='line0'>On every bush and forest tree</p> -<p class='line0'>The tender, downy leaf appear.—</p> -<p class='line0'>The loveliest robe they wear.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>The tulip and the hyacinth grace</p> -<p class='line0'>The garden bed; each grassy place</p> -<p class='line0'>With dandelions glowing bright,</p> -<p class='line0'>Or king-cups, childhood’s pure delight,</p> -<p class='line0'>Invite the passer-by to tread</p> -<p class='line0'>Upon the soft, elastic bed,</p> -<p class='line0'>And pluck again the simple flowers</p> -<p class='line0'>Which charmed so oft his younger hours.</p> -<p class='line0'>The apple orchards all in bloom—</p> -<p class='line0'>I seem to smell their rare perfume.</p> -<p class='line0'>And thou, gay whistler! to whose song</p> -<p class='line0'>These powers of magic art belong,</p> -<p class='line0'>On top of lofty elm I see</p> -<p class='line0'>Thy black and orange livery;</p> -<p class='line0'>Forgive that word! a freeman bold,</p> -<p class='line0'>Of choice thou wearest jet and gold,</p> -<p class='line0'>And no man’s livery dost bear,</p> -<p class='line0'>Thou flying tulip! free as air!</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Come, Golden Robin! once again</p> -<p class='line0'>That magic, joy-inspiring strain!</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Thomas Hill.</span></p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='420' id='Page_420'></span> -<a id='tan3'></a>“Of all our North American birds, the Tanager is the -most gorgeous and suggestive of the tropics. I do not -understand how any one can fail to name him. -He is unlike any other. Entire body rich -scarlet, wings and tail black; that is all that -there is to remember about him in spring dress. In -autumn he moults to a greenish yellow like his mate, -but still keeps his black wings and tail.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“This bird is commonly thought to be rare, but that -is because he loves groves of oaks, chestnuts, and beeches, -and Nature has taught him to keep in high deep shade, -that his colour, far richer than the Cardinals, may not -make him a target for enemies, both feathered and -human. But in the migrations he is often to be seen. -Half a dozen were feeding at one time in the garden -and about the lunch-counter this spring, and in May, -whenever I drove about or went to Fair Meadows village, -some one was sure to either ask me the name of the beautiful -red birds that they had seen about the yard, or, if -they knew the bird, tell how plentiful Tanagers had been -this year.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Protection has certainly helped this bird, and in some -<span class='pageno' title='421' id='Page_421'></span> -places it is said to be increasing; and as it is distinctly -a bird of high trees, where its nest of loosely built sticks -is placed, it is not so much affected by the modern plague -of cats as either Robin, Song Sparrow, or the Thrushes. -‘The song resembles somewhat that of the Robin, but -is shorter and less varied, with a little apparent hoarseness -or harshness in the tone. Chi-chi-chi-char-ee, char-ee-chi -represents it fairly well.’ It also has a sharp -‘Chip-churr!’ alarm note.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Robin, Grosbeak, and Tanager all have certain -notes in common, so that when they all sing at once, it -is often difficult to distinguish the individual songs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Tanager is the guardian of the forest trees and -their insect pests. As a caterpillar hunter, it is said -‘he has but few superiors.’ He finds the leaf-rolling -caterpillar in its snug retreat and destroys myriads of -weevils, click-beetles, and crane-flies. The Tanager also -visits orchards, and in early spring, during the migrations, -he braves danger and feeds in the furrows of -ploughed land in the same way as the Grackles and Robins.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Tanagers are unique little specimens when they -first leave the nest, for the male birds undergo as many -changes of colour as Harlequin in the pantomime. After -the down of nestlings, they wear the dull colour of the -mother, and before they put on the full spring plumage, -they go through a stage of patchwork such as you see -in this picture in my portfolio. Then after being bright -red all summer, they again go through the patchwork -state before leaving in fall.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The coming of cold weather evidently warns this -Tanager to go, for being provided with a dull travelling -<span class='pageno' title='422' id='Page_422'></span> -cloak, he need no more fear being seen in the leafless -trees than the Thrushes or Sparrows.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“<a id='gold2'></a><span class='it'>Thistle-bird</span>, <span class='it'>Lettuce-bird</span>, and <span class='it'>Yellowbird</span> are all names -given to this friendly little Sparrow of the stout bill, -black cap, tail, wings, and bright gamboge-yellow -plumage, who lives with us all the -year and is almost always seen in flocks. In spring -we find these birds and their more sober wives feeding -on dandelion seeds. In early summer they glean grass -seeds in the hayfields. In late summer and early autumn -they flutter about the seeding thistle in company with -the rich red butterflies, and after this, the male and female, -garbed alike, then live wherever the wild composite -flowers like asters, sunflowers, or garden marigolds and zinnias -have gone to seed and in the great waste fields of weeds.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“At all times its flight is noticeable for its dip, followed -by an upward jerk, and as they fly, they call ‘per-chic-o-ree-per-chic-o-ree’ -(Chapman) in a jolly, gleeful manner.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“In May, June, and July they sing in a varied and -canary-like manner from tree-tops and as they swing on -stalks of grass, having quite powerful voices for their -size, which is under five inches.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“A lover and close observer of these Goldfinches has -written the summer life of a pair of these birds in so -interesting a fashion that I will read it to you. Either -the pair that she describes were very late in nesting, or it -was their second brood.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i494.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0049' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>GOLDFINCH</span></p> -</div> - -<div class='lgc' style=''> <!-- rend=';' --> -<p class='line'>Order—<span class='sc'>Passeres</span> Family—<span class='sc'>Fringillidæ</span></p> -<p class='line'>Genus—<span class='sc'>Astragalinus</span> Species—<span class='sc'>Tristis</span></p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>A GOLDFINCH IDYL</h2> - -<p class='pindent'>Do you know of any far-away pasture where, in blueberry -time, Sparrows play hide-and-seek in the bushes, -<span class='pageno' title='423' id='Page_423'></span> -and Finches are like little golden balls tossed on the -breeze? It was in such a field that my Goldfinch found -the thistle-down for her soft couch—<span class='it'>her</span> couch, observe, -for it was the dull mate in greenish olive that made the bed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>I was there when the maple twig was chosen for the -nest—as good luck would have it—close by our cottage -door and in plain sight from my window. The choice -was announced by a shower of golden notes from the male -bird and a responsive twitter from his mate. She began -building at once, quickly outlining the nest with grasses -and bark. Her approach was always heralded by a -burst of song from her mate, who hovered near while -she deftly wove the pretty fabric and then flew away -with him to the base of supply.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>It was August 2 when the nest began. I quote from -my note-book:—</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“August 3. I observed the work closely for an hour. -The working partner made eighteen trips, the first eleven -in twenty-two minutes, grass and thistle-down being -brought; the last nine trips only down, more time being -taken to weave it into the walls. The male warbled -near by and twice flew into the tree and cheered his -industrious mate with song.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“August 5. The home growing. The female tarries -much longer at the nest, fashioning the lining.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“August 6. Both birds sing while flying to and from -the nest.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“August 7. Nest completed. The mother bird has -a little ‘song of the nest’—a very happy song. Think -an egg was laid to-day.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“August 11. The male Goldfinch feeds his mate on -<span class='pageno' title='424' id='Page_424'></span> -the nest. Flies to her with a jubilant twitter, his mouth -full of seeds. She eagerly takes from twelve to twenty -morsels. They always meet and part with song. Once -the brooding mate grew impatient, flew to the next tree -to meet her provider, took eight or ten morsels, then -flew with him to the nest and took twelve more. A -generous commissary!</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“August 17. Breakfast on the nest; twenty-three -morsels from one mouthful. How is it possible for song -to escape from that bill before the unloading? Yet -it never fails.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Here the record comes to an untimely stop, the reporter -being suddenly called home. But the following -year Nature’s serial opened at the same leaf.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Toward the last of July, a steady increase in Goldfinch -music, and a subtle change in its meaning marked -the approach of nesting time. Again I quote from my -journal:—</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“August 8. My careful search was rewarded by the -discovery of a Goldfinch’s nest, barely outlined, in the -rock maple near the former site, but on the road side of -the tree. That my bird friends had returned to the old -treestead I could not doubt, as they bore my scrutiny -with unconcern. In six days the nest was completed. -The builder flew to the brook and drank with her mate, -but rarely stayed away long enough for food supply; -that was carried to her and received on the nest.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“August 18. An episode: a rival male flew to the -home tree with the male Goldfinch, both singing delightfully -and circling about the nest. The mate, much -excited, several times flew from the nest and joined in -<span class='pageno' title='425' id='Page_425'></span> -the discussion. Two bouts between the males ended -in the discomfiture of number two and the return of -my Goldfinch with a victor’s song.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“August 20. The course of true love now ran smooth, -and Goldfinch, sure of his intrenched affection, sang -less volubly. The female, delicately sensitive of ear, -apparently recognizes the voice of her mate and never -fails to respond. Other Goldfinches flew by in song, -calling and singing, but only one appealed to her.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“August 25 was a red-letter day in Goldfinch annals; -then, and only then, I saw the male on the nest fed by -his mate. The male then shares incubation? He -certainly gave it a trial, but so far as my observation -goes, found it too confining to be repeated.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“August 29. ‘Out to-day,’ as the newsboy cries—the -female’s elevation on the nest determined that. -Her eagerness now overcame caution, and she flew -straight to the nest instead of in a roundabout course. -Both parents fed the young.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“August 30. In a single trip the male Goldfinch -brought forty morsels to the family, his mate eager to -get her ‘thirds,’ but as soon as he had gone she slipped -off the nest and fed the young. This method was pursued -for three days.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sept. 1. The female very active at the nest, making -toilets of young, reassuring them with tender syllables -when a red squirrel ran up the tree with alarming sounds. -I saw three open mouths. The brooding bird went -for food and returned stealthily to the nest. The male -came once, but brought nothing, and henceforth was -an idle partner.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='426' id='Page_426'></span> -“Sept. 6. Young birds, having found their voices, -announced meal time with joyous twitter. They were -fed, on an average, once in forty-five minutes and were -now forming cleanly habits, like young Swallows, voiding -excrement over the rim of the nest.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sept. 8. The old bird no longer perching at the -nest to feed her young, but on the branch, to lure them -from their cradle. They shook their wings vigorously -and preened their tiny feathers.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sept. 11. Young Finches ventured to the edge of -the nest and peered curiously into the unknown.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Sept. 11. An empty nest.”</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:2em;'>—<span class='sc'>Ella Gilbert Ives</span>, in <span class='it'>Bird-Lore</span>.</p> - -<hr class='tbk133'/> - -<p class='pindent'>“<a id='gros2'></a>In spite of the rosy wing-linings and shield set above -his white breast, the Rose-breasted Grosbeak is the -least conspicuous of the Singers in Costume. -The reason for this is, that unless you are either -directly under or before him, the richly coloured -breast may escape notice and only the dark back appear. -Yet to one who knows birds, even the back will serve -to name him, for no other familiar songster has so much -black and white about him—black head and back, a -white rump, black-and-white wings, and black-and-white -tail.</p> - -<div class='figcenter'> -<img src='images/i427.jpg' alt='' id='iid-0050' style='width:75%;height:auto;'/> -<p class='credit'>National Association of Audubon Societies</p> <p class='caption'><span style='font-size:smaller'>ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK<br/>(<span class='sc'>Upper Figure, Male; Lower Figure, Female</span>)</span></p> -</div> - -<div class='lgc' style=''> <!-- rend=';' --> -<p class='line'>Order—<span class='sc'>Passeres</span> Family—<span class='sc'>Fringillidæ</span></p> -<p class='line'>Genus—<span class='sc'>Zamelodia</span> Species—<span class='sc'>Ludoviciana</span></p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<p class='pindent'>“This Grosbeak delights in young woodlands where -the trees are small and well branched, and the big, rather -loosely woven nest of weeds, twigs, and various wood -fibres is seldom placed as high as even the Robin’s or -Tanager’s, and yet, in spite of the fact that female birds -<span class='pageno' title='427' id='Page_427'></span> -are supposed to have dull feathers because they will -be less seen when on the nest, I have seen a gorgeous -male brooding the eggs in bright daylight, the nest -being on a low sapling in a rather thickly wooded brush-lot.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The Rose-breast is very useful as a killer of large beetles -and insects, and from his prowess with the striped potato-beetle -has been called locally the ‘Potato Bird’; but it -is for its song that we love and prize him as one of the -birds that to miss from the garden, means that one of -the best features of the season has been lost.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“Listen to what Audubon said of this song, that great -pioneer naturalist, whose pure nature and spiritual -kinship with the birds never forsook him in hours of -adversity.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ‘One year, in the month of August, I was trudging -along the shores of the Mohawk River, when night overtook -me. Being little acquainted with that part of the -country, I resolved to camp where I was. The evening -was calm and beautiful, the sky sparkled with stars, -which were reflected by the smooth waters, and the -deep shade of the rocks and trees of the opposite shore -fell on the bosom of the stream, while gently from afar -came on the ear the muttering sound of the cataract. -My little fire was soon lighted under a rock, and, spreading -out my scanty stock of provisions, I reclined on my -grassy couch. As I looked around on the fading features -of the beautiful landscape, my heart turned toward my -distant home, where my friends were doubtless wishing -me, as I wished them, a happy night and peaceful slumbers. -Then were heard the barkings of the watch-dog -<span class='pageno' title='428' id='Page_428'></span> -and I tapped my faithful companion to prevent his answering -them. The thoughts of my worldly mission -then came over my mind, and having thanked the Creator -of all for His never-failing mercy, I closed my eyes and -was passing away into the world of dreaming existence, -when suddenly there burst on my soul the serenade of -the Rose-breasted Bird, so rich, so mellow, so loud in -the stillness of the night, that sleep fled from my eyelids. -Never did I enjoy music more: it thrilled through my -heart and surrounded me with an atmosphere of bliss. -One might easily have imagined that even the Owl, -charmed by such delightful music, remained reverently -silent. Long after the sounds ceased did I enjoy them, -and when all had again become still, I stretched out my -wearied limbs and gave myself up to the luxury of repose.’</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“As a near-by garden neighbour, the Rose-breast, though -shy by nature, may become as intimate as the Wood -Thrush, and if you are near his feeding-haunts you will -notice, aside from his song, he has a way of talking when -he feeds and that, with a little imagination, you can -translate his words to suit yourself. I had once thought -this an idea of my own, but this clipping in my scrap-book -proves the contrary, and that others have made -his notes into words.”</p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>A TALKING ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK.</h2> - -<p class='pindent'>Early last summer, while standing on my back steps, -I heard a cheerful voice say, “You’re a pretty bird. -Where are you?” I supposed it to be the voice of a -Parrot, but wondered how any Parrot could talk loud -<span class='pageno' title='429' id='Page_429'></span> -enough to be heard at that distance, for the houses on -the street back of us are quite a way off.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Almost before I had done laughing, the voice came -again, clear, musical, and strong—“You’re a pretty -bird. Where are you?”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>For several days I endured the suspense of waiting -for time to investigate. Then I chased him up. There -he was in the top of a walnut tree, his gorgeous attire telling -me immediately that he was a Rose-breasted Grosbeak.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At the end of a week he varied his compliment to, -“Pretty, pretty bird, where are you? Where are you?” -with a kind of impatient jerk on the last “you.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He and his mate stayed near us all last summer, and -though I heard him talk a hundred times, yet he always -brought a feeling of gladness and a laugh.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Our friend has come back again this spring. About -May 1st I heard the same endearing compliment as before.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Several of my friends whom I have told about him -have asked, “Does he say the words plainly? Do you -mean that he really talks?” My reply is, “He says -them just as plainly as a bird ever says anything, so -plainly, that even now I laugh whenever I hear him.”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>He is not very easily frightened, and sometimes talks -quite a while when I am standing under the tree where -he is.</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:2em;'>—<span class='sc'>Emily B. Pellet</span>, Worcester, Mass., in <span class='it'>Bird-Lore</span>.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='430' id='Page_430'></span></p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>A SONG OF THE ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>      Hark! Hark!</p> -<p class='line0'>From the elm tree’s topmost spray,</p> -<p class='line0'>  As the sun’s first spark</p> -<p class='line0'>  O’erleaps the dark</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>  He sings to the dawning day.</p> -<p class='line0'>Over and over and over, the thrilling strain:</p> -<p class='line0'>    Never more clear</p> -<p class='line0'>    On love-tuned ear</p> -<p class='line0'>Burst forth love’s charmed refrain.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>  Hark, hark, listen and hear!</p> -<p class='line0'>The robin’s whistle, the oriole’s note,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Both are drowned</p> -<p class='line0'>    In the golden sound</p> -<p class='line0'>That pours from the perfect throat.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>    Sing, spirit of might,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Bird of beauty and tune,—</p> -<p class='line0'>Sable-winged as a summer’s night,</p> -<p class='line0'>With the red-rose breast as soft, as bright</p> -<p class='line0'>  As a rose-red dawn in June!</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Sing, sing to the rippling light,</p> -<p class='line0'>  Sing to the paling moon!</p> -<p class='line0'>    Sing, sing, sing</p> -<p class='line0'>  Of a joy beyond our ken,</p> -<p class='line0'>Till the burdens of manhood loose their hold,</p> -<p class='line0'>And the heart grows young, and the Age of Gold</p> -<p class='line0'>  Rolls back on the souls of men.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>—<span class='sc'>Dora Read Goodale</span>, in <span class='it'>Youth’s Companion</span>.</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<div><span class='pageno' title='431' id='Page_431'></span><h1>XXVII<br/> <span class='sub-head'>FLAG DAY</span></h1></div> - -<p class='pindent'>The Spring Sale of the work of the Kind Hearts’ Club -was held the Saturday after Arbour and Bird Day. -People who had seen the bird-houses that their friends -had bought at Christmas drove over from towns many -miles away, while those who had been before came again -and seemed perfectly fascinated by the birds’ baths and -drinking-troughs made from the hollowed logs.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The money thus being secure, the wayside drinking-fountain -for man, beast, and bird was begun at once -and before Memorial Day was completed and the water -turned on, to Tommy’s great pride.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Nor were the children obliged to spend all their pennies -upon the work, for besides the actual money, they had -earned something of more value—the confidence and co-operation -of their own parents and of the neighbourhood.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At first the work that Gray Lady had begun at Foxes -Corners school was thought to be merely a passing fancy -or a matter of sentiment only, but day by day many of -those who were not only indifferent, but perhaps aggressive, -saw that common sense went hand in hand -with the common humanity that the Kind Hearts’ Club -expressed.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Flag Day, that year falling upon a Friday, was to be -the last regular bird lesson for the Foxes Corners school. -Now that the planting season had come, and the summer -<span class='pageno' title='432' id='Page_432'></span> -vacation was near, the Friday afternoons were needed -for making up back work on the part of those who had -been absent and in preparing for examinations.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>In some way it seemed to be an understood fact that -Rose Wilde would go to Bridgeton to teach in the High -School, and it was a subject about which her pupils were -very unhappy.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>There were to be some patriotic exercises at the school -in the morning as usual; then Miss Wilde asked Gray -Lady, who had been away for several days, if the children -might not have their afternoon talk at Swallow Chimney -instead of at the school, as the air in the low room was -quite heavy and uncomfortable in the warm June afternoons.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Luncheon was hardly over on that day before Goldilocks -began to show unusual signs of hurry. In answer -to her mother’s question as to what made her so restless, -she replied, “I’m so afraid we may be late. I promised -Miss Wilde we would be over by half-past one,” -and then stopped and looked confused.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“I do not see how we can be late when the class cannot -begin by itself,” said Gray Lady, smiling, for she was -well aware that there was something unusual in the air, -but exactly what, she had purposely kept herself from -guessing.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>However, she did not aggravate Goldilocks by any -unnecessary delay, and half-past one saw mother and -daughter going through the garden toward the gate of -Birdland. Goldilocks, for some mysterious reason, kept -her eyes upon the ground, while it seemed to her as if -her mother stopped an endlessly long time to admire -<span class='pageno' title='433' id='Page_433'></span> -every shrub and to gather a bunch of delicately pencilled -pansies of lilac, mauve, and royal purple to fasten in the -belt of her soft gray muslin gown.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>As the pair came out from the shadow of the overhanging -vines of the garden walk, a low murmur and -the distinct words “here she comes” made Gray Lady -pause and look toward the rustic gate of Birdland. As -she did so, the gate opened, and inside she saw the school -children drawn up in line on either side of the grass path -that formed a natural aisle to the middle of the orchard, -where several of the old trees had crumbled away, leaving -an open space.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We must walk right on,” whispered Goldilocks, -clutching her mother’s hand and almost pulling her -along. So, wishing every one good day right and left -as she went, Gray Lady allowed herself to be led, the -children closing in and following.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>At first the bright light in the open space blinded -Gray Lady, and then she saw that a tall flagpole was -planted in the centre of the open,—a slender pole, -flawless from bottom to top, polished and smooth as -glass. On the top was perched a gilded eagle with wings -wide-spread; in the halyards on the pole a loosely -folded bundle was caught, and the end of the line was -in the hands of Jack Todd.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Gray Lady stood quite still looking from one to the -other, her breath coming fast. Then Jack jerked the -line, and out of the bundle, fold on fold, fell a large flag; -slowly it rose to the top of the pole and floated in the -breeze, while at the little click of Miss Wilde’s tuning-fork -twenty-five fresh young voices broke into song.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='434' id='Page_434'></span></p> - -<h2 class='nobreak'>HYMN OF THE FLAG</h2> - - - <div class='poetry-container' style=''> - <div class='lgp'> <!-- rend=';' --> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>(Dedicated to the Army and Navy)</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>North, South, East, and West</p> -<p class='line0'>Rise and join your hands.</p> -<p class='line0'>Native born and Brothers drawn</p> -<p class='line0'>From many Fatherlands.</p> -<p class='line0'>    Rise ye Nation of the morn,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Land where Liberty was born;</p> -<p class='line0'>    Ye who fear no ruler’s nod,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Ye who only kneel to God—</p> -<p class='line0'>    Rise—Salute your Flag!</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Stars upon its azure throng,</p> -<p class='line0'>Stars for states that stride along,</p> -<p class='line0'>Stars of hope that make men strong.</p> -<p class='line0'>    Blood-red bars for battle done,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Steel-white stars for peace well won.</p> -<p class='line0'>    Rise—Salute this Flag!</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>North, South, East, and West</p> -<p class='line0'>Bring your tribute then.</p> -<p class='line0'>Gold ye have and grain enough</p> -<p class='line0'>To feed earth’s starving men.</p> -<p class='line0'>    Ye who tent on distant shores,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Ye whose name the ocean roars,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Ye who toil in mine and field,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Ye who pluck the cotton’s yield,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Rise—Salute your flag!</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>North, South, East, and West</p> -<p class='line0'>Rise and join your hands;</p> -<p class='line0'>Native born and brothers drawn</p> -<p class='line0'>From many Fatherlands.</p> -<p class='line0'>    One ye stand in common cause,</p> -<p class='line0'>    One to break oppression’s laws,</p> -<p class='line0'>    One to open Freedom’s gate,</p> -<p class='line0'>    One! Ye re-United States!</p> -<p class='line0'>    Rise—Salute your Flag!</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> -<div class='stanza-outer'> -<p class='line0'>Stars upon its azure throng,</p> -<p class='line0'>Stars for states that stride along,</p> -<p class='line0'>Stars of hope that make men strong.</p> -<p class='line0'>    Blood-red bars for battles done,</p> -<p class='line0'>    Steel-white stars for peace well won.</p> -<p class='line0'>    Rise—Salute this Flag!</p> -</div> -</div></div> <!-- end poetry block --><!-- end rend --> - -<hr class='tbk134'/> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='435' id='Page_435'></span> -The singing ceased, and Gray Lady stood with bent -head, a smile upon her lips and tears in her eyes, for -often when one is happiest, the two go together.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>The words of the hymn had been written by a dear -friend on one of the anniversaries of the day that the -General gave his life for his flag’s honour, and forgetting -that Goldilocks knew, Gray Lady had thought that -no one remembered the verses but herself.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Tommy and Sarah, to whom it had fallen to explain -the occasion in a little speech of Miss Wilde’s wording, -stepped forward, then looked at each other and seemed -struck dumb. Sarah found her tongue first and also -her own wording for the speech; clasping her hands -nervously, she began: “Last fall when we had the orchard -party, you said ‘some day Birdland must have a flagpole -of its own,’ so we thought we would all do it and -Miss Wilde said, ‘yes.’ The big boys cut the pole in -Haines’ woods (he let them), and they shaped it out and -polished it all themselves, and Jacob helped set it yesterday. -We were awfully afraid you wouldn’t go to New -York so’s they could do it without being seen.</p> - -<p class='pindent'><span class='pageno' title='436' id='Page_436'></span> -“Miss Wilde fitted the music to the words, and Mrs. -Wilde cut out the flag, and the rest of us all sewed on -it, the little boys too. The stripes were easy, but some -of the stars wiggled in the points, because it’s hard turning -sharp corners.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“We all bought the eagle, not in a store,—they cost -too much,—but of the junk pedler, and it’s been done -over. It’s a good strong one, better than they make -nowadays, grandma says.” Then, as Sarah realized -that she had forgotten all the expressions of thanks -for the happiness that had come to them at “the General’s” -which Miss Wilde had so carefully worded and -drilled them to pronounce correctly, she gave a despairing -look at their friend and, seeing something in her face -that invited her, cast herself into Gray Lady’s arms.</p> - -<hr class='tbk135'/> - -<p class='pindent'>After the flag had been lowered, duly examined, and -praised, and the crooked stars declared to be quite natural, -because, as Goldilocks truthfully remarked, “real stars -twinkle and always look crooked, you know,” Gray -Lady said: “Now that I know the beautiful surprise -you had for me, I will tell you a little secret of my own. -It is true, as rumour says, that Miss Wilde is going to leave -Foxes Corners school at the term end, but <span class='it'>not</span> to go to -Bridgeton.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“She is going to have a little school all of her own in -the big room at Swallow Chimney, with Goldilocks and -as many of you for pupils as wish to go to the High -School by and by and are ready for the eighth grade. -Yes, I have arranged it with the school committee, and -<span class='pageno' title='437' id='Page_437'></span> -it is perfectly satisfactory to them. Oh! children, do -not smother me!”</p> - -<p class='pindent'>Then Tommy Todd suddenly realized that he had -not only thought of following Sarah’s example and -hugging Gray Lady, but that he had actually done so!</p> - -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;'>THE END</p> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<div><h1 class='nobreak'>INDEX</h1></div> - -<div class='lgl' style=''> <!-- rend=';' --> -<p class='line'>Birds, Travels of, <a href='#travels'>136</a>-153.</p> -<p class='line'>Blackbird, Red-winged, <a href='#rwbird'>333</a>-340.</p> -<p class='line'>Bluebird, <a href='#bbird'>313</a>-317.</p> -<p class='line'>Bobolink, <a href='#bobo1'>21</a>, <a href='#bobo2'>34</a>, <a href='#bobo3'>147</a>, <a href='#bobo4'>226</a>-228, <a href='#bobo5'>403</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Bob-white (Quail), <a href='#bobW1'>145</a>, <a href='#bobW2'>199</a>-202.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'>Cardinal, <a href='#card1'>145</a>, <a href='#card2'>277</a>, <a href='#card3'>282</a>-288.</p> -<p class='line'>Catbird, <a href='#cat1'>32</a>, <a href='#cat2'>366</a>, <a href='#cat3'>382</a>, <a href='#cat4'>383</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Chat, Yellow-breasted, <a href='#chat1'>403</a>, <a href='#chat2'>411</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Chickadee, <a href='#cdee1'>25</a>-27, <a href='#cdee2'>181</a>, <a href='#cdee3'>246</a>, <a href='#cdee4'>355</a>-356.</p> -<p class='line'>Chippy, Winter, see Tree-Sparrow.</p> -<p class='line'>Cowbird, <a href='#cow1'>333</a>, <a href='#cow2'>336</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Creeper, Brown, <a href='#brown'>184</a>-186.</p> -<p class='line'>Crossbill, Red-winged, <a href='#redcross'>252</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Crossbill, White-winged, <a href='#cross2'>252</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Crow, <a href='#crow1'>10</a>-11, <a href='#crow3'>107</a>-109, <a href='#crow4'>114</a>-128.</p> -<p class='line'>Cuckoo, Yellow-billed, <a href='#cuck1'>403</a>, <a href='#cuck2'>404</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Curlew, Eskimo, <a href='#curl'>148</a>.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'>Dove, Mourning, <a href='#dove1'>219</a>-220.</p> -<p class='line'>Duck, Wood, <a href='#duck'>213</a>-215.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'>Finch, Purple, <a href='#pfinch'>363</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Flicker, <a href='#flick'>189</a>-194.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'>Goldfinch, American, <a href='#gold1'>247</a>, <a href='#gold2'>422</a>-426.</p> -<p class='line'>Goose, Wild, <a href='#goose'>356</a>-358.</p> -<p class='line'>Grackle, Purple, <a href='#grack1'>117</a>, <a href='#grack2'>337</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Grackle, Rusty, <a href='#grack3'>337</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Grosbeak, Rose-breasted, <a href='#gros1'>403</a>, <a href='#gros2'>426</a>-430.</p> -<p class='line'>Grouse, Ruffed (Partridge), <a href='#ruff1'>197</a>-199, <a href='#ruff2'>203</a>-208.</p> -<p class='line'>Gull, Herring or Harbour, <a href='#gull1'>229</a>, <a href='#gull2'>232</a>-241.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'>Hawks, <a href='#hawk1'>157</a>, etc.</p> -<p class='line'>Hawk, American Sparrow, <a href='#hawk2'>172</a>-174.</p> -<p class='line'>Hawk, Harrier, <a href='#hawk3'>171</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Hawk, Marsh, <a href='#hawk4'>171</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Hawk, Red-shouldered, <a href='#hawk5'>154</a>, <a href='#hawk6'>171</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Heron, Great Blue, <a href='#heron'>363</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Heron, Snowy Egret, <a href='#egret1'>50</a>, <a href='#egret2'>65</a>-72.</p> -<p class='line'>Humming-bird, Ruby-throated, <a href='#hum1'>366</a>, <a href='#hum2'>375</a>-376, <a href='#hum3'>403</a>.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'>Indigo-bird, <a href='#indigo1'>279</a>-281, <a href='#indigo2'>403</a>.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'>Jay, Blue, <a href='#jay1'>25</a>, <a href='#jay2'>116</a>, <a href='#jay3'>128</a>-135.</p> -<p class='line'>Junco, <a href='#junc1'>250</a>, <a href='#junc2'>308</a>.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'>Killdeer, <a href='#killd1'>220</a>, <a href='#killd2'>223</a>-225.</p> -<p class='line'>Kingbird, <a href='#kbird'>403</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Kingfisher, <a href='#kingf'>340</a>-350.</p> -<p class='line'>Kinglet, Golden-crowned, <a href='#king1'>250</a>, <a href='#king2'>251</a>.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'>Lark, Horned, <a href='#lark'>297</a>.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'>Martin, Purple, <a href='#mart1'>95</a>, <a href='#mart2'>96</a>, <a href='#mart3'>99</a>, <a href='#mart4'>101</a>, <a href='#mart5'>365</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Meadowlark, <a href='#mead1'>217</a>-218, <a href='#mead2'>337</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Migration of Birds, <a href='#mig'>136</a>-153.</p> -<p class='line'>Mockingbird, <a href='#mock1'>271</a>-274, <a href='#mock2'>277</a>, <a href='#mock3'>289</a>, <a href='#mock4'>290</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Murres, <a href='#murre'>143</a>.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'>Nest-Building, <a href='#nest'>358</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Nighthawk, <a href='#nhawk1'>147</a>-153, <a href='#nhawk2'>366</a>, <a href='#nhawk3'>369</a>-372, <a href='#nhawk4'>403</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Nonpareil, <a href='#non1'>276</a>, <a href='#non2'>278</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Nuthatch, White-breasted, <a href='#nut1'>178</a>-180, <a href='#nut2'>183</a>.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'>Oriole, Baltimore, <a href='#orio1'>403</a>, <a href='#orio2'>412</a>-420.</p> -<p class='line'>Ostrich, <a href='#ost1'>65</a>, <a href='#ost2'>73</a>-79.</p> -<p class='line'>Ovenbird, <a href='#oven'>365</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Owls, <a href='#owl1'>157</a>, etc.</p> -<p class='line'>Owl, Barn, <a href='#barn1'>166</a>-167.</p> -<p class='line'>Owl, Barred, <a href='#owlbar1'>163</a>, <a href='#owlbar2'>166</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Owl, Great Horned, <a href='#horned1'>163</a>, <a href='#horned2'>165</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Owl, Gray, see Screech Owl.</p> -<p class='line'>Owl, Mottled, see Screech Owl.</p> -<p class='line'>Owl, Red, see Screech Owl.</p> -<p class='line'>Owl, Screech, <a href='#screech'>158</a>-162.</p> -<p class='line'>Owl, Short-eared, <a href='#short'>166</a>-169.</p> -<p class='line'>Owl, Snowy, <a href='#snowy'>295</a>.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'>Partridge, see Ruffed Grouse.</p> -<p class='line'>Phœbe, <a href='#phe1'>32</a>, <a href='#phe2'>335</a>, <a href='#phe3'>350</a>-354.</p> -<p class='line'>Plover, Upland, <a href='#plovup'>220</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Plover, Golden, <a href='#plovg'>148</a>-150.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'>Quail, see Bob-White.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'>Redpoll, <a href='#redpoll'>297</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Redstart, <a href='#reds1'>249</a>, <a href='#reds2'>403</a>, <a href='#reds3'>408</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Robin, <a href='#rob1'>23</a>, <a href='#rob2'>322</a>, <a href='#rob3'>326</a>-332.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'>Sandpiper, Least, <a href='#least'>220</a>-222.</p> -<p class='line'>Sandpiper, Spotted, <a href='#spot1'>220</a>-223, <a href='#spot2'>365</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Sapsucker, Yellow-bellied, <a href='#sap1'>188</a>-189.</p> -<p class='line'>Shrike, Northern, <a href='#shrike'>298</a>-299.</p> -<p class='line'>Snowbird, Gray, see Junco.</p> -<p class='line'>Sparrow, Chipping, <a href='#sparchip'>364</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Sparrow, Fox, <a href='#sparfox'>334</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Sparrow, Song, <a href='#song1'>21</a>, <a href='#song2'>318</a>-325.</p> -<p class='line'>Sparrow, Tree, <a href='#tree'>249</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Sparrow, Vesper, <a href='#vesp'>363</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Sparrow, White-throated, <a href='#sparwh'>298</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Starling, English, <a href='#star'>110</a>-113.</p> -<p class='line'>Swallows, <a href='#swal1'>89</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Swallow, Bank, <a href='#swalb1'>91</a>-95, <a href='#swalb2'>98</a>, <a href='#swalb3'>101</a>, <a href='#swalb4'>365</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Swallow, Barn, <a href='#barnsw1'>21</a>, <a href='#barnsw2'>91</a>-94, <a href='#barnsw3'>98</a>, <a href='#barnsw4'>101</a>, <a href='#barnsw5'>365</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Swallow, Chimney, see Chimney Swift.</p> -<p class='line'>Swallow, Cliff, or Eave, <a href='#cliff1'>93</a>, <a href='#cliff2'>95</a>, <a href='#cliff3'>98</a>-99.</p> -<p class='line'>Swallow, Tree, <a href='#tree1'>94</a>, <a href='#tree2'>98</a>, <a href='#tree3'>101</a>, <a href='#tree4'>364</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Swallow, White-breasted, <a href='#whiteb'>93</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Swift, Chimney, <a href='#swift1'>90</a>, <a href='#swift2'>152</a>, <a href='#swift3'>366</a>, <a href='#swift4'>372</a>-375.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'>Tanager, Scarlet, <a href='#tan1'>34</a>, <a href='#tan2'>403</a>, <a href='#tan3'>420</a>-422.</p> -<p class='line'>Thistle-bird, see Goldfinch.</p> -<p class='line'>Thrasher, Brown, <a href='#thrash1'>366</a>, <a href='#thrash2'>381</a>-383.</p> -<p class='line'>Thrush, Golden-crowned, see Ovenbird.</p> -<p class='line'>Thrush, Wood, <a href='#wood1'>366</a>, <a href='#wood2'>377</a>-379.</p> -<p class='line'>Thrush, Brown, see Thrasher.</p> -<p class='line'>Turnstone, <a href='#turn'>148</a>.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'>Veery, <a href='#veery1'>366</a>, <a href='#veery2'>380</a>-381, <a href='#veery3'>403</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Vireo, Red-eyed, <a href='#vireored1'>403</a>, <a href='#vireored2'>405</a>-407.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'>Wake-up, see Flicker.</p> -<p class='line'>Warbler, Black-and-white, <a href='#warbbw'>365</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Warbler, Myrtle, <a href='#warbmyr1'>250</a>, <a href='#warbmyr2'>251</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Warbler, Yellow, <a href='#yellow'>403</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Warbler, Yellow-rumped, see Myrtle Warbler.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'>Whip-poor-will, <a href='#whip1'>335</a>, <a href='#whip2'>365</a>-367.</p> -<p class='line'>Wilson’s Thrush, see Veery.</p> -<p class='line'>Woodcock, <a href='#cock1'>201</a>, <a href='#cock2'>209</a>-212.</p> -<p class='line'>Woodpeckers, <a href='#woodp'>187</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Woodpecker, Downy, <a href='#downy'>194</a>-196.</p> -<p class='line'>Woodpecker, Golden-winged, see Flicker.</p> -<p class='line'>Woodpecker, Partridge, see Flicker.</p> -<p class='line'>Woodpecker, Pigeon, see Flicker.</p> -<p class='line'>Wren, House, <a href='#housew'>366</a>.</p> -<p class='line'>Wren, Winter, <a href='#wrenwin'>248</a>.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'>Yellowbird, Summer, <a href='#ybird'>408</a>-409.</p> -<p class='line'>Yellowhammer, see Flicker.</p> -<p class='line'>Yellowthroat, Maryland, <a href='#throat1'>403</a>, <a href='#throat2'>410</a>.</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<hr class='pbk'/> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;font-size:1.8em;font-weight:bold;'>OUT-DOOR BOOKS BY “BARBARA”</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:center;margin-top:1.1em;'>(<span class='it'>MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT</span>)</p> - -<p class='line' style='text-align:right;margin-right:4em;margin-top:1.2em;'><span class='it'>Each</span>, $1.50</p> - -<hr class='tbk136'/> - -<div class='lgl' style=''> <!-- rend=';' --> -<p class='line' style='font-size:1.2em;font-weight:bold;'>The Garden of a Commuter’s Wife</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'><span class='it'>Recorded by the Gardener, with eight photogravure illustrations</span></p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'>“ ‘The Garden of a Commuter’s Wife’ is a legend which gives no hint of -the wit and wisdom and graceful phrase within its covers. The Commuter’s -charming woman writes of her suburban garden, her original servants, and -various other incidents which come in the course of living in a thoroughly -human way. She reminds one of Elizabeth of ‘German Garden’ fame in more -ways than one, but being American she is broader, more versatile and humorous, -if not also more poetic. It breathes an air of cheery companionship, of -flowers, birds, all nature, and the warm affection of human friendship. Its -philosophy is wholesome, unselfish, and kindly, and the Commuter’s Wife, who -writes her own memoirs, is one we would be glad to number among our -friends.”—<span class='it'>The Evening Post</span>, Chicago.</p> - -</div> - -<hr class='tbk137'/> - -<div class='lgl' style=''> <!-- rend=';' --> -<p class='line' style='font-size:1.2em;font-weight:bold;'>People of the Whirlpool</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'><span class='it'>From the Experience Book of a Commuter’s Wife</span></p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'><span class='it'>With eight illustrations</span></p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'>“They who have read ‘The Garden of a Commuter’s Wife’ know what to -expect in this, ‘The Experience Book’ of the same delightful Barbara; but to -the uninitiated, who light upon the book without preconceived ‘notions’ of -what it is, it will come with a double note of delight.”—<span class='it'>New York Times’ Saturday Review</span>.</p> - -<p class='pindent'>“The whole book is delicious, with wise and kindly humor, its just perspectives -of the true values of things, its clever pen pictures of people and -customs, and its healthy optimism for the great world in general.”—<span class='it'>The Evening Telegraph</span>, Philadelphia.</p> - -</div> - -<hr class='tbk138'/> - -<div class='lgl' style=''> <!-- rend=';' --> -<p class='line' style='font-size:1.2em;font-weight:bold;'>The Garden, You and I</p> -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'><span class='it'>With a Frontispiece in Colors and Other Illustrations</span></p> -</div> <!-- end rend --> - -<div class='blockquote'> - -<p class='pindent'>“The garden and its flowers are the dominant interest, of course, but it is so -managed that they shall serve as a setting for the human activities that engage -a good share of the reader’s attention. There runs through the book that -strong and hearty nature which is characteristic of all this author’s work. -Before everything else, it is an outdoor book. It tells for the most part the tale -of the open-air seasons.”—<span class='it'>Brooklyn Eagle</span>.</p> - -</div> - -<hr class='tbk139'/> - -<p class='line' style='margin-top:2em;font-size:1.1em;font-weight:bold;'>Transcriber’s Notes:</p> - -<p class='noindent'> A few obvious typesetting errors have been corrected without note. Some illustrations -have been moved slightly to keep paragraphs intact.</p> - -<p class='line'> </p> -<p class='line'> </p> - -<p class='noindent'>[End of <span class='it'>Gray Lady and the Birds</span> by Mabel Osgood Wright]</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Gray Lady and the Birds, by Mabel Osgood Wright - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GRAY LADY AND THE BIRDS *** - -***** This file should be named 62793-h.htm or 62793-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/7/9/62793/ - -Produced by Mardi Desjardins & the online Distributed -Proofreaders Canada team at https://www.pgdpcanada.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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