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CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 
 
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CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 SCENES FROM BIRD-LIFE 
 
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Long-eared Owl. 
 
 (See page 331.) 
 
CITIZEN BIHU 
 
 'nn-LIFU IN PLAIN 
 
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JjiS<;^KAHK)J ' IWI:. 
 
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CITIZKN JilKD 
 
 SCENES FROM BIBB-LIFE IN PLAIN 
 ENGLISH FOIi BEGINNERS 
 
 BY 
 
 MAT.KL OSGOOD WRIGHT 
 
 AM) 
 
 ELLIOTT CO UES 
 
 WITH ONE IIUNDKKI) AND ELEVEN ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 itv 
 
 L(_1UIS AGASSIZ PUERTES 
 
 THE MA CM ILL AN COMPANY 
 
 LONDON: MACMILLAN & CO., Ltd, 
 LS97 
 
 All fhjlit.^ reserved 
 

 1 a^l 
 
 Copyright, 1S9T, 
 By the MACMILLAN COMPANY 
 
 J. S. Cushinp; & Cn. - Bi-rwick & Smith 
 Nurwuud Mass. U.S.A. 
 
ALL BOYS AND GIRLS 
 WHO LOVK liiuns 
 
 AND WISH TO I'HOIECT TIIEM 
 
 (!ri)is Book is SrtiiratclJ 
 
 BV TltK Al'TIIOIiS 
 
SCENE : 
 TllK OUCMAKI' 1-'ak^i. 
 
 TIME : 
 
 FkOM Sl'UlNi: TO AriLMN. 
 
 CHARAVrEKfi : 
 V>R. Roy IU;nti:r, a naturalist. 
 Olive, the Doctor's daughter. 
 Nat and Dodo, the Doctor's nepliew and niece. 
 Kai', a country boy. 
 Mammy Bi;n, an uld colored nurse. 
 Olaf, a fisherman. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 PAGE 
 OvKRTdRE BY TllH BlRr>S ........ 1 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 The UocTciit's Woni>er Rooii ....... 9 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 A Sparrow settles the Questihx ...... 15 
 
 CHAPTER ]V 
 The BuiLiuNG of a Biimi ........ 2.5 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 Citizen Bird ........... 48 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 The Bird as a Traveller ........ 03 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 The Bird's Nest .73 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 Beginning of the Bird Stories ...... 87 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 A Silver-tongised Family 93 
 
 Bluebird — Robin — Wood Tlirusli — Wilson's Thrush — Ilur- 
 mit Thrush — Olive-backed Thrush. 
 
TABLE OF COyrE.NTS 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Peepers and Creepers ........ 117 
 
 Golden-crowned Kinglet — White-breasted Nntliatch — Chick- 
 adee — Brown Creeper. 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 Mockers and Scoli>ees ........ 129 
 
 Sage Thraslicr — Mockingbird — C^atbird — Brown Tliraslier 
 
 — Rock Wren — House Wren — Long-billed Marsli Wren. 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 Woodland Warp.i.ers . . . . . . . . ,1.53 
 
 Black-and-white AVarbler — Yellow Warl)ler — Yellow- 
 ruuiped ^Varbler — (.)venbird — JMaryland Yellow-throat 
 
 — Yellow-breasted Chat — American Redstart. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 Around xnE Old Earn ........ 175 
 
 Red-eyed Vireo — Great Northern Slirilve — Cedar Waxwing. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 TnE Swallows 187 
 
 Purple Martin — Barn Swallow — Tree Swallow — Bank 
 Swallow. 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 A Brilliant Pair . 19^ 
 
 Scarlet Tanager — Louisiana Tanager. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 A Tribe of Weed Warriors ....... 201 
 
 Pine Grosbeak — American Crossbill — American Goldfinch 
 
 — Snowflake — Vesper Sparrow — White-throated Spar- 
 row — Chipping Sparrow — Slate-colored Junco — Song 
 Sparrow — Towdiee — Cardinal — Rose-breasted Grosbeak 
 
 — Indigo Bird. 
 
TABLE OF CONTEWTS xiii 
 
 ClIAPTKl! XVU 
 
 PAGK 
 
 A Mir>si:M:\[Kit ExcunsKiN 249 
 
 JSoboliiik — Orcliai-a Orinlc— Balliuinre Oriole — Cuwliird — 
 Red-winged Blackbird — Purple Grackle — Jleadowlark. 
 
 ClIAL'TKli XVm 
 
 Crows and theiu Coisixs 275 
 
 American Crow — JJlue Jay. 
 
 CIIAITER XIX 
 A Feathekei) Fisiii;n,MAN 281 
 
 The Osprey. 
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 Some Sky Sweepers 284 
 
 Kingbird — Phoebe — AVood Pewee. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 HU.IIJIERS AND CllI5INEY SwEEI'S ....... 291 
 
 Ruby-throated Hummingbird — CInniney Swift. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 Two Winged Mvstecries ........ 301 
 
 Nightliawk — Whii:i-poor-will. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 A IjAugiiing Familv ,306 
 
 Downy Woodpecker — Red-headed Woodpecker — Flicker 
 
 — Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 Two Odd Fellows 318 
 
 Kingfisher — Yellowd^illed Cuckoo. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 Cannidals in Court ......... 324 
 
 Bald Eagle — Golden Eagle — Screech Owl — Long-eared 
 Owl — Snowy Owl — Great Horned Owl — JIarsh Hawk 
 
 — Sharp-shinned Hawk — Red-shouldered Hawk — Spar- 
 row Hawk. 
 
xiv TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 A Cooing Pair 
 
 Passenger Pigeon — Mourning Dove. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 344 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 Three Famous Game Bikds "*'' 
 
 Bob White — Ruffled Grouse — Woodcock. 
 
 357 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII 
 On the Shore .....-.■■ 
 
 A Long-neclced Family: Blaclc-crowned Niglit Heron — 
 American Bittern — A Bonnet IMartyr and a Blue Giant 
 
 — Snowy Egret — Great Blue Heron. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX 
 Up the River .......... 375 
 
 Turnstone — Golden Plover — Wilson's Snipe — Spotted 
 Sandpiper — Least Sandpiper — Virginia Rail. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX 
 Dltcks axii Drakes ......... 389 
 
 Wood Duck — Black Duck — JMallard — Pintail — Green- 
 winged Teal — Blue-winged Teal — Redhead — Old Squaw 
 
 — Hooded Merganser. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI 
 
 Gulls and Terns at Home 408 
 
 Canada Goose — American Herring Gull — Common Tern 
 
 — Loon — Pied-billed Grebe. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII 
 Chorus by the Biros ......... 417 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIIl 
 
 Procession or Birh Families ....... 420 
 
 INDEX 429 
 
CITIZEN^ VARD 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 OVERTURE BY THE BIRDS 
 
 " We would have you to ^Yit, that on eg^;'s though we sit, 
 And are spiked on the spit, and are baked in a iian ; 
 Birds are older by far tlian your ancestors are. 
 
 And made love and made war, ere the making of man 1 " 
 
 (Andfew Liiiifj.) 
 
 A PAETY of Swallows perulied ou the telegrajjli wires 
 beside the highway where it passed Orchard Farm. 
 The}' were resting after a Ijreakfast of insects, wliicli 
 they had caught on the wing, after the custom of their 
 family. As it Avas only the first of May they had 
 plenty of time before nest-building, and so were having 
 a little neighborly chat. 
 
 If you had glanced at tliese birds carelessly, you 
 might have thought they -were all of one kind ; but 
 they were not. Tlie smallest was the Bank Swallow, 
 a sober-hued little fellow, with a short, sharp-pointed 
 tail, his back feathers looking like a dusty l)rown 
 cloak, fastened in front by a neck-band between his 
 light throat and breast. 
 
 Next to him 2)erched the IJarn Swallow, a bit larger, 
 with a tail like an open pair of glistening scissors and 
 
 B 1 
 
2 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 his face and throat a Ijeautiful rudd}- buff. There 
 Avere so many glints of eokir on Iiis steel-bine l)aelc and 
 wings, as he S2>rea.d tliem in the sun, that it seemed as 
 if in some of his fliglits he must have collided with a 
 great soap-bubljle, which left its shifting hues npon 
 him as it burst. 
 
 This Barn Swallow was very much worried about 
 something, and talked so fast to his friend the Tree 
 Swallow, that his words sounded like twitters and 
 giggles ; but you would know they were words, if you 
 could only understand them. 
 
 The Tree Swallow wore a greenish-black cloak and a 
 spotless wliite vest. He was trying to be polite and 
 listen to the liarn Swallow as well as to the Purple 
 Martin (the biggest Swallow of all), who ■was a little 
 furtlier along on the wire ; but as they both spoke at 
 once, he found it a dihicult matter. 
 
 " We shall all be turned out, I know," complained 
 tlie Barn Swallow, " and after we have as good as 
 owned Orchard Farm these three years, it is too bad. 
 Those meddlesome House People have put two new 
 pieces of glass in the hayloft window, and how shall I 
 ever get in to build my nest ? " 
 
 " They may leave the window open," said the Bank 
 Swallow soothingly, for he had a cheerful disposition ; 
 " I have noticed that hayloft windows are usually left 
 open in warm weather." 
 
 " Yes, they may leave it open, and then shut it some 
 day after I have gone in," snapped Barney, darting off 
 the perch to catch a fly, and grasping the wire so vio- 
 lently on his return, that the other birds fluttered and 
 almost lost their footinff. 
 
OVERTURE BY THE BIRD.S 6 
 
 '• What is all tliis trouble about ? '" asked tlie Martin 
 in his soft rich voice. " I live ten miles further up 
 country, and only pass here twice a year, so that I do 
 not know the latest news. Wiiy must you leave the 
 farm ? It seems to be a charming place for liird People. 
 I see a little box under the barn eaves that would make 
 me a fine house," 
 
 "It is a delightful place for us," replied the Barn 
 Swallow; "but now the House People -who own the 
 farm are coming back to live here themselves, and 
 everything is turned topsy-turvy. They should have 
 asked us if we were willing for them to come. Bird 
 People are of a juhcIi older race than House People 
 anyway ; it says so in their books, for I heard Hap, the 
 lame boy down b}' the mill, reading about it one day 
 w'hen he was sitting by the river." 
 
 All the other birds laughed merrily at this, and the 
 Martin said, "Don't be greedy. Brother Barney; those 
 people are quite welcome to their barns and houses, 
 if the}' will only let us build in their trees. Bird 
 People own the whole sky and some of our race dive in 
 the sea and swim in the rivers where no House People 
 can follow us." 
 
 " You may say what you please," chattered poor 
 unhappy Barney, " everything is awry. The Wrens 
 alwaj's built behind the window-blinds, and now these 
 blinds are flung wdde open. The Song Sparrow nested 
 in the long grass under the lilac bushes, but now it is 
 all cut short ; and they have trimmed awa)^ the nice 
 mossy branches in the orchard where hundreds of the 
 brothers built. Besides this, the Bluebird made his 
 nest in a hole in the top of the old gate post, and what 
 
4 CITIZEN BIItD 
 
 have those people done but put up a new post with 710 
 hole in it ! " 
 
 " Dear ! dear ! Think of it, think of it ! " sang the 
 Bluebird softly, taking his place on the wire with the 
 others. 
 
 " What if these people should bring children with 
 tliein," continued Barney, who had not finished airing 
 his grievances — " little boys and cats! Children 
 who might climb up to our nests and steal our eggs, 
 boys with guns perluips, and striped cats which no one 
 can see, with feet that make no sound, and s^ich claws 
 and teeth — it makes me shiver to think of it." And 
 all the birds shook so that the wire quivered and the 
 Bank .Swallow fell off, or would have fallen, if he had 
 not spread his wings and saved himself. 
 
 The Martin had nothing to say to this, but the little 
 Bank Swallow, though somewhat shaken up, whispered, 
 "There may be children who do not rob nests, and 
 other boys like Rap, who would never shoot us. Cats 
 are always sad things for birds, but these House People 
 may not keep any! " And then he moved down a wire 
 or two, frightened at having given his opinion. 
 
 At that moment a Chimney Swift joined the group. 
 This Swift, who nests in chimneys, is the sooty-colored 
 bird that flies and feeds on the wing like a Swallow, 
 and when he is in the air looks like a big spruce cone 
 with wings. He was followed by a Catbird, who had 
 been in a honeysuckle, by one of the farmhouse win- 
 dows, and peeped inside out of curiosity. Both were 
 excited and evidently bubbling over with news, which 
 half the birds of the orchard were following them to 
 hear. 
 
OVERTURE BY THE IlIRDS 5 
 
 "I know all about it," cried the Swift, settling him- 
 self for a long talk. 
 
 " Fve seen the House People I " screamed the Cathird. 
 
 "They wish well to the Bird People, and we shall Ije 
 happier than before ! " squeaked the Swift, breathless 
 and eager. " Listen! " — and the l)irds all huddled to- 
 gether. " This morning when I flew down the chim- 
 ney, wondering if I should dare build my nest there 
 again, I heard a noise on the outside, so 1 dropped as 
 far as I could and listened. 
 
 " A voice said, ' Mammy Pun, we will leave this 
 chimney for the birds ; do not make a fire here until 
 after they have nested! ' I was so surprised that I 
 nearly fell into the grate." 
 
 "And I," interrupted the C'atl)ird, "was looking in 
 the window and saw the man who spoke, and Alammy 
 Bun too. Slie is a very big person, wide like a wood- 
 chuck, and has a dark face like the House People down 
 in the warm country where I si)eud the winter." 
 
 " There are children at the farm, I've seen them too," 
 cried the Phcebe, who usually lived under the eaves of 
 the cow-shed; "three of them — one big girl, one little 
 girl, and a boy! " 
 
 "I told you so! " lisped the Barn Swallow; and a 
 chorus of ohs and ahs arose that sounded like a strange 
 message buzzing along the wires. 
 
 " The BOY has a pocket full of pebljles and a sJiooter" 
 gasped the Phoebe, pausing as if nothing more shocking 
 could be said. 
 
 " Yes, but the big girl coaxed the shooter away from 
 him," said the Chimney Swift, who was quite provoked 
 because his story had been interrupted; "she said, 
 
6 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 ' Cousin Nat, father won't let you shoot birds here or 
 do anytlung to frighten them away, for he loves them 
 and lias spent half his life watching them and learning 
 their ways, and they have grown so fearless hereabouts 
 that the}^ are like friends.' 
 
 "But Nat said, ' Do let me shoot some. Cousin Olive. 
 I don't see why Uncle Roy likes them. What good 
 are birds anyway? They only sit in the street and 
 say "chuck, chuck, chuck" all day long.' 
 
 " ' You say that because you have always lived in the 
 city and the only birds you have watched are the Eng- 
 lish Sparrows, who are really as disagreeable as birds 
 can possibly be,' said the big girl; 'but here you will 
 see all the beautiful wild birds.' 
 
 " Then the little girl said, ' Whjr, brother, j^ou always 
 loved our Canary! ' 
 
 " ' Yes, but he is different; he is nice and yellow, and 
 he knows something and sings too like everj'thing; he 
 isn't like these common tree birds.' " 
 
 "Common tree birds indeed! " shrieked the Catbird. 
 
 " That is wliat the boy called us," said the Chimney 
 Swift, who then went on with his story about what he 
 had heard the children say. 
 
 " 'Why you silly dear! ' cried the big girl, laughing 
 a sweet little laugh like the Bobolink's song, ' that only 
 proves how little you know about wild birds. Plenty 
 of them are more brightly colored than your Canarj^, 
 and some of those that wear the plainest feathers sinp- 
 more beautifully than all the Canaries and cage birds in 
 the world. This summer, when you have made friends 
 with these wild birds, and they have let you see their 
 homes and learn their secrets, yon will make up your 
 
OVERTURE BY THE BIRDS 7 
 
 mind that there are no common birds; for every one of 
 them has something very uncommon about it.' 
 
 " Then our brother B. Oriole began to sing in the 
 sugar maple over the shed. The sun was shining on 
 his gay coat ; the little girl pointed to him and whis- 
 pered, ' Hush, Nat ! you see Olive is right ; please 
 empty the stones out of your pocket.' " 
 
 The Chimney Swift had hardly finished his story 
 Avhen there was another excitement. 
 
 "News, more news! " called the Bank Swallow joy- 
 full}-. He had been taking a skim over the meadows 
 and orchard. "These House People do not keep cats! " 
 
 " They may not have any now, but that doesn't 
 prove they never will," said a Robin crossly. He had 
 just flown against a window, not understanding about 
 the glass, and had a headache in consecpience. 
 
 " They never will keej) cats,"' insisted the little Swal- 
 low boldly. 
 
 " How do you know?" asked the birds in one breath. 
 
 " Because they keep dor/s ! " said Bankey, twittering 
 with glee; "two nice dogs. One big and buff and bushy, 
 with a much finer tail than the jiroudest fox you ever 
 saw ; and the other small and white with some dark 
 spots, and as quick as a squirrel. This one has a short 
 tail that sticks uj) like a AVren's and a nose like a 
 weasel ; one ear stands up and the other hangs down ; 
 and he has a terrible wink in one eye. Even a poor 
 little Bank Swallow knows that where one of tliese 
 dogs lives the Bird People need not fear either cats 
 or rats!" 
 
 " I love dogs," said the black-and-white Downy 
 Woodf)ecker, running up a telegraph pole in search of 
 
8 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 gTul)s ; "dogs have liones to eat and I like to pick 
 bones, especially in winter." 
 
 " Me too," chimed in the Nuthatch, who walks chiefly 
 head down and wears a fashionahle white vest and black 
 necktie with a gray coat ; " and sometimes they leave 
 bits of fat about. Yes, dogs are very friendly things 
 indeed." 
 
 Then a joyful murmur ran all along the wires, and 
 Farmer Griggs, who was driving past, said to himself, 
 " Powerful lot of 'lectricity on to-day ; should think 
 them Swallers would get shock't and kil't." But it 
 was only, the birds whispering together ; agreeing to 
 return to their old haunts at Orchard Farm and give 
 the House Children a chance to learn that there are 
 no such thino's as " common " birds. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 THE DOCTOR'S WONDER ROOM 
 
 Nathaniel and Theodora, who were called Nat and 
 Dodo for short, were standing in the hallway outside 
 Dr. Hunter's door, engaged in a very lively argument. 
 
 "I say birds are animals," blustered Nat, pounding 
 his fists together after a fashion of his own. 
 
 "And I'm as sure as anything that they emit he," 
 persisted Dodo, " because tliey liave feathers, and notli- 
 ing else has." 
 
 " That doesn't prove anything. Everything that 
 lives and grows is either an animal or a vegetable. 
 Do j'ou think that birds grow like potatoes and are 
 dug out of the ground, or come off trees like apples?" 
 And Nat gave himself an air of great wisdom, such as 
 brothers are apt to wear when they are in the liftli 
 reader, and their sisters are only in the third. 
 
 " But isn't there anything besides animals and vege- 
 tables that they miglit be ? Perhaps tliey are miner- 
 als," said Dodo, briglitening up as she thought of the 
 word. 
 
 "Oh! oh! what a stu^Did you are, Dodo! Minerals I 
 Why those are rocks and such things, that can't move 
 and don't live." Nat laughed ratJier rudely, and, put- 
 ting his hands in his pockets, began to whistle. 
 
 " I think you might tell me ichat kind of an animal a 
 
10 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 bird is, and why it has featliers and can fly, instead of 
 laughing," said Dodo in a shaky voice ; for lier feel- 
 ings were very tender and she remembered too late 
 wliat minerals ;ire. 
 
 "Yes, tell her, Nat," said Olive, who came through 
 the hall just then. " Are you holding your knowledge 
 tight in your pockets, or whistling to keep from telling 
 it ? " 
 
 Nat scowled a minute and then said frankly, for 
 every one was frank with Olive, " I really don't know 
 what sort of an animal a bird is, though I'm sure it is 
 an animal. Don't you think Uncle Roy will tell us?" 
 
 "I'm sure he will be glad to, if he is not very busy, 
 and he is seldom too busy to talk of birds. He is 
 writing a book now of all the tilings he knows about 
 them. Knock on the door. Dodo." 
 
 " I'm afraid to," said Dodo, clasping her hands behind 
 her. " Mammy says that room is fiill of birds, and 
 that we must never go in there. Suppose when the 
 door opens they should get out and fly away ? " 
 
 " Mammy was right in telling you not to go in with- 
 out asking, because there are a great many books and 
 papers there that father values, and you might upset 
 them. Bat the birds that are there are not alive. 
 The}^ are dead birds that father has collected from all 
 parts of America — stuffed birds, such as you have 
 seen in the glass cases in the Museum." 
 
 "But, Cousin Olive," said Nat in astonishment, "if 
 Uncle Roy has shot enough birds to fill a big room, 
 why won't he let me pop at a few with my shooter ? " 
 
 "You must ask him whj' yourself, Nat. Knock 
 again. Dodo. Father, may we come in ? The children 
 
THE DOCTOirS WONDER IIOOM 11 
 
 are here, with [)oekets full of r|uestii>ns ; " and ( )live 
 opened the door of the study, whieh Dodo named 
 " the wonder room " that very day. 
 
 It was a very long room on the southwest side of tlie 
 house. The sun streamed in through three wide win- 
 dows, and at one end there was a deep hrejjlace with 
 hrass andirons upon which some logs smouldered, for 
 though it was a mild 'Slay day the great room felt cool. 
 Around the room were deep cases with glass doors, 
 from which peeped all kinds and sizes of hirds, while 
 lietween the tops of the cases and the ceiling the spaces 
 were filled hy colored hird pictures, llie Doctor's desk 
 stood in front of one window, heaped with papers and 
 books; down the middle of the room were low book- 
 cases standing back to back, and where these ended, 
 before the hearth, was a high-backed settle, almost as 
 long as a bed. 
 
 The children stood still for a minute, s[)eechless with 
 surprise and delight. Then Dodo made a rush for the 
 Doctor's chair, and hugging him round the neck, cried, 
 "Dear Uncle Roy, will you please let u,s stay in here 
 a little while, so that we can learn what sort of animals 
 birds are, and all about them? And will j'ou tell Nat 
 wh}' you let yourself shoot birds Avhen you won't let 
 him ? " Here Dodo stopjDed, both for lack of breath 
 and because she knew that her sentences were mixing 
 themselves dreadfully. 
 
 " So you have been here two whole days Avithout 
 finding me out," said the Doctor, seating Dodo com- 
 fortably on his knee. " Aren't j^ou afraid of the old 
 ogre who keeps so many birds prisoners in liis den, 
 and bewitches them so that the}' sit cpiite still and 
 
12 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 never even try to fly? You want to know about birds, 
 do you, Miss Dodo, and Nat feels grieved because I 
 won't let liim pop at our featbered neighbors that live 
 in the orcliavd ? Oh, yes, my boy, I know all about it, 
 you see ; Cousin Olive has been telling tales. Come 
 round here where I can see you. I can answer your 
 question more easily than I can Dodo's. Don't look 
 ashamed, for it is perfectly natural that you should 
 like to pop at birds until you learn to understand the 
 reasons why you should not. It was Ijecause you two 
 youngsters have seen so little of Nature and the things 
 that creep and crawl and fly, that I liegged you from 
 your parents for a time. 
 
 " House People are apt to grow selfish and cruel, 
 thinking they are the only people upon the earth, 
 unless they can sometimes visit the homes of the Beast 
 and Bird Brotherhood, and see that these can also love 
 and suffer and work like themselves. 
 
 " Now, my boy, before we begin to learn about the 
 birds I will partly answer your question, and you will 
 be able to answer it yourself before summer is over. 
 Animal life should never be taken except for some 
 good purpose. Birds are killed by scientists that their 
 structure and uses may be studied — just as doctors 
 must examine human bodies. But if you kill a bird, 
 of what use is its dead body to you ? " 
 
 " I would like to see if 1 could hit it, and then — I 
 — guess," hesitating, " I could find out its name better 
 if I had it in my hand." 
 
 "Ah, Nat, my lad, I thought so; first to see if j^ou 
 can hit it, and perhaps because you want to know the 
 bird's name. Did you ever think of trying to cut off 
 
THE Docroirs wonder uoom 13 
 
 one of your fingers with your jack-knife, to see if you 
 could do it, or how it is made ? " 
 
 " Why, no, uncle, it would hurt, and I couldn't put 
 it on again, and it wouldn't do me any good anyway, 
 for I could find out about it by asking a doctor, without 
 hurting myself." 
 
 " Yes, that is right ; a)id for the present you can 
 learn enough about birds without shooting them your- 
 self, and if you learn your lesson well you will never 
 shoot a song-bird." 
 
 " May we see the book you are writing. Uncle Roy, 
 and learn all about the birds out of it ? " 
 
 " It is written in words too long and difficult for }'ou 
 to understand. Here is a page on the desk — see if 
 you cau read it." 
 
 Nat stood by the Doctor's chair, but the longer he 
 looked at the page the more puzzled he became, and at 
 last he said, " I think, if you please, I'd rather have a 
 book with only the birds' plain American names." 
 Then he spelled out slowly, " C-y-a-n-o-c-i-t-t-a c-r-i- 
 s-t-a-t-a. Why, that's Latin, but it only means Blue 
 Jay." 
 
 " Couldn't you write a little book for us, uncle — 
 just a common little book, all in plain words ?" pleaded 
 Dodo. " There's plenty of paper here, and of course 
 the know-how is all in your head ; because Olive says 
 you know about every bird that lives in our America 
 — and then you need not put them Cjuite all in our 
 book." 
 
 " Bless your innocent heart ! How many different 
 kinds of birds do you think there are in 'our America,' 
 my little Yankee V " 
 
14 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 "More than a hundred, I guess," said Dodo after a 
 long pause. 
 
 " Nearly a thousand, my lady ! " 
 
 " A thousand ! I think we couldn't remember so 
 many. Does Olive know about ' nearly a thousand ' ? " 
 
 "No, nor about a quarter of them. Dodo. There are 
 a great many birds that are rare or curious, but are 
 not very interesting to people like 3'ou and me," said 
 Olive. 
 
 " Suppose you make us a little book about some of 
 the very nicest American Ijirds," put in Nat, who had 
 been looking at the row of stuffed birds in one of the 
 cases, and began to feel a real interest in knowing their 
 names and something about them. " (Jh, Uncle Roy ! 
 Here's a Robin. See ! Dodo, see ! I knew it in a min- 
 ute ; it's like meeting a fellow you know ; " and Nat 
 pranced about while the Doctor laughed as if he was 
 well pleased. 
 
 " Now, children," said he, " I have an hour's more 
 work this morning, and then we will talk over this 
 bird matter. Here is a little blank book, and a pencil 
 for each of you. Go down in the orchard, and when 
 you find a bird, write in the book liow it looks to 
 you. So — size, color of head, throat, breast, back, tail, 
 and wings — that will be enough for once ; but try to 
 remember, also, how it sings. You had better help them 
 a bit to begin with, daughter," he continued, turning to 
 Olive, who went as gladly as if she were only ten years 
 old like Nat, instead of being seventeen, and nearly 
 as tall as her father, with skirts that covered her boot 
 tops. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 A SPARROW SETTLES THE QUESTION 
 
 The apple trees were not yet in bloom in the orchard, 
 but the cherries were tricked out in dazzling white, and 
 the peaches were blushing as prettil}^ as possible. On 
 either side of the walk that led down through the gar- 
 den, hyacinths, great mats of single white violets and 
 bunches of yellow daffies were in flower, and as far as 
 the children could see the fresh green orchard grass 
 was gilded with dandelions. 
 
 " Isn't it lovely? " cried Dodo, " I want to pick everjr- 
 thing." She began to fill her liands with dandelions. 
 " Onl}^ I wish that mother was here" — and a little 
 quaver shook the merr}^ voice. 
 
 " She will come by and by, dear," said Olive. " You 
 know your father had to go away on business, and you 
 Avouldn't like him to go all alone." 
 
 " Why do people have business ? " 
 
 " To earn money, to be sure, to buy your pretty 
 frocks and shoes, and give you plenty to eat." 
 
 " But House People are the only ones who must 
 work for what they have — everything else takes what 
 it wants." 
 
 " There is where you are very much mistaken. Miss 
 Dodo. Everything works for its living in some way. 
 Take, for example, the Ijirds that you are going to 
 
 15 
 
16 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 study. They have to build their own liouses, and feed 
 their children, and travel about every year on their 
 own particular business." 
 
 " Travel ■ — do birds travel ? " cried both children in 
 the same breath. " Oh, where do they go, and what 
 for?" 
 
 " Father will tell you about that. Now you must 
 do what he said — each find a bird, and see if you can 
 describe it. Suppose we sit on this great root. It 
 belongs to the oldest tree in the orchard, and Grand- 
 mother Hunter used to play house up in the top of it 
 when she was a little girl. Father told me he had a 
 perch lip there when he was a boy, so that he could 
 watch the birds. Perhaps, if you are careful and 
 really want to keep quiet and see the birds, he will 
 have one fixed for you." 
 
 " How jolly! " said Nat. "Sh-li! I see a bird now — 
 such a queer little thing — it's running round like a 
 mouse. Oh! oh! it goes just as well upside chjwn as 
 any other way." And Nat pulled out his pencil and 
 book and waited for the bird to come in sight again, 
 which it was kind enough to do very soon. ' 
 
 " Size " — wrote Nat, struggling with his pencil, 
 which would squeak, because he had foolishly put it 
 in his mouth. " How big would you call it? " 
 
 " Little," said Dodo promptly. 
 
 " Kind of little, Ijut not so very. Fve seen smaller 
 in the Museum," said Nat. " What would you call it, 
 Olive ? " 
 
 " I should call it rather a small bird, if I were not 
 speaking exactly. But if you Mdsh to be more particu- 
 lar you must try to guess its length in inches. When 
 
A liPAKROM' HETTLES THE QUESTION 17 
 
 I was about your age father measured U13- riglit-liaiid 
 middle finger and told me it was three inches long. 
 Then he made two marks across it with violet ink, 
 which takes a long time to wash off, so that my finger 
 made a three-inch measure. I soon grew accustomed 
 to look at a bird and then at my finger, from nail to 
 knuckle, and then try to tell how many times longer 
 the l)ird was from the point of his beak down over his 
 back to the tip of his tail. (_)f course I made a great 
 many mistakes and could seldom tell exactly, but it 
 was a great help." 
 
 " How long is my finger ? " asked Nat eagerly, 
 spreading out a rather large hand for a bo}- of ten. 
 
 " jVljout four inches." 
 
 " Then that bird is qirite a little longer than that — 
 five or six inches anyway." And lie wrote, " Length, 
 five or six inches." 
 
 " Ah, he has gone," wailed Dodo. "• Oh, no, he 
 hasn't. He has come round the tree again — he says 
 sqiia7ik, squank, squank, a,s if his voice was rusty. Is 
 that his song. Cousin Olive?" 
 
 " No, he is only talking now." 
 
 " Talking ? It seems to me that birds can do ever 
 so many more things than I thought they possibly 
 could." 
 
 " Black head," said Nat, as he continued writing ; 
 "sort of gray on top and white in front; his tail is 
 black and white and rusty looking underneath, and 
 — there, he has flown awa)'! Do you think that will 
 do, and will uncle know his name ? Oh, I forgot, he 
 says squank, goes head down, and picks things out of 
 the tree bark." 
 c 
 
18 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 "'• Yes, that will do for a beginning, but fatiier will 
 tell you some simple names for the different parts of 
 every bird, so that your descriptions need not confuse 
 you. If every one gave his own names, no two people 
 would quite understand each other." 
 
 " Oh! I see a bird," whispered Dodo, pointing to the 
 grass at a little distance. "See! it's quite as big as a 
 Pigeon and sjjeckled all over black and brown and has 
 a red mark on the back of its neck. Please write it 
 down for me, Olive ; it takes me so long to write, and 
 I haven't seen it in front yet. There, it's turning 
 round — oh! it has a black mark in front of its neck 
 like a cravat and it's speckled underneath. It has 
 flown a little further off and is walking up a tree, and 
 it's very white on its back where its tail begins. Oh! 
 do hear it laugh, Nat." And the Flicker, the big 
 Woodpecker with golden lining to its wings, for it was 
 he, gave out peal after peal of his jolly call -note. 
 
 " Can't we go in now to ask Uncle Roy the names of 
 these birds, and see if he won't begin our book this 
 afternoon ? " 
 
 " It isn't an hour yet since we came out. Come 
 down through the orchard ; I hear some Bluebirds 
 singing and perhaps you can see them. Tliey are very 
 tame, and often make their nests in the knot holes in 
 these old trees." 
 
 " See, Olive," said Dodo, " what is that down in the 
 grass by the fence ? It is something moving. Do you 
 think it can be any sort of a wild animal?" 
 
 " No, it's a boj'," said Nat. "I see his head. Per- 
 haps he has come to catch some birds. Let's drive him 
 away." 
 
A SPAURO)V SETTLES THE QUESTION 19 
 
 " Gently, gently, Nat," Kiiid Olive ; " it is a boy, but 
 you are not sure that lie is doing any harm, and be- 
 sides it was only yesterday that you were vexed with 
 me because I wouldn't let you pop at the birds your- 
 self. We will ask liim what he is doing." 
 
 They went through the orchard, and found a boy, 
 about twelve years old, lying in the grass. He iiad 
 dark hair and eyes, and a sun-burned face, but was 
 very thin, and a rude crutch was lying beside liim. 
 
 " Well, little boy," said Olive pleasantly, " what is 
 your name, and what are you doing here?" 
 
 The child looked frightened at lirst and hid his face 
 on his arm, but finally looked up, and said timidly, 
 " My name is Rap, and I was watching tlie birds. 
 Please, I didn't know anybody liveil here, oidy cows, 
 and I've been coming in most times for two years." 
 
 Then they saw that he had a tattered piece of a book 
 in one hand, which he slipped inside his jacket as care- 
 fully as if it were a great treasure. 
 
 "Watching them to like them or to catch them?" 
 asked Nat suspiciously, then feeling ashamed the next 
 moment when Kap answered: 
 
 "To like them. I'd never kill a bird! I've some- 
 times found dead ones that have hit against the tele- 
 graph wires ; and it makes yon feel lumpy in your 
 throat to see how every little feather lies so soft and 
 lovely, though they never will fl}' any more." 
 
 By this time the three were seated in front of the 
 strange boy, looking at him with great interest. 
 
 " What is tire Ijook you were reading wlien we came 
 up?" asked Olive. Rap pulled it out and laid it on 
 her lap, saying, " I don't know its name — tlie begin- 
 
20 CITIZEN niRD 
 
 iiing part that tells is gone — but it's all about birds. 
 Here's a picture of a Bluebird, only it isn't quite 
 right, somehow. Oh, I do wish 1 had all of the 
 book." 
 
 Olive turned over the leaves that looked familiar to . 
 her and saw that it began at page 443. " Why, it is 
 part of the first volume of Nuttalhs '.Manual of Birds.' 
 My father has the whole of this book," she said. 
 " Where did you find this bit? " 
 
 " The rag pedler that comes liy every fall lets me 
 look in his bags, "cause sometimes there are paper books 
 in them, and he gave me this for notliing, 'cause it was 
 only a piece." 
 
 "Wliy don't you ask your father to buy you a 
 whole book, instead of grubbing in rag-bags?" said 
 Nat tlioughtlessly. 
 
 Rap looked from one to the otlier, as if in his inter- 
 est he had forgotten himself for a time, and then he 
 said quietly, "1 haven't any father." 
 
 " I haven't any mother," said (.)live quickly, putting 
 her hand gently on the thin brown one. " We must 
 be friends. Rap." 
 
 Her sympathy soothed him immediately, and his gen- 
 tle nature instantly tried to comfort her by saying, 
 " But you said your father owned the whole of my 
 book. How glad j^ou must be ! " 
 
 Tlien they all laughed, and Nat and Dodo began tell- 
 ing about their uncle's room and all the books and 
 birds in it, and about the book he had promised to 
 write for them, until Rap looked so bewildered that 
 Olive was obliged to explain things a little more clearly 
 to him. 
 
A SPAHnOW SETTLES THE QUESTION 21 
 
 " Come Iiome witli ns," cried Nat and Dodo, each 
 seizing him by a hand, " and periiaps uncle will tell you 
 all the names we must learn — head, throat, wings, and 
 what all tlie other parts are rightly called — and then 
 we can go around together and watch hirds." 
 
 But as Rap turned over and scrambled up with the 
 aid of his crutch, they saw that he had only one leg, 
 for the trouser of the left leg was tied together just 
 below the knee. 
 
 Acting as if they did not notice this, they led the 
 way to the house, going close to the fence that divided 
 the orchard from the road, because there was a little 
 path worn there. 
 
 "What is the whole of your name? "asked Dodo, 
 who could not keep from asking questions. 
 
 "Stephen Hawley," he answered. "My mother is 
 Ann Hawley, who lives by the mill, and does all the 
 beautiful fine wdiite washing for everybody hereabouts. 
 Don't you know her? I suppose it's because you have 
 just come. I believe my mother could wasli a cobweb 
 if she tried, and not tear it," and a glow of pride lit 
 up his face. 
 
 " But you said a little while ago that your name was 
 Rap." 
 
 " Everybody calls me Rap, because when I go along 
 the road my crutch hits the stones, and says ' rap — 
 rap — rap." " 
 
 " Here's a dead bird," said Nat, picking something 
 from under the fence. 
 
 " It's a White-throated Sparrow," said Rap, " and 
 it's flown against the telegraph wire in the dark and 
 been killed." 
 
22 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " We will take it to uncle and ask him to tell ns all 
 about it." 
 
 " Yes, yes," said Dodo, " we will all go " — and Rap 
 liopi)ed off after the othei- children so quickly that Olive 
 had hard work to keep up with him. 
 
 This time Nat and Dodo did not hesitate outside the 
 study door, but gave a pound or two and burst into 
 the room. 
 
 " Uncle Roy, Uncle R03', we liave seen two birds 
 and written down about them, but we didn't ciuite 
 know what to call the front part where the neck ends 
 and the stomach begins, or the beginning of the tail, 
 and Olive says there are right names for all these parts. 
 And we found Rap in the orchard and he only has half 
 a bo(.)k, and here's a White-throated Sparrow, and we 
 want to know how it's made and why birds can fly and 
 why — " 
 
 }lere the Doctor laughingly stopped them and turned 
 to Olive for a clearer account of what had taken place 
 in the orchard, while Rap stood gazing about the room 
 as if he thought that heaven had suddenly opened to 
 him. 
 
 " Now, clnldren," said the Doctor, as soon as the 
 youngsters had stopped chattering, "I will first tell 
 you some stories about the birds; then if you like them 
 I will make them into a little book that other girls and 
 boys may read." And as the children began to dance 
 about, he continued : " But before I tell you the names 
 and habits of some of our home birds, you must learn a 
 few things that are true of all Inrds — what they are; 
 where they belong among animals; how they are made; 
 how they do good and why wc should protect them; 
 
A SPARliOW »ETTLKS THE (QUESTION 23 
 
 and the woiiderriil joiinieys some of tlieiu take. To- 
 morrow I will begin by answering Dodo's ({Liestion.s 
 whether a bird is an animal, and why it lias feathers." 
 
 " I think a bird is something like a boat," said Uap 
 eagerly. " When it flies its wings are like sails in the 
 air, and when it swims its feet row under the \\'ater, 
 and the tail balances behind like a rudder and the head 
 sticks out in fr(.int like the l)0wsprit."' 
 
 " You are right, my boy," said the Doctor, looking at 
 him attentivel}'; "and would j'ou also like to know 
 how this beautifid boat is made ? If a ship-builder 
 ct)uld plan a vessel that would go through wind and 
 water as birds do, he would be the wisest man in the 
 world. But you see, Rap, a man did 7iot plan any 
 bird. 
 
 " I will go down and ask your mother to let you 
 come and hear the stories with the other children — 
 how Avould you like that, Uap?" 
 
 "Will yon? Will you really let me come? Oh, 
 I am so glad ! 1 know mother'U let me any day but 
 Monday and Thursda}', because I have to watch ch^thes 
 on those days." 
 
 " Wash clothes ? " said Dodo in surprise. 
 
 " No, Avatch them," replied Kap, laughing. "Those 
 two days the miller lets mother spread her things to 
 whiten in his big meadow, and 1 have to watch and see 
 that they are not stolen or don't blow away." 
 
 " Isn't it very stupid to sit there so long?" 
 
 "Oh, no, it's lovely; for there are lots of birds and 
 things about." 
 
 " To-morrow will l)e Wednesday," said the Doctor. 
 "Come up to Orchard Farm by nine o'clock, Kap, and we 
 
24 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 will begin our lessons with this little White-throated 
 Sparrow Nat has found." 
 
 "And uncle!" cried Dodo, "you must make inch 
 measures on our middle fingers with violet ink, the 
 way you did to (_)live's when slie was little." 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 THE BUILDING OF A BIRD 
 
 It rained on Wednesday — a wavni spring- rain, swell- 
 ing the rivers and ponds, and watering tlie newly 
 planted garden ; but discouraging the birds in their 
 nest-building, and disappointing Nat and Dodo, who 
 wished to have their lesson in the orchard. 
 
 "Come in here, children," said the Doctor. "The 
 wonder room, as Dodo calls it, is a good place for a 
 talk about feathers and bones, and the rest of the 
 things birds are built of. I have sent for Rap, too, so 
 that the trio may be complete." 
 
 " Feathers and bones for building birds ? " said Nat. 
 " What a queer idea for a bird story." 
 
 " Not a bird story exactly'," answered the Doctor. 
 " But some things are true of all birds, and 30U must 
 know them if you wish to understand the reason ivhy 
 of any bird in particular." 
 
 In a few minutes the three children were seated on 
 the wide settle, with a cheery log fire, to make them 
 forget the outside dampness. Quick, the fidgety little 
 fox-terrier, sat by the hearth, watching a possible 
 mouse hole ; and Mr. Wolf, the tawny St. Bernard, 
 chose the rug as a comfortable place for finishing his 
 morning toilet. 
 
 Olive presently joined the group. The Doctor took 
 
 25 
 
26 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 the dead White-throated Sparrow from tlie table, and 
 hegaii to walk about the room, stopj^ing now in front 
 of the lire and then by the window. 
 
 " Here is a Sj)'arrow, different from every other kind 
 of Sparrow, different indeed from any other sort of 
 bird in the world — else it wonld not be the ]jarticu- 
 lar sort of a Sparrow called the White-throated. But 
 there are a good many tilings that it has in common 
 with all other birds. Can you tell me some of them ? " 
 
 "I know ! " said Dodo ; "it has a good many feathers 
 on it, and I guess all kinds of birds wear feathers, ex- 
 cept some when they are very little in the nest." 
 
 " Quite right, little girl," said the Doctor. " Every 
 bird has feathers, and no other animal has feathers. 
 So we say, 'A bird is known hy its feathers.' But 
 what do you suppose its feathers are for? " 
 
 " To make it look nice and pretty," said Dodo 
 promptly. 
 
 " To make it lighter, so's it can fly," added Nat. 
 
 " To keep it warm, too, I guess," was Rap's ansv/er. 
 
 " Well, you are all three partly, but not quite, right. 
 Certainly the beauty of a bird depends most on its 
 feathers, being not even skin-deep, as you may well 
 believe, if you ever noticed a chicken Mammy Bun 
 had plucked. But, Nat, bow can feathei's make a bird 
 lighter, when every one of them weighs something, 
 and a bird has to carry them all ? They make a bird a 
 little heavier than it would be witliout them. Yet it 
 is quite true that no bird could fly if you clij^ped its 
 wings. So some of its feathers enable it to fly — the 
 large ones, that grow on the wings. Then, too, the 
 large ones that make the tail help the bird to fly, by 
 
THE BUILDING OF A BIRD 27 
 
 acting like a riuUloi' to steer witli. Pei'luips the .small 
 ones too, all over the body, are of some lielp in fligiit, 
 because the}' make a bird smooth, so that it can cut 
 through the air more easily — you know the}' all lie 
 one way, pointing backward from their roots to their 
 tips. Then when llap said feathers keei^ a l)ird 
 warm, he guessed right. Birds wear plumage as you 
 do clothes, and for the same purpose — to look nice 
 and keep warm." 
 
 " But what is ' plumage,' Uncle Roy '! " asked Dodo ; 
 "I thought you were talking about feathers." 
 
 " So 1 was, missy. Feathers are the plumage, \\\m\\ 
 you take them all together. But see here," added tlie 
 Doctor, as he spread the Sparrow's wings out, and held 
 them where the children could look closely ; " are the 
 wings all plumage, or is tliere something else ? " 
 
 "Of course there's something else to wings," said 
 Dodo; "meat and bones, Ijecause I've eaten chickens' 
 wings." 
 
 " Why didn't you say. Dodo, because there has to 
 be something for the feathers to stick into?" said Js'at 
 decidedly. 
 
 " You both have very good reasons," said the Doctor. 
 " The plumage of the wings grows out from the skin, 
 just as feathers grow from any other part of the body, 
 only the large ones are fastened to the bones, so that 
 they stay tight in their proper places. If they were 
 loose, they would fly up when the bird beats the air 
 with its wings, and get out of order. See how 
 smoothly they lie one over another ! AVTien the bird 
 closes its wings, they come together snugly along its 
 sides. But when the wing is sjjread, they slide aj^art 
 
28 CITIZEN BlIiD 
 
 — yet not too far to form a Ijroail, fiat surface, quite 
 stiff, but lig-lit aud elastic. By beating the air with 
 the wings liirds fly along. It is something like row- 
 ing a boat. This surface pushes against the air as 
 the flat blade of an oar pushes against the water. 
 That is why these large stiff feathers are called the 
 rowers. When the Wise Men talk Latin among them- 
 selves, they say remiges, for 'remiges' means rowers." 
 
 " But, Doctor," said Kap, who was looking sharply 
 at the Sparrow's wing, " all the feathers are not like 
 that. Here are a lot of little ones, in rows on top 
 of the wing in front, and more like them underneath, 
 covering over the roots of tlie rowing feathers. Have 
 they any name ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes ! Everything you can see about a bird 
 has its own name. Those small feathers are called 
 coverts, because they cover over the roots of the rowers. 
 Those on top are the upper coverts ; those underneath 
 are tlie under coverts, or lining of the wings. Now 
 notice those two pretty bands of color across the Spar- 
 row's wing. You see one band is formed by the tips 
 of the longest coverts, and the other band by the 
 tips of the next longest coverts. Those two rows of 
 feathers are the greater and middle coverts, and all the 
 smallest feathers, next to the front edge of the wing, 
 are called lesser coverts. Now look at the tail. Rap, 
 and tell me what you can find." 
 
 " Why, there is a bunch of long stiff feathers like 
 rowers, that slide over each other when j'ou spread 
 tlie tail, and a lot of short feathers that hide the 
 roots of the long ones. Are they rowers and coverts 
 too?" 
 
THE BUILDING OF A BIRD 29 
 
 " A bird does not row with his tail — he steers with 
 it, as if it were a rudder ; and the hin^- feathers are 
 therefore called rudder-feathers — or rectrices, which is 
 Latin for rudders. But the short ones are called cov- 
 erts, like those of the wings — upper tail-coverts, and 
 under tail-coverts. " 
 
 " How funny I " said Dodo, " for a hird to have to 
 row himself and steer himself all at once. I know I 
 should get mixed up if I tried it with a Ijoat. How do 
 feathers grow. Uncle Roy ? " 
 
 " Just like yeiur hair, little girl," said the Doctor, 
 patting her on the head, "■ or your nails. Didn't you 
 ever notice the dots all over the .skin of a chicken? 
 Each dot is a little hole in the skin where a feather 
 sprouts. It grows in a sheath that pushes out of the 
 hole, like a plant coming wp out of the ground from its 
 root. For a while this sheath is full of blood to jiour- 
 ish the growing feather ; that is why new feathers look 
 dark and feel soft — pin-feathers they are called. The 
 blood dries up when the feather has unfolded to its full 
 size, leaving it light and dr)^, with a horny part at the 
 root that sticks in the hole where it grew, and a spray- 
 like part that makes up most of the feather. Tlie 
 horny part becomes hollow or contains only a little dry 
 pith ; when it is large enough, as in the case of a row- 
 ing feather from a Goose's wing, it makes a quill pen to 
 write with. But the very tiniest feather on this Spar- 
 row is built up in the same way. 
 
 "Seel here is one," continued the Doctor, as he 
 twitched out a feather from the Sparrow's back. " You 
 see the quill part runs in the middle from one end to 
 the other ; this is called the shaft. On each side of it 
 
30 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 all along, except just at the root, the .spray-like parts 
 grow. They are called the wehs or vanes. Now look 
 through this magnit'ying glass at the web." 
 
 The children looked in turn, and each exclaimed in 
 wonder at the siglit. 
 
 " Yes, it is very wonderful. The web, that looks so 
 smooth to tlie naked eye, is made up of a great many 
 small shafts, called hai'hs, that grow out of the main 
 shaft in rows. Every one of these small side-shafts has 
 its own rows of still smaller shafts ; and these again 
 have little fringes along their edges, quite curly or like 
 tiny hooks, that catcli hold of the next row and hold 
 fast. So the whole feather keeps its shape, tliough it 
 seems so frail and delicate." 
 
 " Are all feathers like this one ? '" asked Kap. 
 
 " All are equally wonderful, and equally beautiful in 
 construction ; but there is a good deal of difference in 
 the way the webs hold together. Almost all feathers 
 that come to the surface are smooth and firm, and there 
 is not much difference except in size, or shape, or color. 
 For example, the largest wing-feather or tail-feather of 
 this Sparrow is quite like the one I pulled out of its 
 back in texture, only the back-feather is smaller and 
 not so stiff. But near the roots of these feathers you 
 notice a fluffy part, where the webs do not hold to- 
 gether firmly. Some feathers are as fluffy as that in 
 their whole length. Such are called doAvn-feathers, 
 because they are so downy. Birds that run about as 
 soon as they are hatched are always clothed in down, 
 like little chickens, before their other feathers sprout ; 
 and some birds, like Ducks, wear a warm underclothino- 
 of down their whole lives. Then again some feathers 
 
THE BUILDING OF A BIRD 31 
 
 do not have any webs at all — only a wleiider shaft, as 
 flue as a hair." 
 
 " Do featliers keeji on growing all tlie time, like my 
 hair? " asked Dodo. 
 
 " No, my dear. They stop growing as soon as they 
 are of the right size ; and you will find your hair will 
 do the same, when it is long enough — though tliat 
 won't be for a good many years yet, little girl. When 
 the blood that has fed the growing feather is all dried 
 up, the feather ceases to grow. Then after a while 
 longer, when it has become ragged and worn, it gets 
 loose in the skin and drops out — as 1 am boyyj to say 
 some of my hair is doing alread3\ That is what we 
 call moulting ." 
 
 " I know about that," interrupted Nat. " It's when 
 hens shed their feathers. But I didn't know that it 
 was moulting when people grow bald."' 
 
 " It is very much the same thing," said the Doctor, 
 " only we don't call it moulting when people lose their 
 hair. But there is this difference. Birds "wear out 
 their feathers much faster than we do our hair, and 
 need a new suit at least once a year, sometimes oftener. 
 All young birds get their first new clothes when the 
 down is worn out. Old birds generally moult as soon 
 as. they have reared their broods, which in this country 
 is late in summer or early in the fall. J\lany also moult 
 again the following spring, when they put on their wed- 
 ding dress ; and one of the curious things about this 
 change of plumage is, that the new feathers often come 
 out quite unlike those that were cast off. So a bird 
 may differ much in appearance at different seasons and 
 ages — in fact, most birds do. The male also differs 
 
32 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 in many cases froju the female, being more handsomely 
 dressed than his mate." 
 
 " I don't think that's fair," said Dodo. " I shouldn't 
 like Nat to have nicer clothes than I wear." 
 
 " But it is best for Bird People," replied the Doctor, 
 " that the mother bird, who has to keep house and tend 
 to the little ones, should not be too conspicuous. She 
 is best protected from enemies when her colors are 
 plain, and especially when they match the foliage in 
 which she sits on her nest. If her mate has onl}' him- 
 self to look out for, it does not so much matter how 
 bright his plumage may be. The colors of some birds 
 are so exactly like their surroundings, that \o\\ might 
 look long before you could find the sober, quiet female, 
 whose mate is flashing his gay plumage and singing his 
 finest song, perhaps for the very purjDose of attracting 
 your attention away from his home. 'Protective colora- 
 tion,' is what the Wise ]\Ien call it." 
 
 " What makes all the different colors of birds, Doc- 
 tor? " asked Rap. 
 
 " That is a hard question to answer. It is natural 
 for birds to have particular colors, just as some people 
 have black eyes and hair, while others have blue eyes 
 and yellow hair. But I can tell you one thing about 
 that. Look at this Sparrow. All the colors it shows 
 are m the feathers, whose various markings are due to 
 certain substances called ' pigments,' which filter into 
 the feathers, and tliere set in various patterns. The 
 feathers are painted inside by Nature, and the colors 
 show through. You see none of these colors are shiny 
 like polished metal. But I could show you some Ijirds 
 whose plumage glitters witli all the hues of the rain- 
 
THE BUILDING OF A BIRD 33 
 
 bow. That giittering- is called 'iridescence.' It does 
 ]iot depend iTpon any pigment in the substance of the 
 feathers, but upon the way the light strikes them. It 
 is the same with the Ijeaidiful tints Ave see on a soap- 
 bubble. The iilm of Avater itself is colorless, but it 
 becomes iridescent. You might divide all the colors 
 of birds into two classes — ■ those that depend iipon pig- 
 ments in the feathers, and those that depend upon the 
 play of light on the feathers." 
 
 " That's pretty hard to rememlier," said Nat ; " but I 
 know how a soap-l)ul)ble looks, though I never saw any 
 birds look that way. Please show us one." 
 
 "I Avill show you two," answered the Doctor, who 
 then Avent to his glass case, and took out a Wild Pigeon 
 and a Hummingbird. " Look at the shining tints on 
 the neck of this Pigeon, and see Iioav the tliroat of this 
 Hunuuingbird glitters when I turn it to the light." 
 
 " That's the prettiest color I ever saw,'' said Nat, 
 " and I can remember about it now. But," he added, 
 thinking of the Avay he had seen hens mope Avhen they 
 Avere moulting, " does it hurt birds to lose their feath- 
 ers, uncle ? " 
 
 " It is probably not as comfortable as being nicely 
 dressed, and sometimes they seem quite luiserable, espe- 
 cially if they shed old feathers faster than neAv ones 
 can groAV to replace the lost ones. Some birds, like 
 Ducks, lose their Aving-feathers all at once, and cannot 
 fly for quite a AAdiile. I5ut Heart of Nature is kind to 
 his children, as a rule. ]\Iost birds shed their rowing 
 feathers one at a time in each Aving, so that they never 
 lose their pOAver of flight. Noav this Avill do for Avings, 
 tails, and feathers. Come ! Avhat is the next thing 
 
34 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 you notice about this Sparrow ? Is it entirely covered 
 with feathers? " 
 
 " Of course it isn't," said Dodo ; " it hasn't any feath- 
 ers on its beak or on its feet, else how could it eat and 
 hop about? " 
 
 " That is right. These parts of a Sparrow are bare ; 
 they never have any feathers ; and the skin on them is 
 hard and horny, as different from soft thin skin as 
 finger-nails. Now look at the beak, and think how 
 many things a Sparrow has to do with it. He has no 
 hands or paws, and so he must pick up everything 
 he eats with his beak. He lias no teeth, and so he 
 must bite his food with his beak. He feeds on seeds 
 like a Canary bird ; so his beak comes to a sharp point, 
 because seeds are small things to pick up ; and it is 
 very strong and horny, because seeds are hard to crack, 
 to get at the kernel. Notice, too, children, that his 
 beak is in two halves, an upper half and a lower half ; 
 when these halves are held apart his mouth is open, so 
 that you can see the tongue inside ; and when the two 
 halves are closed together the mouth is shut. These 
 halves are called the upper manrJihle and the lower 
 mandible.^'' 
 
 " Why, it's just like people's mouths," said Nat, " only 
 people have lips and teeth." 
 
 " Certainly it is like our mouths. Birds are built 
 like ourselves in a great many things, and live as we 
 do in a great man)' ways. Bird People and House Peo- 
 ple are animals, and all animals nuist eat to live. A 
 bird's beak is its mouth, and the lender mandible moves 
 up and down, like our chins when we eat or talk. 
 Birds can talk as well as sing with their beaks. This 
 
THE liUILDIXa OF A BIRD 35 
 
 Sparrow can sa^- ' Peabody,' and some kinds of Parrots 
 can repeat whole sentences so as to 1)8 understood. 
 That is another thing in which hirds' beaks are like 
 onr mouths. Now look again — can you see anything 
 else about the Sparrow's beak?" 
 
 " I see a pair of little holes at the root of the upper 
 mandible," said Raj). 
 
 "Well, those are the nostrils!" said the Doctor. 
 " Birds must breathe, like ourselves, and when tlie Ijeak 
 is shut they Ijreathe through the nostrils." 
 
 " So do I," said Dodo ; and then she pursed up her 
 pretty red lips tightly, breathing quite hard through 
 her nose. " I do think," she said, when she had finished 
 this performance, "birds have faces, with all tlie things 
 in them that we have — there are the eyes, too, on each 
 side, like people's eyes, only the)' look sideways and 
 not in front. But I don't see their ears. Have birds 
 any ears, Uncle Ro_y?" 
 
 " I can sh(3w you this Sparrow's ears. See here," 
 said the Doctor, who had run the point of his penknife 
 under a little package of feathers on one side of the 
 back of tlie Sparrow's head, and lifted them up; "what 
 does that look like?" 
 
 " It's a hole in the skin that runs into the head," said 
 Nat. " Can birds hear through that? " 
 
 "Of course they can. Ears of all animals are made 
 to liear with. This Sparrow can hear quite as well as 
 you can, Nat. Now think, children, h(nv many things 
 we have found about this Sparrow's head that are quite 
 like our own, — ears, eyes, nose, mouth, and tongue, — 
 only there are no lips or teeth, because the horny beak, 
 with its hard edges and sharp point, answers both for 
 
36 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 lips and teeth. I want you to learn from this how 
 many things are really alike in IJird People and House 
 People, though they look so different at first sight. 
 When we come to the l)ird stories, you will find that 
 birds differ very much among themselves in all these 
 things. I will show you all sorts of beaks, of different 
 sizes and shapes. Here are pictures of several kinds of 
 beaks — see how much they dift'er in shape ! But they 
 are all beaks, and all Iteaks are mouths. They all 
 answer the same purposes in birds' lives, and the jiur- 
 poses are the same as those of our mouths. But now, 
 what do you notice al>out this Sparrow's feet? " 
 
 " They are not a bit like my feet," said Dodo ; " they 
 are so long and slim and hard, and the toes stick out 
 so all around. I think mine are nicer." 
 
 "But they would not be so useful as this Sparrow's if 
 you had to live in a l)ush and hop about on the twigs," 
 said the Doctor. " The bird's feet are fixed as nicely 
 for that, as yours are for walking on the ground. I 
 can show yo\i, too, little girl, that a Sparrow's feet 
 are a great deal more like yours than you think. 
 Come, Rap ! Tell me what you see about this bird's 
 feet." 
 
 " Why, they are the ends of its legs, and there is a 
 long slim part beyond the feathers, hard and horny 
 like the beak, and at the end of this are four toes, 
 three in front and one behind, and they've all sharp 
 claws on their ends." 
 
 " Very well said, my boy ! Now I will show you 
 that such feet as the Sparrow has are as much like 
 Dodo's as a Sparrow's beak is like lier mouth. Beo-in 
 with tlie claws — " 
 
Fig. 1. Insect-eatiiii? bill of Robin ; 2. Seed-crushiiii; bill of a Sparrow; 
 3. Snapping bill of Whippoorwill ; 4. Needle bill of Hummingbird ; 5. Chis- 
 elling bill o! Woodpecker ; fi. Climbing liill of Paroquet ; 7. Tearing bill of 
 Falcon; S. C4rooved drinking bill of Duve; 9. Gleaning bill of Ruffed 
 Grouse; 10. Wedge bill of Plover ; 11. Straight probing bill of Snipe. 
 
 37 
 
Fjg. 12. Curved probiiiR bill of Curlew; 13, 
 Heron; 14. Strainer bill of Uiiok ; 15. Hooted 
 mental bill of male Puffin iu breeding season. 
 
 Spearing liill of Green 
 bill of Gull; Ki. Orna- 
 
rilE nVlLDING OF A BIRD 39 
 
 "I know!" uxflaimed Dodo, " toe-nails ! <->Jil3' 1 
 think they need cutting ! " 
 
 " Of course they are toe-nails," said tlie Doctor. 
 " Don't nails grow on the ends of toes ? All kinds of 
 claws, on the ends of birds' and .other animals' toes, 
 are the same as nails. vSome are long, sharp, and 
 curved, like a cat's or a Sparrow's, and some are flat 
 and blunt, like ours. I could show you some birds 
 with claws that look just like our finger-nails. Toes, 
 too, are pretty much the same ; only this Sparrow, like 
 most other birds, has but four, with three of them in a 
 line in front, and the other one pointing backward. 
 That is what makes its foot as good as a hand to hold 
 on Avitli when it perches on slender twigs. Almost all 
 birds have their toes fixed that way. Some, that do 
 not perch, have no hind toe; and birds that swim have 
 broad webs stretched between their front toes, like 
 Ducks. All the different kinds of feet birds have are 
 lifted for the Avays they move about on the ground, or 
 water, or among the branches of trees and bushes, just 
 as all their shapes of beaks are fitted for the kind of 
 food they eat and the way they pick it up. Here are 
 two pictures that will show you several different kinds 
 of feet. Now you must answer the next question, 
 Nat ; what do toes grow on ? " 
 
 " Feet I " said Nat promptly, then adding : " But 
 this Sjjarrow hasn't any feet except its toes ; they 
 grow on its legs, because the rest of the horny part 
 stands up — I've noticed that in Canaries." 
 
 "But all this horn}' part is the foot, not the leg," 
 answered the Doctor, " though it does stand up, as you 
 say. How could toes grow from legs without any feet 
 
Fig. 1. Ordinary fciot of iiercliing birds ; 2. Foot ot Nifilitliawk, with a 
 comb on claw of middle toe ; 3. Climbing (oot of Woodpecker, with two 
 hind toes ; 4. Grasping foot of Osprey, for holding prey. 
 
 40 
 
Fig. 5. Scratching foot of Rnflfed Grouse; (i. AVaiiing foot of Golden 
 Plover, with only three toes ; 7. Wading foot of Snipe, with slmrt hind toe ; 
 8. Wading fdot of Green Heron, with long hind toe; !). Swimming foot of 
 Coot, with lohed toes; 10. Swimming foot of Canada Goose, with three 
 toes wehbed ; 11. Swimming foot of Cormorant, with all four toes webbed. 
 
 41 
 
42 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 between ? They never do ! There has to be a f(3ot in 
 every animal between the toes and the legs. Now 
 what do you call the end of your foot which is o^jposite 
 the end on which the toes grow?" 
 
 " It's the heel in jjeople, but I should think the hind 
 toe of a bird was its heel," said Nat doubtfully, and 
 beginning to think he did not understand. 
 
 "You might think so," said the Doctor; "but you 
 would be wrong. All this horny part that a bird 
 stands up on is its foot. And the top of it, nearest to 
 the feathers, is the heel. Don't you see, when I bend 
 the foot so," continued the Doctor, as he bent the Spar- 
 row's foot forward, " that the tojj of the horny part 
 makes a joint that stands out backward, in the same 
 position your heel always has ? All this slender horny 
 part of the foot, above the roots of the toes, corresponds 
 to the instep of your foot, and of course tlie heel comes 
 next. You must remember the name of it — the Wise 
 Men call it the tarsus." 
 
 "Then hasn't a l)ird got any legs, Uncle Roy, only 
 just feet?" asked Dodo. 
 
 " Oh ! yes ; legs too, with a knee-joint and a hip- 
 joint, like ours. But all these ]iarts are up closer to 
 the body, and hidden by the feathers, so that you can- 
 not see them." 
 
 As the Doctor said this there was a great com- 
 motion. Quick, who liad Ijcen watching the mouse 
 hole all the while, gave a sharp Inirk and pounced on 
 something. There was a feeble squeak, and it was all 
 over with a mouse which liad ventured too far from its 
 hole. 
 
 " Poor little mousey ! " said the Doctor, as he took 
 
THE BUILDING OF A BIRD 43 
 
 the limp body I'niin the terrier's inoutli. "It is quite 
 dead. I am sorry, but it might have nibbled some of 
 my birds. Besides, this is exactly what I wanted to 
 teach you something about. Who can tell me tlie 
 difference between a mouse and a Sparrow ? " 
 
 " I can ! " said Dodo ; " it's all difference ; a mouse 
 hasn't any feathers, or any wings, and it has four feet, 
 and a long tail and whiskers and teeth — " 
 
 " That will do, little girl, for differences ; do you 
 see anything alike between a Sparrow and a mouse. 
 Rap ? '' 
 
 "I think the fur is something like feathers. Doctor," 
 answered Rap ; " and you told us how a beak was like 
 a mouth without any teeth or lips; then a mouse lias 
 four feet and legs ; but a bird has onl}^ two feet, 
 and two wings instead of four legs and feet like a 
 mouse." 
 
 "That is just what I want you all to think about," 
 said the Doctor. "Now listen. If a Sparrow has 
 a pair of feet that correspond to a mouse's hind feet, 
 wliat do you thiidv a Sparrow's wings correspond to in 
 a mouse ? " 
 
 " I should think they would be sometliiug like a 
 mouse's fore feet," answered Rap, after thinking a 
 moment. 
 
 " Tliat is exactly right. Birds and beasts are alike 
 in man}' respects. Tliey have heads, necks, and bodies ; 
 they have tails ; and they have limbs. Beasts have two 
 pairs of limbs. We call tiiem fore legs and hind legs. 
 People luive two pairs also. We call them arms and 
 legs. So you see our arms correspond to the fore 
 legs of beasts, though we never use them for moving 
 
44 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 about, excejDt when we go on our Lands and knees, or 
 climb trees, or swim in the water. And as for birds — 
 why, tlieir fore limbs are turned into wings, to ify 
 with, so that they walk or hop on their hind limbs 
 only, just as we do. Animals that go on all fours are 
 called quadriipe(h. Animals that go on their two hind 
 limbs only, like Bird People and House People, are 
 called bipeds. A Sparrow's wings are just as much 
 like a mouse's fore legs, as a Sparrow's feathers are like 
 a mouse's fur." 
 
 "How funny ! " said Dodo. "But how are a bird's 
 wings like fore legs, when they haven't got any paws 
 or toes — or fingers — or claws — only just long feath- 
 ers ? " 
 
 " They have fingers, and some birds' wings have 
 claws ; only you cannot see them, because they are all 
 wrapped up in the skin and covered over with the 
 feathers. Some day — not to-day, because j'ou have 
 had a long lesson alread^^ — I will show you a bird's 
 wing with only its bones. Then you will see that it 
 has finger-bones at the end, then hand-bones next, then 
 bones that run from the wrist to the elbow, and then 
 one bone that runs from the elbow to the shoulder — 
 almost the same bones that people have in their fingers, 
 hands, wrists, and arms. So you see wings are the 
 same to a bird that fore legs are to a mouse or arms 
 are to us. 
 
 " I could go through all the inside parts of birds, 
 and show you something like the same parts in people, 
 — stomach and bowels, to take care of the food they 
 eat and turn it into blood to nourish them ; lungs to 
 breathe with, and keep the blood pure ; heart to beat 
 
THE BUILDING OF A IIIIID 
 
 45 
 
 and thus pump thy warm blood into all parts of the 
 body ; brain and nerves, Avhich are what birds think 
 and feel with, just as we do with ours; and all their 
 bones, which together make what we call the skeleton, 
 or framework of the body, to keep the flesh in shape 
 and support the other organs." 
 
 "Dear me ! " sighed Dodo; "there must be ever so 
 manj^ more things inside of birds that we can't see, 
 than there are outside." 
 
 'Of course there are ! " said the Doctor. 
 
 It won't 
 
 be very hard for you t(.) remember the outside parts, 
 and learn the names of them all. I have told you most 
 of them that you need to remember, to understand the 
 stories I am going to tell you about birds. See here ! 
 What do you think of this ? " 
 
 I ore head 
 
 l/ppernafldlhle. 
 Lower TfandlbJ^ 
 Lore-- 
 Cnin —■ 
 Throat.i-;'''! 
 Ear/ / 
 -Breast^ 
 
 rCr 
 
 .^1 5caj>u/ars 
 
 ^i:IL--\^rv— , -,-- Secondarf'es 
 
 / E^perToji Coverts 
 
 1 " ^ -Jnner ry 
 
 -Ooter] 
 
46 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 So saying, the Doctor unrolled a large sheet of draw- 
 ing-paper that hung on the wall. "Here is a picture of 
 the White-throated Sparrow, drawn so big you can see 
 it almost across the room, with all the outside parts of 
 which you must learn the names. You see the names 
 are all on the picture, too; 1 am going to make it 
 smaller, and put it in the hook I will write for you, so 
 you can look at it whenever you wish. 
 
 " It is almost dinner-time now, and you must be Yevy 
 hungry. But now I must tell you one thing more. 
 You know there are so man}-, many different kinds of 
 birds and other animals that noljody could remember 
 them unless they were classihed. To classify is to put 
 things that are most alike closest together, then next 
 nearest them things that are next most alike, and to 
 keep furthest apart those things that are least alike. 
 Now it is true that all beasts, birds, snakes, lizards, 
 frogs, and fislies have some things alike, though each 
 has some other things different from all the rest. If 
 they were not all alike in some things, we could not call 
 them all animals. One of the things in which all the 
 animals I have named are alike is, that thej^ all have 
 skeletons. One of the things in which all their skele- 
 tons are alike is, that the}' have backbones. Back- 
 bones are the chains of bones tliat run along the back 
 from the head to the tail. ISackbones are called by 
 the Wise Men vertehi-ce; animals that have backbones 
 are named Vertebrates ; and animals that lack back- 
 bones are named Invertebrates.'' 
 
 " Tell us the names of some Invertebrates, please, 
 Doctor," said Rap. 
 
 "Well, all sorts of insects are Invertebrates, and so 
 
TfTK r.UILDING OF A IIHID 47 
 
 are lubwiers and crabw, Dy.stui's and claiii.s, worms, star- 
 fishes, jelly-fishes, corals, and even sponges. Then 
 there are some too small to see without a microscope. 
 iiut never nund about Invertebrates now. I only want 
 you to remendjer that all lieasts, birds, reptiles, and 
 fishes are Verteljrates, and that there are five principal 
 classes of them. If I should tell you as much about 
 them as I have about the Building of a IJird, you would 
 see that they are all built on what we call the A^erte- 
 brate plan of structure. Here is a cliart of the Classes 
 of Vertebrates — you can study it this afternoon, till 
 you learn it l)y heart." 
 
 VERTEBKA'I-ES 
 
 Anl'Hdh icllh jiarllmiirs 
 
 Class I. Mammals. — Warm-blooileil animals which have fur or 
 
 hair, bring forth their j'ouiig' alive, and nurse them. Ihjuse 
 
 People are Mammals. 
 Class n. Birds. — Warm-blooded animals wliieh have feathers 
 
 and lay eggs. 
 Class \\\. Reptiles. — Cold-blooded animals whieli have scaly 
 
 skin.s, like lizards, snakes, and turtles. 
 Class 1\'. Batvachians. — Cold-blooded animals which have naked 
 
 skins, like frogs, toads, and newts. 
 
 All the foregoing classes, except a few of the Batrachians, 
 
 breathe air in lungs, aud ahnost all, except snakes, have legs; 
 
 none now living can fly, except bats and birds; but bats are 
 
 jManimals. 
 Class V. Fishes. — Cold-blooded animals which have either scaly 
 
 or naked .skins, but no fur or feathers ; wdiich live in the 
 
 water, breathe it with their gills, and swim in it witli fins. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 The ai^ple trees were in full l>loom the day that the 
 Doctor again found time to he with the children. It 
 was exactlj' the kind of a day that birds like. The 
 ground was soft enough to let the earthworms come 
 up to breathe, so that Robins could catch them easily, 
 and the air was full of all kinds of insects newly out 
 from their long winter sleep in their soft cocoon beds, 
 nmch to the delight of the Swallows and Flj-catchers. 
 
 It was also a beautiful day for House People to 
 watch their bird neighl)ors ; for it was mild but not 
 too bright, and every one knows how it hurts the eyes 
 to look at fl.ying birds with the sun shining in them. 
 
 Olive, Dodo, and Nat went out first and found Rap 
 waiting. The Doctor followed, carrying something in 
 his hand in a black leather case. When they arrived 
 at the old tree in the orchard, he told tliem to look up. 
 There was the perch arranged as it had been when he 
 was a boy. Not a perch for birds, but for House 
 People — narrow board seats fitted in between the 
 largest branches and a bar fastened across some of the 
 highest ones, so that it was quite safe to climb up and 
 look out of the top of the tree. The branches had been 
 trimmed away here and there, so that a good view 
 could be had of what was happening elsewhere in the 
 orchard. 
 
 48 
 
CITIZEN BITil) 49 
 
 A scream of surprise and deliglit came from the 
 group, in wliicli Olive joined. Quickly as the children 
 scrambled into the tree, the Doctor was up tliere first, 
 laughing and saying that it was thirty years since he 
 had climhed that apple tree ; for after he went away to 
 college the old seats had decayed and fallen down. 
 
 "Give me 5'our hand and I'll help you up," called Nat 
 to Rap, who had dropped his crutch and was looking 
 up at the others. 
 
 "No, you needn't," said Rap. "I can climb all right. 
 Sometimes it isn't so handy for me, but other times it's 
 easier, for in tight places one leg doesn't take up as 
 much room as two ; " and he swung and pushed until 
 lie AA'as up as higli as the rest. 
 
 " Here's a nest with eggs in it," whispered Dodo, 
 who had crept out on a limb, where a rather large 
 round nest, made of grass and little sticks plastered 
 together Avitli mud, was saddled on the branch — in 
 fact, a Rol)in's nest. 
 
 " Four lovely smooth eggs, not quite l)lue and not 
 quite green! Please, can I have them? I saw them 
 first." 
 
 " Think a minute. Dodo," said the Doctor. " A bird 
 will come from each of those eggs. iSuppose you take 
 the eggs away from the poor Robins, you will be kill- 
 ing four young birds, besides hurting tlie feelings of 
 their parents and making them leave the orchard, very 
 likely. You must not take any eggs in the nesting 
 season — not even one. I will tell you what happened 
 once in a field where there were some birds' nests in 
 the bushes. 
 
 " The man who owned the field Avas fond of birds 
 
50 CITIZEN niRD 
 
 and wislied to protect them, but lie was so good-natured 
 that when his little bo}' came to him and said, ' I wish 
 so much to have some birds' eggs — all the boys collect 
 them — pleane let me take a few, father — only on onr 
 own land,' he did not wish to say 'No.' Sometimes, to 
 be good-natured is as bad as to be cruel. This man 
 said, ' You may take one egg from each nest, but uiily 
 one, remember.' So the boy went out and took a few 
 eggs, but then lie carried them to school, showed them 
 to the other boys, and told them where they came from. 
 Then each boy said to himself, ' It will be all right if 
 I take only one egg from eacli nest.' Hut when four 
 or five boys had each taken one, all the nests Avere 
 quite empty. So the poor birds left that man's field, 
 where the bugs and worms grew and throve, till they 
 ate up his hay and all the rest of liis crops. 
 
 " When the nesting season is over eggs that have 
 not hatched are often left in the various nests, that 
 you can take without doing any harm. Of course I 
 know it is not easy to keep your hands off such pretty 
 things as birds' eggs ; but if by doing so you can be 
 patriotic and useful, it is an act of self-denial that you 
 will be glad to do for the good of the country." 
 
 "What is in that black case, uncle?" asked Dodo. 
 " Is it a [jistol to shoot birds? I think it looks too fat 
 for that." 
 
 "Not the kind of a pistol that you mean. Dodo, but 
 the only kind that you youngsters need to bring down 
 birds so that you can see them. It is a double-barrelled 
 gun, but you must use your eyes for bullets, instead of 
 leaden balls. See ! " — and he took a fine pair of field- 
 glasses from the case, moved the screw a little, and 
 
CITIZEN lilBD 51 
 
 held them before Doilo's eyes — " what do you see down 
 there in the grass ? " 
 
 " Why, it's a Robin, but liow big it looks ! Every 
 feather shows by itself, and it has white rings round 
 its eyes like spectacles. I never saw them before, I'm 
 sure." 
 
 Then, as the Doctor handed the glasses to Nat, Dodo 
 looked in her lap, expecting to find the bird there in- 
 stead of a hundred feet away. 
 
 " This is jolly ! " cried Nat, taking a peep and pass- 
 ing the glasses to Rap, who put them to his eyes, gave 
 a little " ah," and looked through them until the Doc- 
 tor said, " That will do now. Olive shall keep the 
 glasses, and whenever you children want them she will 
 give them to you ; but you must be careful never to 
 scratch them or rub your fingers over the lenses at 
 either end. With this magnifying instrument you will 
 be able to see the shape of Ijeaks and wings, and many 
 color markings j'ou would never notice otherwise. Hut 
 what did I promise to tell you of to-day, children? " 
 
 " Citizen Bird, you said," rejilied Nat, " thougli I 
 don't think I quite know what you mean." 
 
 " What does citizen mean ? " asked tlie Doctor, smiling. 
 
 " I think it is a person who lives in a cit}-, lint Ijirds 
 aren't peoj^le and they don't live much in the city." 
 
 " You are right in one sense, my boy, but the word 
 citizen has also a far wider meaning. Do you know 
 what it is, f )live ? " But Olive was not sure, and the 
 Doctor asked her to go to his study and look for the 
 word in tlie big dictionary. 
 
 In a few minutes she returned with a slip of paper 
 from which her father read: " C'itizen — a member of a 
 
52 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 nation, especially of a republic; one who owes allegiance 
 to a government and is entitled to protection from it." 
 
 " Now, if _you listen carefully I think I can prove to 
 you that every hird you can find is such a citizen of 
 this country, and show you why we should protect him. 
 
 " I told you the other day how the body of a bird 
 was planned and built to fill a place no other animal 
 could take. Thus by his habits and character every 
 bird fills a place as a citizen of our Rejjublic, keeping 
 the laws and doing work for the land that House Peo- 
 ple, with all their wisdom, cannot do. Every such 
 fellow-animal of ours, besides having eyes to see with, 
 and a brain which, if it does not tell him as many things 
 as our brains tell ns, yet teaches him all that he need 
 know to f(jllow the laws that Meart of Nature has set 
 for him, lias the same feelings and affections as our- 
 selves. Parent birds love each other and their little 
 ones, and often lose their lives in trying to protect 
 them. They build their homes with as much care and 
 skill as House People use in making theirs. Then 
 they work hard, very hard indeed, to collect food to 
 feed their children, for bird children are, oh, so liungr}'! 
 They grow very quickly, and must eat constantly from 
 morning until night. 
 
 " With them it is breakfast, luncheon, dinner, five- 
 o'clock tea, and supper, with a great many other meals 
 l)etween times that would not be wholesome for House 
 Children. So j^ou can see for yourselves that we may 
 well call the bird a fellow-being." 
 
 "Yes," said Rap, liis eyes beaming as if he had 
 something to tell, " some birds work as hard as mother 
 does. I watched a pair of Robins all one day last 
 
CITIZEN BIRD 53 
 
 spring, when I was sick. Tliojr had a nest in a bush 
 bj' our Icitchen window, wliere I couhl see it well, 
 and all da}' long either the mother or the father came 
 about every two minutes with something f(jr the little 
 ones to eat. 1 timed them by tlie clock until I was 
 nearly dizzy, and they seemed to do the same thing 
 every day until the young ones flew away. Then they 
 went over to the grape vines, made a new nest, and 
 raised four more the same way" — and then Rap 
 stopped suddenly, as if he feared that he had Ijeen 
 talking too much. 
 
 "That is all true," said the Doctor, looking very 
 happy at finding that one of his listeners not only saw 
 for himself but remembered and thought about what 
 he had seen. " If you have used j'our eyes so well, my 
 lad, when we come to the bird stories I shall ex})ect 
 you to tell some of them yourself." And the Doctor 
 lield out his hand to the child with a look that sent 
 him to bed to dream happy dreams for many a night. 
 
 The children gazed at Rap in surprise. It was a 
 new idea that a poor little fellow like him should know 
 more than they, who had both parents and nice clothes, 
 and had I)een to school in a big city. That he should 
 be able to tell stories about birds seemed wonderful. 
 But they were not selfisli, and instead of being jealous 
 felt a great respect for Rap. 
 
 " Now," said the Doctor, " we will see what a good 
 neighbor to House People a bird is, and how in work- 
 ing for himself he helps them also." 
 
 " How can birds possibly work to help people ? " 
 asked Dodo and Nat together ; but Rap smiled to him- 
 self as if he knew something about the matter, and 
 
54 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 said, " They eat the bugs and worms and things that 
 kill the gardens and fields." 
 
 " You are right again," said the Doctor heartily. 
 " What is one thing that man and every other animal 
 must have to keep him alive ? " 
 
 "■Food!'' shouted Nat, and then grew very red, as 
 the others laughed, because since he had been at 
 Orchard Farm his appetite had grown so that though 
 he ate twice as much as Olive and Dodo he seemed 
 always hungry. 
 
 " Yes, food. Bread, meat, vegetaldes, and fruits, 
 but bread first of all. What is bread made of ?" 
 
 " Wheat, I think," said Nat. 
 
 "Rye, too — mother's rye-bread is drea'fly good," 
 said Rap. 
 
 "Don't forget Mammy Bun's corn-bread," added 
 Olive. 
 
 " All your answers are right, for many different 
 kinds of bread are used in various parts of the country ; 
 but whether it is made from wheat-flour, or rj?e-flour, 
 or corn-meal, it all grows from the ground, does it not ? 
 
 " Now the next sort of food — meat, the flesh of 
 animals — oxen, sheep, pigs, and poidtry — what do 
 they feed on ? " 
 
 " Oxen eat grass and hay and meal," said Dodo, in 
 great haste lest some one else should speak fii-st. 
 
 " Sheep eat grass and hay too. I've seen them over 
 in the pasture on the hill," said Nat. 
 
 " Pigs will eat any old sort of thing," said Rap. 
 " Sour milk and snakes and swill and rats." 
 
 " Ugh ! " shivered Dodo. "Are all those nasty things 
 in sausages ? " 
 
crnzEjv BIRD 55 
 
 " No, Dodo," laug-liecl tlie Doctor ; " when pigw are 
 shut lip they eat a great many dirty things, but 
 naturally they prefer clean food like other cattle — 
 corn, acorns, apples, and so forth. Besides, those 
 'nasty things,' as you call them, turn into pork before 
 they are put in sausages, for pigs know how to make 
 pork. So you see that all the food of the animals 
 whose flesh we eat comes out of the ground ; and that is 
 wliat the Bible means where it says, 'All flesh is grass.' 
 But what other things are there that grow up out 
 of the eartli, tall and strong, each one holding a beauti- 
 ful green screen to keep the sun from drawing all tlie 
 moisture from the ground and making it too dry ; 
 shading the rivers that their waters may not waste 
 away ; some making cool bowers for House People to 
 sit under, others bearing delicious fruits for them to 
 eat, and all in good time yielding their bodies to make 
 fires and give out heat to warm us? " 
 
 " Trees ! Yes, trees of course," cried the cliildren 
 eagerly; " all kinds of trees, for trees grow apples and 
 pears and plums and clierries and chestnuts and iire- 
 wood too." 
 
 "Now what is there that preys upon all this vege- 
 table life — upon every plant, from the grass to the 
 tree, destroying them all equally ? " 
 
 "Bugs and worms and all kinds of crawders and 
 flyers and hoppers," said Rap. 
 
 " Yes, every plant has an insect enemy which feeds 
 upon its life juices. So a set of animals has been de- 
 veloped by Heart of Nature to hold the plant destro3-ers 
 in check, and these animals are the birds. 
 
 " Man may do all he can to protect his gardens, his 
 
56 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 orchards, his fields and forests, Init if the birds did not 
 lielp him the insects tliat work by night and day — tap- 
 ping at the root, boring inside tlie baric, piercing the 
 very heart of the plant, chewing off the under side of 
 leaves, nipping off the buds — would make the earth 
 bare and brown instead of green and blooming. Yet 
 House People, both young and old, forget this. They 
 shoot and frighten away the birds, either because some 
 few of their feathered friends take grapes or other fruits 
 and berries by Avay of pay, or merely fi'om thoughtless- 
 ness, to see how many they can hit." 
 
 " Do all birds eat bugs and such things ? " asked Nat. 
 " Olive said she used to put out grain and crumljs in 
 winter for some kinds." 
 
 " Some birds eat animal food and some seed food, 
 while others eat both ; but almost all birds feed their 
 babies upon insects. The nesting season is chiefly in 
 spring, when all plants begin or renew their growth. 
 Spring is also the season when the eggs of many insects 
 hatch out and when others come from the cocoons in 
 which they have slejit all winter. 
 
 " Then the farmer begins his annual war upon them, 
 and day after day he fights the Battle of the Bugs. 
 But if he stops to think, and remembers that Heart of 
 Nature has a use for everything, he will win tliis battle 
 against the creeping, crawling, squirming regiments 
 more easily. For above him in the trees of his forest, 
 in the hedgerows and bushes of his pasture and garden, 
 on the rafters of his barn, even in the chimnej^ of his 
 house, live the birds, willing and eager to help him. 
 And all tlie wages tliey ask is permission to work 
 for a living and protection from those of his fellow- 
 
CITIZEN IIIHD 57 
 
 men wlio covet the (Oriole and Cardinal for tlieir gay 
 feathers and the Rohin and Meadowhxrk for pot-pie." 
 
 " Singing-bird pie is wicked. I woukl like to ponnd 
 them all," said Dodo, striking her fists togetlier, as 
 Nat did sometimes, not making it clear whether it was 
 pie or people she wanted to pound. " Ikit, uncle, it 
 is right to eat some birds — Ducks and Chickens and 
 Geese and Turkeys." 
 
 " Yes, Dodo, they belong to another class of birds — 
 a lower order that seem made for food — not singing 
 nor helping the farmers ; but even these sliould not lie 
 shot needlessly or in their nesting season. But the 
 higher order — the pierching Song Birds — sliould never 
 be shot, except the common Sparrow of Eurojie that 
 we call the English Sparrow. His habits are wholly 
 bad; he meddles with the nests of useful birds and is a 
 nuisance to his human as well as bird neighbors. 
 
 " To prevent confusion Heart of Nature has divided 
 the habits and appetites of Birdland, so that instead of 
 a great many families all building in one kind of tree, 
 or eating the same sort of insects or seeds, each has its 
 own manners and customs. Thus they divide among 
 themselves the realms of tiie air, the water, the trees, 
 and the ground. Some birds, as the Swallows and Fly- 
 catchers, skim through the air to catch winged insects. 
 Others, like the Woodpeckers and Warblers, take the 
 scaly insects from the bark of trees. Otliers that walk 
 on the ground, like the Robin, the Thrush, Meadow- 
 lark, Crow, and Red-winged Blackbird, eat ground 
 things, such as the fat cutworms wliich mow with sharp 
 jaws the young plants of corn, cabbage, and onions." 
 
 " Please, Doctor Hunter," asked Rap, " I thought 
 
58 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 Crows and Blackbirds were wicked birds that ate up 
 grain and corn, for the miller always puts up scarecrows 
 to keep them away." 
 
 But before the Doctor could answer the children 
 caught siglit of JMammy Bun coming down from the 
 house carrying a tray. Upon this was a pitcher, some 
 glasses, and a plate full of cakes, which, when she came 
 under the tree, they saw were delicious-looking buns, 
 as light and brown as good yeast and careful baking 
 could make them. 
 
 " Ah, mammy, mammy," cried Olis^e, Dodo, and Nat 
 together, " how did you know that we should be hungry 
 now, and we are simply famishing ? " 
 
 "Well, honeys, 1 jess guessed it, I reck'n. I know'd 
 massa was a-learnin' you'uns suffin', and it allers 'peared 
 to me that learnin' was mighty empty work. I know'd 
 IMassa Doctor was never a one to keep his patients hol- 
 ler, and least his own folks ! " Mammy gave a big 
 comfortable laugh as the Doctor took the tray from 
 her hands and the children thanked her heartily, while 
 little Rap smiled hopefully on seeing that there Avere 
 six buns on the plate — that meant one for each and 
 two for the Doctor, he thought. 
 
 " No one can make such buns as mamm}^" said Olive, 
 old as she was breaking hers in half, to find the lumj] 
 of sugar soaked with lemon juice that she knew was 
 inside. " She used to make them for me when I was a 
 little girl ; that is wlij" I named her jMamm3' Bun, and 
 we've called her that ever since." 
 
 "I thought it was a funny name," said Rap. 
 
 " One for each of us, and one for the dish," said 
 Olive, passing the plate around. 
 
CITIZEN BIRD 69 
 
 " One fur the dish ? What do you mean ? " said 
 Dodo. 
 
 " Mammy says it is always nice to have more food 
 on a dish than people are likely to eat, so that they 
 shall see there is enough and the disli shan't feel 
 lonely. You see, that last bun belongs to the dish." 
 
 " This time the dish will have to feel lonely," said 
 the Doctor, who had noticed that Rap was looking at 
 his bun, and not eating it; "for 1 think that Rap would 
 like to take that one home to liis mother by and by." 
 
 From that day Rap always believed that tiie Doctor 
 could look into his head and see what he was think- 
 ing of. 
 
 " As we have been talking about the insect-killing 
 that Citizen Bird does in order to pay his rent and 
 taxes, as a good citizen should, I will tell you of the 
 six guilds in Birdland, into which these citizens are 
 divided in order to do tlieir work thoroughly. " 
 
 " What is a guild ? " asked Rap. 
 
 " A guild is a band of people who follow the same 
 trade or occu^jation, and birds are banded together 
 according to the ways in which they work, though 
 some may belong to several guilds. We will name 
 each of the six guilds : 
 
 1. Ground Gleaners. Tlie birds wlio feed largely upon 
 
 the insects which live in, on, or 
 near the ground. 
 
 2. Tree Trappers. The birds who feed on insects 
 
 Avhich lurk about the trunks 
 and branches of trees and 
 shrubs. 
 
60 
 
 CITIZEN BIHB 
 
 3. Sky Sweepers. 
 
 4. Wise Watchers. 
 
 5. Seed Sowers. 
 
 (j. Weed Warriors. 
 
 The birds who, wliile on the wing, 
 catch flying insects. 
 
 The hirge, silent birds, who sit in 
 wait for their prey of field-mice 
 and other little gnawing mam- 
 mals, as well as insects. 
 
 The birds who eat wild fruits and 
 berries, and after digesting the 
 pulp and juice, sow the seeds 
 with their bodily wastage. 
 
 The birds who crack seeds in their 
 stout beaks, eat the kernels, and 
 so destroy millions of harmful 
 weed-seeds. 
 
 " You must write the names and definitions of these 
 six guilds down in your books, because when you hear 
 about each bird I will tell you to which guild he be- 
 longs, and if you know where and upon what a bird 
 feeds it will be easier for you to find him. All the 
 Land Birds belong to one or more of these guilds ; but 
 perhaps we shall find before we are through that some 
 of the Water Birds have a guild of Sea Sweepers." 
 
 For a few minutes the children scribbled away in 
 silence. 
 
 " My book will be very mussy," said Dodo, " for I 
 can't write well when I sit all humped up on a branch." 
 
 " Of course -yow cannot," said the Doctor ; " but b}^ 
 and by you can copy it out neatly in a clean book, and 
 it will give j^ou something to do on rainy days, for 
 there are some things that we always remember better 
 if we have once written them down." 
 
CITIZEN BIRD 61 
 
 Presently Rap said, "It must l)e because j-nu never 
 have let any birds be killed here that there are more 
 kinds than I ever see anywhere else — some of every 
 guild, I think. I've often wondered how it was." 
 
 " There are four Robins' nests in this one tree," said 
 Olive, " and the old birds have been flying to and fro 
 while we talked, and never dreamed of being afraid." 
 
 " Yes, children, Orchard Farm always has jn'otected 
 its Bird Citizens, and it always will, in ni}' time." 
 
 " And in mine, too," said Olive. " You see if each 
 person would care for the Ijirds on his own land, the 
 Battle of the Bugs would soon become less terriljle." 
 
 Then the children laughed to think how funny a real 
 battle would be, with an army of little bugs drawn up 
 on one side of a field and big House People with guns 
 and cannons on the other. 
 
 " But even against cannon," said Olive, " the Inigs 
 would have tlie best of it, because they can fly or hop, 
 and tlie worms can crawl into the ground." 
 
 Then the Doctor finished this lesson by saying, qaite 
 seriously : " Every time you cliildren deny j'ourselves 
 the pleasure of taking an egg from a nest, or think to 
 spread a little food for hungry birds, when cold and 
 snow almost force them to starve, j'ou are adding to 
 the food-supply of your country. To be sure, it may 
 be only a few grains of wheat here and an ear of corn 
 there, but it all means l:)read-food of some sort, and the 
 bread of a nation is its life. So we must learn to love 
 and protect this feathered neighljor of ours, who works 
 for his own living as well as ours, pays his rent and 
 taxes, and gives, besides, free concerts to the public, 
 daily. He certainly deserves the name of Citizen Bird. 
 
62 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 His patriotism, which is simply bis love of the country 
 where he was born, leads him to return to it whenever 
 he thinks of settling down in life and making a nest- 
 home, no matter how far he may have wandered away 
 at any other time; and this patriotism makes him one 
 of the greatest travellers on the face of the earth." 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 THE BIRD AS A TRAVELLER 
 
 Rap went up to Orchard Farm one morning very 
 early to take Nat for a walk through the fields, down 
 to the river, to see some birds that had arrived in the 
 night. 
 
 It was only five o'clock, but Dr. Hunter was walking 
 to and fro in the garden, listening to the burst of bird- 
 mu.sic as eagerly as if it were for the first lime in his 
 life. That is one of the best parts of our friendship 
 with ISird People ; they never weary us liy talking too 
 much, and every spring after winter's silence their 
 music is as new as ever. 
 
 "Please, Uncle Roy, can I go with Rap'/" pleaded 
 Nat. "I will wear mj' rubber boots." 
 
 "You may go if you eat something first. I wonder 
 if Rap woidd invite me also ?" said the I)(.ictor, leading 
 the way to the big kitchen pantry. 
 
 " I know he would ! " cried Nat joyfully. " He 
 wished and wished j'ou would go with us, but we didn't 
 think }'ou'd care to, because you have been to the river 
 woods so many times before. But why must I eat 
 something, uncle? I'm in such a hurry to go." 
 
 " Because, my boy, the life in us is like a fire that 
 must be supplied with fuel to keep it burning, oidy 
 instead of wood or coal we need food. Very early in 
 
 63 
 
64 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 the morning this life flame of ours, that is called 
 vitality, is very low, like a lire that has burned down, 
 and if we go out in the damp air and breathe the mists 
 that rise from the ground our vitality has not strength 
 to resist them. But if we put fresh fuel on our inward 
 fire by eating something before we go out, then that 
 bad little mischief-maker, which we call malaria, has 
 harder work to creep into us." 
 
 " How funny ! May I call Rap to tell him ? Rap ! 
 Rap ! come in and have milk and something to eat, to 
 make your inside fire burn up chills and fever ! " 
 
 Rap thought at first that Nat must be crazy, but 
 very soon understood what the Doctor meant, and was 
 overjoyed at tlie prospect of having him join the exjie- 
 dition. 
 
 " Dodo will cry when she wakes up and knows where 
 we have gone," said Nat, wlio had been much more 
 kind and thoughtful of his sister since coming to the 
 Farm. But kindness is very catching, and at the Farm 
 everybody was kind, from the House People to the 
 big gray horses in the barn, which let the chickens 
 jiick up oats from between their powerful hoofs, with- 
 out ever frightening them liy moving. 
 
 " It is too long a walk for little sister, but you must 
 remember everything that you see and hear, and tell 
 Jier about it. Don't forget the field-glass," said the 
 Doctor, following the boys along the road where tele- 
 graph wires made bird-perches between the high poles. 
 
 " You said a lot of birds came last night," said Nat 
 to Rap ; " but how do you know that they came last 
 night and where did they come from '? " 
 
 "I know they came last night because thej' were not 
 
THE BIIU) AS A TI'.AVKLLER 65 
 
 here yesteixlay," answered Rap ; " but I don't know 
 where they came from, except tliat it must he from 
 where it is warmer than it is iiere, l)ecause tliey went 
 away just before it grew cold hist falL See, Doctor, 
 there are some of them now on those fence rails and 
 more up on the telegraph wires. The miller calls them 
 ' f]ee Martins,' and says that they eat \\\) all the honey- 
 bees. Have they any other name — because I have 
 never seen them catch bees ? " 
 
 Nat looked at them first with the field-glass, then 
 without it as they drew quite near the fence, and saw 
 a fine bird, twice as long as his middle finger. Its 
 back and wings looked dark gray; it was wliite under- 
 neath, with a touch of gray on the breast, and had a 
 black tail, witli white at the end of it. As Nat looked 
 the l.)ird raised a little tuft of feathers on top of its 
 head, as if angry, flew into the air, giving a shrill cry, 
 seized an insect, and returned to its perch. 
 
 "That is the Kingifird," said the Doctor; "one of 
 the most useful of tlie insect-catchers. Instead of 
 living on honey-bees, as many people think, he eats 
 verjr few of these, but kills instead thousands of the 
 bad robber-fly, which is the honey-bee's worst enemy. 
 This bird is really king of the air and of all fly-catching 
 birds. See how graceful his flight is, and how easily 
 he moves ! " 
 
 " Why did he go away last fall ? " asked Nat. " Does 
 he feel the cold weather very much ? " 
 
 "He does not stay in the United States until the 
 
 weatlier is cold enough to chill liim ; but he has to 
 
 move awa}' for another reason. Tiie same reason that 
 
 forces so many birds to leave us — he must follow his 
 
 p 
 
6<i CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 food. This food consists of insects — different kinds 
 of flies, ants, and grasshoppers, which disappear or die 
 as the air grows cold. 
 
 " Rap, have you ever noticed the difference between 
 the sounds in a spring night and a night in autumn ? 
 In spring the air is humming with the calls of all sorts 
 of insects, but in autumn it is silent, and even the 
 crickets have stopped chirping. 
 
 " So about the last of September our Kingbirds, who 
 live everywhere in the United States, gather in flocks, 
 start to And a place where insects are still stirring 
 about, and fly southward, following the sea-coast and 
 the great rivers for paths. Those from the eastern 
 part of the country stop in ('entral America or fly on 
 to South America, and those from the western part 
 often stop in ilexico." 
 
 " But how can x\\&y fly so far ? " said Nat ; " it's hun- 
 dreds of miles ; and how do they find tlie way ? " 
 
 "The flight of a bird is a wonderful thing, mj' boy. 
 He spreads those frail wings of his, and launches into 
 the air, up, up, above trees and steeples, then on and on, 
 being able to fly several hundred miles without resting. 
 Some birds, Avhen the wind aids them, cover more than 
 a hundred miles in a single hour. 
 
 " As to the way, the eye of the bird is like a tele- 
 scope. It magnifies and sees from very far off. Fly- 
 ing through the upper air the bird watches the line of 
 coast and river, and the instinct that is placed in him 
 says, 'Follow these.' So he follows them, remember- 
 ing that by doing so he has found a place of safety in 
 other seasons. All through the spring and all tlirough 
 the autumn birds take tiiese mysterious fliglits — for so 
 
THE BIHD AS A TRAVELLER 67 
 
 tliey alwa3's seem to House People, as flock after flock 
 gatliers and disappears. You can watch them some- 
 times passing by day so high in the sky tliat they seem 
 like dust-motes — then perhaps you will only hear a 
 faint call-note and see nothing. At night the sound 
 of many voices falls from the clouds. .Sometimes it 
 will be the tinkling liell of Bobolinks, sometimes the 
 feeble peep of Snipes, and sometimes the hoarse lionk 
 of Wild Geese." 
 
 "Why, Uncle Roy! Can you tell a bird's name 
 without seeing it, only by one little cry?" 
 
 " Yes, my lad. When you have lived with birds as 
 long as I have, you will know their <lift'erent voices as 
 you do those of your own family. When some one 
 calls you in the garden, can't you tell whether it is 
 Dodo or Olive ? " 
 
 " Yes, but their voices are so veri/ different." 
 
 " So are the voices of birds, when you know them 
 well." 
 
 " But the young birds who have l)een hatched up 
 here — how do they know about going the first time?" 
 asked Rap. 
 
 " The young ones are led in their journeys with 
 signals and cries b}* their parents ; they lu turn lead 
 their own young, and so the knowledge is kept up end- 
 lessly." 
 
 " I can see why they go south," said Rap, after think- 
 ing a few moments, " but why do they come back 
 again? Why don't they stay and Ijuild their nests 
 down there ? " 
 
 "That is a difficult question to answer," said the 
 Doctor, " and one that we House People try to ex- 
 
68 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 plain in different ways. I think that the love of the 
 place where they were liorn is strong enough in birds 
 to bring them back everj^ season to build their nests. 
 So you see that Citizen Bird is a patriot ; for, though 
 he may Ije in tlie midst of plenty in a tropical forest, 
 when the time comes he travels hundreds of miles to 
 his native land to make the young, that will fly from 
 his nest, citizens like himself." 
 
 " But the ))irds that can eat seeds and other things 
 do not travel so far, do they ? " asked Rap. 
 
 " No, the birds who rove about the United States 
 throughout the j'car are either Weed Warriors, or Seed 
 Sowers, or those Tree Trappers who creep about tree- 
 trunks jjicking the eggs and grubs of insects from the 
 bark. Or else those great Cannibal Birds, the Wise 
 Watchers, who eat the flesh of their smaller brothers, 
 as well as of rats, mice, and all such vermin — the 
 Hawks and Owls ; or else they are Gulls, Terns, Fish- 
 ing Ducks, and a great many other kinds of sea birds 
 who feed on fish and joick up the scra^js floating on the 
 surface of sea, lake, and river." 
 
 " Do the Barn Swallows that are making nests 
 in the hayloft go as far south as Kingbirds?" asked 
 Nat. 
 
 " Yes, indeed ! The Swallows' swift flight carries 
 them far and wide, for not only do they make homes 
 all through North America, but they are so sure of 
 wing and confident of outstripping any cannibal birds 
 who might try to chase them, that when they leave vis 
 they fly by day and often stop for a little visit in the 
 West Indies on their way to South America." 
 
 " Suppose, Uncle Roy, when they are travelling, a 
 
TTIE BIRD AS A TRAVELLER 69 
 
 storm comes np and it grows so foggy they can't see 
 how to follow the rivers — don't they sometimes lose 
 themselves ? " 
 
 " Yes, very often thej^ become confused and fly this 
 way and that, but always toward the nearest place 
 where they see a light, as if it meant escape for them. 
 But this instinct is frequently their death, for they fly 
 against the towers of great lighthouses, or the win- 
 dows of tall buildings, or even electric wires, and thus 
 break their necks or wings." 
 
 "That is why I have so often found dead birds 
 along the turnpike under the telegraph wires," said 
 Rap. 
 
 " Yes, Rap, the inventions of man are very wonder- 
 ful, but some of them have been sad things for Bird 
 People, and this is anotlier reason why we should pro- 
 tect them whenever we can. These journeys that the 
 birds make when they leave their nesting Jiaunts for 
 the winter season, and return again in spring, are called 
 migrations. The word ' migrate ' means to move from 
 one country to anotlier with the intention of remain- 
 ing there for some time. The birds who onl}' make 
 little trips about the country, never staying long in 
 one place, we call visitors. 
 
 " Birds may be divided according to their journeys 
 into three groups, which will help you to jjlace tliem: 
 
 1. Citizens . . . Those Bird People whose families 
 stay in or near the same place the 
 year round, roving about some- 
 what according to the food-sup- 
 ply and weather. 
 
70 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 2. Summer Citizens. The families tliat, thougli they are 
 
 with us but six or eight months 
 of tlie year, make their homes 
 here, and pay their rent and 
 taxes by worlving for tiie com- 
 mon good. As they are almost 
 all insect-eaters, they are even 
 more useful than the stay-at- 
 home Citizens, who are chiefly 
 seed-eaters or cannibals. 
 
 3. Winter Visitors. The birds who come down from 
 
 the North in severe weather, but 
 do not stay in one place for 
 any particular time, arriving one 
 day and disappearing tlie next. 
 They glean for their scanty 
 board and return to the cold 
 countries, of which tliey are 
 Citizens, before nesting- time." 
 
 " Please tell me the names of some of the birds that 
 live here all the time," said Nat. " Have I seen any 
 yet?" 
 
 " I think the Bluebird, the Roliin, and the Song Spar- 
 row are Citizens," said Rap, "because last winter I used 
 to see one or two almost every day, unless the snow and 
 ice were very thick." 
 
 " Yes," said the Doctor, " the Bluebird is a Citizen in 
 the IMiddle and Southern States, and the Robin also. 
 But in the more northerly parts thej' are Summer Citi- 
 zens, returning early and staying late. But the Song 
 Sparrow is a Citizen almost everywhere, and is known 
 
THE Bint) Afi A rilAVKLLlill 71 
 
 about eveiy l)usliy garden froin (he east coast to the 
 west, and from tlie cotton phmtation to the hind of 
 snow." 
 
 " Please tell me the names of some winter visitors," 
 said Rap. "Isn't the Great White ()\vl one of these?" 
 
 " Yes, the Snowy Owl is one of them ; so is the Snow- 
 flake, who comes to us on the wings of the storm ; the 
 tiny Winter Wren, the Great Northern Shrike, and many 
 others, who arrive when snow-tide is upon us in the 
 temperate part of the country, after our song birds 
 have flown to the warmer south. Y(.)U shall hear of 
 all these, and learn wliere each one lives, in the bird 
 stories I am going to write for you. But now let us 
 go down by the river and see what some of these newly 
 arrived birds are doing after their long journey. 
 
 " Hark ! I hear the notes of a Thrasher in those 
 bushes, and the lied-winged Blackbirds are calling all 
 through the marsh meadow. When I was a boy the 
 alder bushes were always full of nests." 
 
 "They have nests there now," said Rap eagerly; 
 " a great many nests, and they are very pretty. Ah ! 
 There is the big brown bird that you call a Thrasher, 
 with his striped breast and long tail that spreads like 
 a fan. I see him — he is building in that barberry 
 bush 1 " 
 
 " Tlien the nest comes pretty soon after the up-jour- 
 ney," said Nat. 
 
 " Yes," answered the Doctor, as he watched the antics 
 of the Thrasher ; " right after the journey the mate, 
 and next the nest. Do not forget the mate, Nat, for 
 it is Mrs. Bird who usually makes the nest and always 
 lays the eggs, besides working in the guilds with her 
 
72 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 liusljand, whose greatest distinction is in being the 
 family musician." 
 
 " When do the Summer Citizens begin to come back 
 to tlieir nesting ph^ces? " asked Nat. " And wlien do 
 tliey go away again ? " 
 
 " Tlie great bird procession begins the first of March 
 with Bluebirds, Rollins, Redwings, and Meadowlarks, 
 but it is the first of June before the latest comers, the 
 little ]\Iarsh Wrens, are settled. Then in autumn, from 
 September until the first snows of December fall, the 
 procession flutters back south again, one by one or in 
 great flocks, dropping away like falling leaves in the 
 forest, and the birds that we see later are likely to be 
 Citizens. 
 
 " The early Robin may have a second brood and the 
 Hummingbird eggs in her nest, before the Marsh Wrens 
 have even been seen. 
 
 " In the Southern States the birds arrive and build 
 sooner than in the Northern. A cold spring may delay 
 the on-coming migration, or a warm autumn retard the 
 return movement. But as you study birds you will 
 soon see that each one has his own place in the proces- 
 sion, and usually keeps it. Year by year this vast pro- 
 cession goes on in the air, back and forth, night and 
 day, like the ceaseless ebb and flow of the tides at sea. 
 Bird-waves flow on forever, in their appointed times, 
 and none of Nature's aspects are more regular or more 
 unfailing. It almost seems, boys, as if birds made the 
 seasons — as if winter in the Middle and Northern States 
 might be called the ' songless season.' " 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 THE BIRD'S NP:ST 
 
 "I WONDER wliy some birds build their nests so very 
 earh^, when it is culd, and tliere are no leaves on the 
 trees, while others wait until it is almoyt summer," 
 said Rap, as they walked down a narrow lane toward 
 the river. There were bushes lining the path on each 
 side, and from the singing you would think that every 
 bush had a bird on each twig. In fact, there were so 
 many birds in sight that Nat did not know which to 
 ask about first, and so kept looking instead of talking. 
 
 " The birds who are Citizens are usually the first to 
 build," answered the Doctor. "The}' mereh' roved 
 about during the winter months, and had no long 
 journey to make before they reached the home trees 
 again, and then the hardy seed-eating birds can return 
 from the South much earlier than their frailer kin." 
 
 " Last year," said Rap, " when the men were chop- 
 ping trees in the great wood beyond the lake, the 
 miller went up one day to hunt coons and took me 
 with him. It was the beginning of March and terribly 
 cold ; there were long icicles hanging on the trees, 
 and we were glad enough to go in b}' the fire in 
 the lumbermen's camp. lUit what do you think? — if 
 there wasn't an (Jwl's nest, up in a pine tree, with two 
 
 fs in it ! It was in a very lonely place, and the 
 
74 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 miller said the Owl Lad borrowed an old Crow's nest 
 and fixed it up a little." 
 
 " I should think the eggs would have frozen hard 
 and been spoiled," said Nat. 
 
 " No, the old Owl sat on them ever so tight and 
 would hardier budge to let the miller see them. We 
 didn't stay long, for the Owl was a savage big thing, 
 nearly two feet high, with yellow eyes and long 
 feathers sticking up on its head like horns." 
 
 "A Great Ilorjied Owl," said the Doctor. "I only 
 wonder that it let the miller go near it at all ; they 
 are generally very wikl and fierce." 
 
 "This one was sort of friends with the lumbermen," 
 continued Rap, " for they used to hang lumps of raw 
 meat on the bushes for it, and they said it kept the 
 rats and mice away from the camp and was good com- 
 pany for them. ]t frightened me wlien I heard it 
 first ; it gave an awful scream, like a hurt person. 
 After a while another one began to bark like a dog 
 with a cold, just like this — ' who-o-o-o — hoo — hoo — 
 h5o.' And, Doctor, one of the lumbermen told me 
 that with Owls and Hawks the female is mostly bigger 
 than the male. Do you think that is so? Because 
 with singing birds the male is the largest." 
 
 "Among cannil)al birds the feuude is usually the 
 largest," answered the Doctor, who was pleased to see 
 that Rap so often had a "Ijecause" for his questions. 
 "These birds do a great deal of fighting, both in catch- 
 ing their living pre}' and holding their own against ene- 
 mies ; and as the female stays most at home, being the 
 chief protector of the nest, she needs more strength." 
 
 " Some singing birds are real plucky too," said Rap. 
 
'ruE Bjnn's nest Y5 
 
 "That same year I found a Robiir.s nest in April, when 
 tlie water-pail by the well froze every uiglit, and a 
 Woodeoek's nest in the brushwood. It's hanl to see a 
 Woodcock on the nest, they look so like dead leaves. 
 It snowed a little that afternoon, and the poor Ijird's 
 back was all white, but there she sat. It made me 
 feel so sorry, and I was so afraid she might freeze, that 
 I made a little roof over her of hemlock Ijranclies. And 
 she liked that and didn't move at all; so then I wiped 
 the snow off her back, and she seemed real comfortable. 
 I used to go back every day after that h) see her ; we 
 grew to ])e quite friends before the four eggs hatched, 
 and I've seen them do queer little tricks ; but I never 
 told anybody where she lived, though, because lots of 
 people don't seem to understand anything about birds 
 but shooting or teasing them." 
 
 " Some da}' j'oii shall tell us about what the Wood- 
 cock did, my lad. You must tell us a great many 
 stories, for you know what you have seen yourself. 
 That is the best knowledge of all, and it will encourage 
 Nat to hear you," and Dr. Hunter put his arm affec- 
 tionately around the shoulders of each boy. 
 
 " Hush ! Wait a moment and listen to that Thrasher," 
 said the Doctor, stopping behind some thick bushes ; 
 " he is wooing his mate ! " 
 
 " What is wooing ? " whispered Nat. 
 
 " Asking her to marry him and come and Ijuild a 
 cosy home in one of these nice bushes. Listen ! See ! 
 There he is, up on the very top of that young birch, 
 with his head thrown back, singing as if his throat 
 would split." As the children looked up they saw a 
 fine bird with a curved beak, rusty-brown back, and 
 
76 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 light breast streaked with Ijhiek, who was clinging to a 
 slender spray, jerking his long tail while he sang. 
 
 " It seems as if I could almost hear the words he 
 says," said Rap. 
 
 " Birds sing in many different tones," said the Doc- 
 tor. " The Thrasher's song is like some one talking 
 cheerfully; the j\Ieadowlark's is flute-like ; the Oriole's 
 is more like clarion notes ; the Bobolink bubl^les over 
 like a babljling brook ; while the dear little brown 
 striped Song Sparrow, who is with us in hedge and 
 garden all the year, sings pleasant home-like ballads." 
 
 " There are some birds that Olive told me can't sing 
 a bit," said Nat, " l)ut only call and squeak. How do 
 they ask tlieir mates to marry them ? " 
 
 "All birds have alarm cries, and a call-note that 
 serves the same purpose as a song, although it may not 
 seem at all musical to us. We are naturally more in- 
 terested in that order of birds whose voices are the 
 most perfectly developed. These not only sing when 
 they are courting, but all the time their mates are sit- 
 ting upon the eggs, and until the j'oung are ready to 
 
 fly-" 
 
 " Why do birds alwaj-s l)uild nests in spring ? " asked 
 Nat. 
 
 " I think because there is more for them to feed the 
 little ones with, than when it gets to be hot and dry," 
 said Rap, " and it gives them time to grow big and 
 strong before winter comes, when they must go away." 
 
 " Quite right. Rap, and it also gives the parents a 
 chance to shed the old feathers that have been worn by 
 rubbing on the nest, grow a new, thick, warm coat for 
 winter, and rest themselves before they set out on their 
 
THE BU1I>\S NEST 77 
 
 autumn journey. Do you renieiuber wliat I told you 
 that rainy day in my study aljout this moulting or 
 changing of feathers V " 
 
 "Yes, I do," said Rap and Nat together. "Most 
 birds have two coats a j'ear, and the male's is the 
 brighter," continued Nat eagerly, proud to show that 
 he remembered. " The one that comes out in the 
 spring is the gayest, so that his mate shall admire 
 him and when this coat comes he sings his very best 
 and — " 
 
 " Stop and take breath, ni}' boy," laughed the Doctor; 
 " there is jdenty of time. Why do we think that the 
 male has the gayest feathers — do you remember that 
 also?" 
 
 " No, I've forgotten," said Nat. 
 
 " I remember," cried Rap ; " it is to please the female 
 and because she sits so much on the nest that if her 
 feathers were as bright as the male's her enemies would 
 see her quicker, and when the little birds hatch out 
 they are mostly in plain colors too, like their mother." 
 
 " Oh, I remember that now," said Nat. " And after 
 the young are hatched and the old birds need new coats, 
 they keep rather still while they shed their feathers, 
 because they feel weak and can't fly well." 
 
 " Then when the new feathers come they are some- 
 times quite different from the old ones, and seldom 
 quite so bright — why is this, Nat ? " asked the Doc- 
 tor. But Nat could not think, and Rap answered: 
 " Because in the autumn when they make the long 
 journeys the leaves are falling from the trees, and if 
 they were very bright the canniljal liirds would see 
 them too c[uickly." 
 
78 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " Have 1 told you about the Bluebird, and how, 
 though he only sheds his feathers once a year, yet his 
 winter coat is rusty and not bright clear blue as it is in 
 spring ? " 
 
 "I think not," answered Nat. 
 
 " Well, the outside edges of its feathers are blue, but 
 a little deeper in the feather is brownish. So when 
 they have worn the same feathers many months, and 
 rubbed in and out of their little houses and bathed a 
 great deal and cleaned their feathers off every day in 
 the dust, as birds always do, the blue ends wear off and 
 the rusty parts show. It is quite worth while to tell 
 little people things when they have the patience to 
 listen and the interest to remember." 
 
 " Yes, uncle, but it's the way you tell us about birds 
 that makes us remember. You talk as if they were 
 real people." 
 
 "Oh, oh, Nat ! " laughed the Doctor, "if you flatter 
 me so I shall have to hide my head in a bush like an 
 Ostrich. Birds are people, though of another race 
 from ours, and I am happy if I can make you think so. 
 Ah ! we must be near a Redwing's nest — what a com- 
 motion the colony is making! " 
 
 "Colony? 1 thought a colony was a lot of people 
 who went off into a strange wild land and made a new 
 home," said Nat. 
 
 " That is one meaning of the word, but another one 
 is when a number of people of the same race or trade 
 live close to each other. A bird colony is a collection 
 of the homes of many birds of the same family. After 
 the nesting season almost all birds live in flocks of 
 different sizes, each particular kind flocking by itself ; 
 
THE BIRD'S NEST 79 
 
 but during the migrations great flocks are often made 
 up of smaller flocks of various kinds of birds. During 
 the nesting season it is quite different ; the majority 
 of birds prefer a quiet liome life, each pair being inde- 
 pendent of any others. Certain flocks, however, keep 
 together, and all build their nests in a particular swamj^ 
 or wood, and sonaetimes, it is said, male Ijirds build nests 
 to sleep in while the females are sitting. The Red- 
 wings nest in colonies ; so do the Herons, who eat frogs 
 and nest near water, and the little brown-cloaked Bank 
 Swallows, who live in holes that tliey dig for themselves 
 in high banks." 
 
 There were some twenty pairs of birds in this Red- 
 wing colony, who seemed to be much fj-ightened by the 
 approach of visitors. 
 
 "Here is a nest in this alder bush," said the Doctor; 
 " step carefully on the grass hummocks, and look at it 
 for a moment, Nat. See how neatly it is made of the 
 dried leaves of flags and grasses, woven in and out 
 between three upright stalks." 
 
 " Isn't it pretty? " said Nat ; " so even and deep like 
 a cup, and not at all ragged and mussy like a Robin's 
 nest. There are a great many different kinds of nests, 
 aren't there, uncle ? " 
 
 " Yes, the nests of birds are almost as different as 
 their songs and other habits, and tiie higher the order 
 the brood belongs to the better built is the nest. The 
 lower orders often only make a hollow in the ground 
 or grass, but do not collect material and build in the 
 true sense. None such can be called architects." 
 
 " What is an architect ? " asked Nat, who thought it 
 was a pretty big name for any sort of a bird. 
 
80 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " An architect, my boy," said the Doctor, " is anybody 
 who knows how to build anything as it ought to be 
 built, to look the best and be the most useful, whether 
 it is a house or a nest." 
 
 " I wonder why nests are so different," said Rap, look- 
 ing down the lane toward the river where the sun was 
 streaming in and so many little birds were flying to 
 and fro that they seemed like last year's leaves being 
 blown about. 
 
 " Because, as the habits of the birds cause them to 
 live in different places, and feed in various ways, so 
 their homes must be suitable to their surroundings, 
 and be built in the best way to protect the young birds 
 from harm — to keep them safe from House People, 
 cannibal birds, and bad weather. 
 
 " The trim Thrushes and Sparrows, who are all 
 brownish birds, and find their insect or seed food on 
 or near the ground, build open nests low down in trees 
 and bushes, or on the earth itself ; but the gorgeous 
 Baltimore Oriole, with his flaming feathers, makes a 
 long pocket-shaped nest of string and strong plant 
 fibres, wliich he swings high up in an elm tree, where 
 it cannot be reached from below, and the leaves hide 
 this cradle while the winds rock it. Me knows that it 
 would never do to trust his brilliant feathers down by 
 the ground. 
 
 " The frail Hummingbird has no real strength to 
 fight enemies bigger than its tiny self, but it has been 
 given for protection the power of flying as quick as 
 a whizzing bullet, and courage enough to attack even a 
 Kingbird in defence of its nest, which is a tiny circle 
 of down, covered with lichens, and is so fastened across 
 
THE BIRD'S NEST 81 
 
 a branch that it hjok.s like a knot of the limb itself. 
 The Woodcock you saw that snowy day, Rap, knows 
 the protection of color and draws together for a nest 
 a few leaves of the hue of her own feathers. This 
 nest and the Ijird upon it are so blended together that 
 few eyes could separate them." 
 
 " Some birds do not make any nests, but live in holes 
 like squirrels and coons," said Rap. " Woodpeckers and 
 all those." 
 
 " There again the home is suited to the occupation 
 of the bird," said the Doctor; "for Woodpeckers are 
 Tree Trappers, who find their food by creeping about 
 trees and picking insects and grubs from the bark. 
 What more natural than that they should have a house 
 close at hand in some tree whose wood is soft enough 
 to be hollowed out ? You see they have a bill like a 
 chisel for gouging out insects, and with this same tool 
 they make their homes." 
 
 " Bluebirds and Wrens and IMartins like to live in 
 holes and boxes, though they can't make holes for 
 themselves," said Rap. 
 
 " Yes, the habits of many l)irds have changed since 
 the country has become civilized and Mouse People are 
 to be found in all parts of it. Many l)irds, who have 
 always been favorites with man, and have been pro- 
 tected by him, have gradually grown less wild, or almost 
 tame, and now prefer living near houses and barns to 
 building in wilder places. The Bluebird, Martin, and 
 Wren are three very popular birds. They appreciate 
 cosy homes and are grateful for the boxes built for 
 them, though we know that before they had such 
 things they must have nested in tree holes." 
 
82 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 "I wonder where tlie Cliimney Swifts lived before 
 there were any chimne3rs," said Rap, looking across tlie 
 fields to where an old stone chimney stood — the only 
 thing left standing of an old farmhouse. Above this 
 chimney, Swifts were circling in shifting curves, now 
 diving inside it, now disappearing afar in the air. 
 
 " We think they must have lived in hollow trees as 
 the Tree Swallows do now," said the Doctor ; " but 
 when House People began to clear the land they natu- 
 rally cut down the dead trees first, and so the birds 
 moved to the cliimneys." 
 
 " I used to call those birds Chimney ' Swallows,' but 
 Olive says they are made more like Hummingbirds and 
 Nighthawks than real Swallows," continued Rap. 
 
 " Nighthawks ? " said Nat. " I thought Olive said 
 Hawks were cannibal birds. How are they relations 
 of Swallows '! " 
 
 " TJiat is a mistake a great many people make," said 
 the Doctor ; " for the Nighthawk is not a real Hawk, 
 but a shy bird, who has a rapid hawk-like flight, 
 though it eats nothing but beetles, moths, and other 
 insects. Hark ! Do you hear tliat cry high in the 
 air ? " 
 
 " As if something was saying ' shirk-shirk ' ? " said 
 Nat. 
 
 " Yes; that is a Nighthawk on its way home. Look! 
 he is over us now, and you can see two large white 
 spots like holes in his wings. By these you can tell it 
 from any of the real Hawks." 
 
 " Does he build high up in a tree ? " asked Rap. " I 
 have never found his nest." 
 
 " There is a good reason for that," said the Doctor. 
 
THE BIRD'S NESr 83 
 
 " There is no nest. Two eggs are laid on the Ijare 
 ground, that is about the same cohjr as the bird itself ; 
 and the eggs look too much like streaky i^ebbles to be 
 easily seen. When the young are iiatehed they keep 
 still until they are able to fly, and are colored so exactly 
 like the place upon which they rest tliat it is almost 
 impossible to see them, even if you know where they 
 are." 
 
 " How much there is to learn! " sighed Nat. "I'm 
 afraid you will have to make us a big Ijook instead of 
 a little one. Uncle Roy, to teach us all these things. 
 Olive and Rap have such a start of us. Dodo and I 
 don't know much of anything, and even what I thought 
 I knew about birds isn't very true." 
 
 " Don't be discouraged, my boy ; you do not need a 
 big book — a little one will do for the present. What 
 you need is patience, a pair of keen eyes, and a good 
 memor}'. With these and a little help from r)live. 
 Rap, and your old uncle, you can learn to know a 
 hundred kinds of every-day birds — those that can be 
 found easily, and have either the sweetest songs, the 
 gayest plumage, or the most interesting habits. Some 
 we shall find here in the lane and swamp meadow, or 
 by the river. Others have made their home in my 
 orchard for 3'ears. And I am going to put in the book 
 more than a hundred beautiful pictures for you and 
 Dodo, drawn so naturally that you can tell every one of 
 the birds by them, and that will make it easier for you 
 to understand what you read. 
 
 " For some of the water birds we must go up to the 
 lake or in the summer make a trip over to the seashore. 
 Mow do you like that ? Yes, you too. Rap. 
 
84 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " By and by, when you know these hundred birds by 
 name and by sight, you will be so far along on the road 
 into Birdland that you can choose your own way, and 
 branch off right and left on whatever path seems most 
 attractive to you ; but then you will need big books, 
 and have to learn long hard Latin names." 
 
 " What birds will you begin with, please, Doctor 
 liojr," said Rap, "the singers or the cannibals? " 
 
 " The singers, because they will interest Dodo and 
 Nat the most easily, as they do you. Then we will 
 talk about the birds that only croak and call ; then the 
 cannibal birds ; next those that coo, and those that 
 scratch for a living. Then we must leave dry land 
 and go close to the water to find the birds that wade ; 
 and finall}^, we must go to the lake or sea itself for the 
 birds that swim and dive." 
 
 " Whjr, here's Quick ! " cried Nat, as the little fox- 
 terrier came leaping down the lane, tracking them, nose 
 to the ground. "How did you get out of the barn, 
 
 sir 
 
 ? " 
 
 " I suspect that Dodo has discovered that we are 
 missing and is looking for us," said the Doctor. 
 " There is the breakfast bell. Do you realize, my lads, 
 that we have been out two hours ? " 
 
 " I often come out early in the morning," said Rap, 
 " so it doesn't seem strange to me." 
 
 " I'm starving, Uncle Roy," said Nat, " though I am 
 only beginning to feel it." 
 
 " Think how much worse j^ou would have felt if you 
 had not eaten some bread and milk before you started." 
 
 " Yes, indeed," said Nat. " Do many sicknesses 
 come from not eating enough ? " 
 
THE BIRD'S NEST 85 
 
 " Not so mail)' as come from eating too mucli ! " 
 laughed the Doctor. " AVoii't you come up to break- 
 fast with us, Rap ? There is always room at my table, 
 you know, for children Avho love their Bird brothers." 
 
 " I can't," said Rap regretfully ; " you see it's Thurs- 
 day and I have to mind clothes ! " 
 
 There was a merry breakfast party that morning at 
 Orchard Farm; Nat had so much to tell, and the 
 Doctor said he felt twenty years younger after his walk 
 with the boys. A letter had also arrived which made 
 Nat and Dodo very happy ; it was from their mother, 
 who said : " We are delighted to hear that the Doctor 
 is going to tell you bird stories this sLimmer. Be sure 
 to ask Olive to tell j'ou all slie knows about the flowers 
 too. When we come home this autumn, perhaps your 
 uncle will ask us to the Farm for a visit, and then we 
 shall see your friend Rap." 
 
 " Uncle, uncle ! " cried both the children, " will you 
 ask mother and father to come here for a little? Jt 
 will be lovel}", and — and then we shan"t have to go 
 awa}' so soon either." 
 
 " I have already asked them for a long visit, you little 
 rogues," said the Doctor. " You seem to forget that 
 your mother is my sister, Avhom I wish very much to see." 
 
 "And does Olive know all the flowers," chimed in 
 Dodo, " and will you tell us about everything ? " 
 
 " That would be a rash promise," said the Doctor, 
 laughing ; " but if you will stay long enough I will 
 promise to teach you something about all the little wild 
 beasts and bugs that live here, the flowers that bloom 
 about us, the earth, moon, and perhaps even a star or 
 two ! Who knows ? Is it a bargain ? " 
 
86 CITIZEN BIBD 
 
 " Oh, uncle ! " was all they said. But Dodo gave 
 him a kiss on the end of his nose and Nat liugged Olive, 
 who sat next to him. Just then Mamniy Bun brought 
 in a plate of steaming hot flannel cakes, and the Doctor 
 said : " Now let us eat to the health of Birdland and a 
 happy season at Orchard Farm ! Olive, my love, please 
 pass the maple syrup ! " 
 
CHAPTER VIll 
 BEGINNING OF THE BIRD STORIES 
 
 When the day came for beginning the bird stories, 
 warm spring showers were drencliing the oreliard, so 
 that apple blossoms and raindrops fell to the ground to- 
 gether when the children gathered in the wonder room 
 once more. This time there was no fire on the hearth ; 
 through the open window floated bits of bird-song and 
 the fragrance of tlie lilacs — for there were lilac bushes 
 all about Orchard Farm, close to the house, by the 
 gate posts, and in a long hedge that ran down one side 
 of the garden to the orchard itself. These tall Inishes 
 of purple and white lilacs were veritable music Ijoxes, 
 for almost every one held a Catbird's nest. 
 
 " What bird do you think Uncle Roy Avill tell us 
 about first ? " said Nat to Rap, as they walked about the 
 room, looking at the birds in the cases, while the Doctor 
 was reading letters which Olive had brought in. 
 
 " I wish he would begin with that lovely fat bird, 
 with all the red and green and blue feathers," said 
 Dodo, pointing to a Wood Duck. " I wonder if it 
 sings." 
 
 " No, that's a Duck and they don't sing," said Rap ; 
 " they gabble and squawk and swim in the water, but 
 they can fly as quick as Swallows, for all they look so 
 heavy." 
 
 87 
 
88 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " I wish he would begin with this little mite of a 
 thing, that isn't much bigger than a bee," said Nat, 
 showing Rap a Hummingbird. 
 
 " I don't care what bird he starts with," said Rap, 
 "only I hope he will begin at the very beginning." 
 
 " That is a good idea, my boj^" said the Doctor, who 
 had finished his letters and was leaving his desk ; "only 
 what and where is the beginning ? " 
 
 The children looked at each other in silence, and 
 Olive said : " That is a very hard question for them to 
 answer. No wonder they looked so puzzled, father." 
 
 Then the Doctor laughed and said : " The people 
 who have studied the birds, bone by bone and feather 
 by feather, have grouped these Citizens into orders 
 and families to prevent confusion, so that we may easily 
 tell the relationship between them. These lists some- 
 times begin with the lowest order, nearest to the crawl- 
 ing, reptile brethren, — the least interesting, far-away 
 birds that have no song and cannot fly well, but swim 
 and dive in the water, — and end with the beautiful 
 singing birds that live in our gardens." 
 
 " Couldn't you begin with the dear singing birds 
 and end with the far-away clumsy diving ones ? " 
 asked Rap earnestly ; " it's so much easier learning 
 about things near home." 
 
 " You are right, my boy. In learning anything, 
 whether of bird, insect, or flower, begin at home, and 
 let this be the centre from which you work your way 
 onward and outward. Then you will be sure of what 
 you learn ; and ever afterward, though you may follow 
 strange birds all over the known world, you will come 
 home again, to find that there are none more charming' 
 
BEGINNING OF THE BIRD STORIES 89 
 
 and lovaljle tliau those Tew whose acquaintance you 
 will make this summer. 
 
 " I do not wish you to 1)6 confused Ijy long words, so 
 I shall give you their plain English names and divide 
 these birds of our stories into six classes. By and by, 
 when you have heard a few facts about them, we will 
 group them into families ; and I will tell you so much 
 that, if you use your eyes well, you will be able to 
 name any one of these birds when you see it out in 
 the open air. You must always remember, children, 
 when you see birds flying about, that you will not no- 
 tice many little markings and bits of color that would 
 be quite plain to you if j^qu held the bird in your 
 hand, or looked at it in a case, as you look at these 
 stuffed ones now. A Ijird whose breast is spotted may 
 look striped when seen at a distance. 
 
 " When you are in douljt about the name of a bird 
 that you have seen, you can come here and look for 
 it ; but very few children can do so. At best they can 
 only look at pictures, and I do not wish you to depend 
 upon the specimens in this room." 
 
 " No," said llap, " because if our bird stories are 
 printed, and other children read them, they ma}' not 
 have an uncle with a ' wonder room ' ; and so they 
 must learn the laames without." 
 
 " That is another reason why we must have a great 
 many pictures in our book, for these children," said the 
 Doctor. " Now write the names of the six classes into 
 which all our birds are to be gathered. 
 I. The Birds that Sing. 
 II. The Birds that Croak and Gall. 
 
 III. The Birds that are Cannibals. 
 
90 CITIZEN BIED 
 
 IV. The Birds that Coo and Scratch. 
 V. The Birds that Wade and Paddle. 
 
 VI. The Birds that Swim and Dive." 
 
 Squeak, squeak, went three pencils, two going fast 
 and one toiling along as if it was lame and needed 
 sharpening. 
 
 "Please, uncle, wliat birds are cannibals?" asked 
 Dodo, as she finished writing this last word slowly, 
 taking great pains. " I thought cannibals were people 
 that ate each other." 
 
 " Well, my dear, so they are ; and cannibal birds are 
 those who sometimes eat each other." 
 
 " If you please. Doctor, which of the birds that sing 
 will you begin with ? " asked Rap. " I wonder if we 
 can guess it." 
 
 "You may all try," said the Doctor. "It is a bird 
 that every one loves — the home bird who is so fond 
 of House People tJiat whenever we see one, we know 
 that there is a house not far away." 
 
 " Then it must be the Bluebird ! " cried Rap. 
 
 " You are right," said the Doctor; "and if you will 
 come here by the window you can watch a pair who are 
 flying in and out of the bird house, on top of the wood- 
 shed. Do you hear? Bluebirds have a call-note and 
 a sweet warbling song. As I have told you before, all 
 birds have some note or sound that they use to attract 
 attention or call their mates ; but it is only those whose 
 voices are so highly developed that they can make really 
 continuous musical sounds, that are called song birds. 
 
 "The male is the only real singer in Birdland. 
 Many females have pretty musical notes that they 
 give when about the nest, and some scra[is of song ; 
 
BEGINNING OF THE BIRD STORIES 91 
 
 one or two are quite g-ood musicians, Ijut the great 
 chorus comes from the males. 
 
 " These liave their seasons for singing, and are not 
 in equal voice during the entire year. They sing most 
 [>ersistently from the time they put on their spring 
 coat, until after the nesting season, when they take it 
 off. In early autumn some species sing for a time, 
 and in warm climates there is more or less music all 
 winter ; but the great morning and evening chorus 
 belongs to spring and the nesting season. It is as 
 rare to hear the j^erfect song of a bird in autumn, 
 as it is to see its perfect plumage. The young birds 
 of the season are then swelling their little throats in 
 trying to warble a few notes ; and as their feathers 
 are a mixture of those worn by tlieir father and 
 mother, such birds and tlieir songs will both, most 
 likely, confuse )'ou. 
 
 " When you find a strange bird, try to see quickly 
 a few of the things most necessary to naming him. I 
 will make a measure of your middle finger for j'ou 
 such as Olive used to wear. Then you must try to 
 answer the following questions : 
 
 " How many inches long was he ? 
 
 " What was his general color ? 
 
 " Was his breast plain or sjieckled ? 
 
 "What was he doing — feeding on the ground or in 
 a tree ? 
 
 " Did he walk with one foot after the other, or hojD 
 with both feet together? 
 
 " Did he sing or only call ? 
 
 "At first you may only remember two or three of 
 these questions, and they will probably be his size, 
 
92 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 color, and song, if he liappeiis to be singing at the 
 time. 
 
 " You may not think that a bird, who is hopping 
 al)out in tlie grass or flitting among tlie branches of a 
 tree, is doing anything in particuhir. But really he 
 may be either collecting material for his nest, or search- 
 ing for food of some particular kind, in a way which 
 will tell you to what guild of the Bird Brotherhood he 
 belongs. 
 
 "Everything in the daily life of a bird is interesting. 
 You will find that every bird has its regular times 
 for bathing, pluming, eating, sleeping, working, and 
 playing, all in its own ways, just as you yourselves 
 have. And everything lie does is done cheerfull}' 
 and promptl}'. 
 
 " I know that you think this a very long sermon, and 
 that you would ratlier see a bird than be told how to 
 see it. Only one word more. I am going to give j'ou, 
 as we go along, a few facts about tlie color and size of 
 each bird, that you may write in your books ; so that 
 if you forget whether this bird or that one was strijjed 
 or spotted you can look at your 'bird table' (not multi- 
 plication table) and see which it was. Now we will 
 begin with our dear Bluebird." 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 A SILVER-TONGUED FAMILY 
 
 THE ISLL'EBIUI) 
 
 1011 
 
 " It will be difficult fa 
 take tills little 
 other bird. He 
 which is as rare ; 
 birds as it is aiiic 
 He is the bauuer- 
 of Birdland also 
 loyally floats tin 
 tricolor from 
 our trees and 
 telegraph 
 wires; for, be- 
 sides being blue, 
 is he not also 
 red and white ? 
 
 " To be sure, his 
 breast is perhaps more 
 brown than red, but 
 when the sf)ring sun 
 shines on his new 
 feathers, as he flits to and fro, it is quite bright enough 
 to be called red. All sorts and conditions of people 
 
 03 
 
 Blukcird. 
 
94 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 love and respect the Bluebird ; all welcome him to their 
 gardens and orchards. The crossest old farmer, with 
 his back bent double by rheumatism, contrives to bore 
 some auger holes in an old box and fasten it on the 
 side of the barn, or set it up on the pole of his hayrick; 
 while the thrifty villager provides a beautiful home for 
 his blue-backed pets — a real summer hotel, mounted 
 on a tall post above a flower-bed, with gables and little 
 windows under the eaves. 
 
 " Why does this bird receive so much attention ? 
 There are many otliers with gayer plumage and more 
 brilliant songs. It is because the Bluebird is gentle, 
 useful, brave, and faithful under adversity, while he 
 and the Robin are the first two birds that children 
 know by name. We must live in a very cold, wind- 
 swept part of the countrj' not to have some of these 
 birds with us from March until Thanksgiving day, and 
 then, wlien a week has passed and we have not seen a 
 single one, we say winter has come in earnest. When 
 weeks go by and our eyes grow tired of the glare of 
 the snow, or our hearts discouraged at the sight of bare 
 lifeless trees and stretches of brown meadow — sud- 
 denly, some morning, we hear a few liquid notes from 
 an old tree in a sunny spot. All eagerness, we go out to 
 see if our ears have deceived us. No, it is a Bluebird ! 
 He is peeping into an old Woodpecker's hole and act- 
 ing as if he had serious thoughts of going to house- 
 keejiing there, and did not intend waiting to move in 
 until May-day either. Wlien you see him you may 
 know that, though there is still ice on the water-trough 
 and on the little streams, spring is only around the 
 corner, waiting for her friend, the sun, to give her a 
 
A SILVER-TONGUED FAMILY 95 
 
 little Wiirmer invitation to join liini in tliuir old, old 
 play of turning the sluggish sleeping brown earth into 
 a wonderful green garden again. 
 
 " As a Citizen the Blueljird is in every way a model. 
 He works wdth the Ground Gleaners in searching the 
 grass and low bushes for grasshoppers and crickets ; 
 he searches the trees for caterpillars in company with 
 the Tree Trappers ; and in eating blueberries, cranber- 
 ries, wild grapes, and other fruits he works with the 
 Seed Sowers also. 
 
 " So who would not welcome this bird, who pays his 
 rent and taxes in so cheerful a manner, and thanks you 
 with a song into the bargain ? A very few straws are 
 all that he asks for his housekee})ing, and every time 
 he promises a meal for his household, scores of creep- 
 ing, crawling, hopping garden enemies are gobbled up. 
 Then he, modest little fellow that he is, comes to the 
 roof of the shed and murmurs his thanks for your hos- 
 pitality, as if you and not he had done the favor ; he 
 continues to whisper and warble about it all the way 
 down the meadow until, having caught another grass- 
 hopper, his mouth is too full for singing." 
 
 As the Doctor was speaking the shower cloud passed 
 over, and the sun burst out full upon the Bluebirds 
 that were building by the woodshed. 
 
 " Oh, they are red, white, and blue ! " cried Dodo in 
 great glee, " though the red is a little dirty, — • not so 
 fresh and bright as the color in our new flag." 
 
 " It is more the red of the ragged old flag they keep 
 down in the Town Hall — the one that has seen ser- 
 vice," said Rap thoughtfully. 
 
96 
 
 CITIZEN IlIRD 
 
 Some things to remember about the Bluebird 
 
 Length (from lip of beak over head to end of tail) .seven inches. 
 
 Upper parts clear liright blue. 
 
 Throat and breast reddish eartli color. 
 
 Belty \vhite. 
 
 A Summer Citizen of the United States, and a Citizen of the 
 milder parts of our country. 
 
 A member of the guilds of Ground Gleaners, Tree Trappers, 
 and Seed Sowers. 
 
 THE AiNtEKICAN" KOBIN 
 
 Another home bird, first cousin to the 
 Bluebird, coming with it in tlie spring, 
 and often lingering tlirougli the 
 winter in phices that the Blue- 
 bird is obliged to leave — " 
 " Tlie Robin a cousin 
 of the Bluebird ! " 
 i n t e r r u pt e d 
 Nat ; " why, 
 tliejr don't look one 
 bit alike — how can 
 it be. Uncle Roy?" 
 " I expected you 
 to ask that ques- 
 tion," said tlie Doctor. "Tlie relationship of bird fami- 
 lies, like that of other animals, is based upon a likeness 
 in the formation of their bodies, and not upon mere size 
 or color. That sort of likeness proves that their ances- 
 tors of long ago were the same, so that the}^ are de- 
 scended from one pair of very great-great-grandparents ; 
 and that always makes cousins, you know. It ntns in 
 
 American Roi!tn. 
 
A SILVER-TONGUED FAMILY 97 
 
 tlie blood ; tlms, a cat and a tiger are l.ilood relati(jnw ; 
 the little cooii and the great black bear are nearly akin. 
 A tall broad-shouldered man, with black hair and a 
 full beard, may have a cousin who is short and thin, 
 with 3'ellow hair and no beard. You see nothing- 
 strange in this, because it is something to Avhich you 
 are accustomed. But with bird families it takes the 
 trained eye of the student to see the likeness there 
 really is between all lairds who have had tlie same an- 
 cestors, though it may be hidden under many differ- 
 ences in their size, shape, color, voice, and ]ial:)its. 
 
 " The Roliin, like the Bluebird, is found in almost all 
 parts of North America. In the far Sciuthern States, 
 like Florida, where the}' take refuge from winter storms, 
 Robins begin to sing in cliorus while the weather in the 
 Middle and Northern States is still so cold tliat it Avould 
 freeze the music before any one could hear it, even if 
 the birds had courage to sing. But delightful as the 
 climate is there, where it also provides a plentiful taljle 
 of berries, these Robins Ijreak away from the land of 
 plenty and begin their northern journey before the 
 first shad dares venture up the rivers. 
 
 " On and on they go, this gi'eat army of Robins, fly- 
 ing in flocks of ten and hundreds. Here and there 
 they meet with smaller flocks, which liave been aljle to 
 sjjend the winter in roving about not far from their 
 nesting places, and then there is a great deal of talk- 
 ing ; for the Rol:)in has a great many ways of making 
 remarks. Some of his luunerous notes sound as if he 
 were asking a long list of questions ; others exjjress 
 discontent ; then again he fumes and sputters with 
 anger. 
 
98 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " It is easy to tell the jjlump, well-fed birds, just 
 home from the South, from tliose who have heeii obliged 
 to live oil half rations during tlie northern winter. 
 
 " Before this flying army quite leaves the Southern 
 States some of them halt for nest-building, and then 
 the Robin sings the best of all his songs, — his happy, 
 cheery melody, — all about the earth, the sky, the sun, 
 the tree he and his mate have chosen to build in, — a 
 song of the little brook where he means to get the 
 water to wet the clay to plaster his nest, — a ballad 
 of the blue eggs it will hold, and the greedy little 
 Robins, all eyes and mouth, that will come out of 
 them. But as he sings something frightens him ; then 
 he cries, 'quick ! quick ! quick ! ' and hurries away in 
 a rather clumsy fashion. If any one could understand 
 the meaning of all that the Robin says and put it into 
 our words, w^e should be able to make a ver}^ good dic- 
 tionary of the language of Birdland." 
 
 " I've noticed how different his songs are," said Rap 
 eagerly, " and how some of his waj's are like the Blue- 
 bird's, too. We had a Robin's nest last season in the 
 grape vine over the back door, and I used to watch 
 them all the time — " and then Rap hesitated in great 
 confusion, for fear that he had been impolite in stopping 
 the Doctor. 
 
 " Tell us about your Robins, my boy ; we shall like 
 to hear the story. Don't look so troubled, but say 
 exactly what you saw them do." 
 
 Rap wriggled about a little, then settled himself com- 
 fortably with his chin resting on the top of his crutch, 
 and began : " It was the year that my leg was hurt. 
 The miller was chopping a tree and it fell the wrong 
 
A SILVER-TONGUED FAMILY 99 
 
 way on me and squeezed my leg so that it couldn't 
 be mended ; so I was around home all the time. It 
 was a terribly cold day when the Kobins came back, 
 along in the first part of JNIarcli. If it hadn't been 
 for the Kobins, anybody would have thought it was 
 January. But in January we don't have big Kobin 
 flocks about here, only just twos and threes that pick 
 round the alder bushes and old honeysuckles for ber- 
 ries. It was such a cold day that the clothes froze to 
 the line so that mother couldn't take them off, and 
 we didn't know what to ilo. Well, we were looking at 
 them, mother and I, when a big Itobin flew out of the 
 pine trees and hopped along the clothes-line as if he 
 wanted to speak to us. 'Maybe he's hungrj',' said 
 mother. ' I guess he is,' said I ; ' the ground is too 
 hard for Avorms to come ovit, so he can't get any of 
 them. Can't I give him some of the dried huckleber- 
 ries ? ' We always dry a lot every summer, S(j as to 
 have pies in winter. ^lother said I might, so I scat- 
 tered some on the snow under the jiine trees, and we 
 went in the house and jjeeped out of the kitchen win- 
 dow. At first the Robins chattered and talked for 
 a wdiile, looking squint-eyed at the berries, Ijut then 
 the bird that came on the clothes-line started down 
 and began to eat." 
 
 "How did you know that Robin from all the others?" 
 asked Dodo. 
 
 " He had lost the two longest quills out of his right 
 wing, and so he flew sort of lop-sided," said Rap readily. 
 " As soon as he began the others came down and just 
 gobbled ; in two minutes all the berries were gone, but 
 the birds stayed round all the same, hinting for more. 
 
100 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 AVe hadn't many berries left, so mother said, ' Try if 
 they will eat meal.' I mixed some meal in a pan with 
 hot water and spread it in little puddles on the snow. 
 The Robins acted real mad at first, because it wasn't 
 berries, but after a while one pecked at it and told 
 the others it was all right, and then thirty Robins 
 all sat in a row and ate that meal up, the same as if 
 they were chickens." Here Rap paused and laughed 
 at the thought of the strange sight. 
 
 " Pretty soon after that the snow melted, and by 
 April Robins were building around in our yard, in 
 the maples by the road, and all through this orcliard. 
 One day I noticed some little twigs and a splash of 
 mud on our back steps, and when I looked up I saw 
 that something was building a nest in the crotch of the 
 old grape vine. ' That's a queer place for a nest,' I 
 said to myself, ' not a leaf on the vine and my window 
 right on top. I wonder what silly bird is doing it.' 
 
 " Flap, and my Robin with the broken feathers came 
 along with his mouth full of sticks ; but when he saw 
 me he dropped them and went over on the clothes-pole, 
 and called and scolded like everything. Then I went 
 up to my window and looked through the blind slats. 
 Next day the nest was clone. It wasn't a pretty nest 
 — Robins' never are. They are heavy and lumpy, and 
 often fall off the branches when a long rain wets them. 
 This one seemed quite comfortable inside, and was 
 lined with soft grass. 
 
 " Mrs. Robin looked like her husband, but I could 
 tell the difference ; for she didn't sit in the pines and 
 sing, and her breast wasn't so red. When the nest 
 was done, she laid a beautiful egg every day until there 
 
A SILVER-TONGUED FAMILY 101 
 
 were tuur, and then one or the other of the birds sat on 
 the eggs all the time. Rohins' eggs are a queer color 
 — not just blue or quite green, but something between, 
 all of their own." 
 
 '■'■ Yes," said Olive, " it is their own color, and we 
 give it a name ; for it is called ' rol)in\s-eirg blue ' in 
 our books." 
 
 " The old birds had been sitting for ten days, and it 
 was almost time for the little ones to come out, when 
 one niglit there was a great wind and the grape vine, 
 that was onlj- fastened up with Ijits of leather and tacks, 
 fell down in a heap. In the morning there was the 
 nest all in a tangle of vine down on the ground. The 
 vine must have swung down, for it hadn't tipped 
 the nest over, and the mother bird Avas sitting on it 
 still. 
 
 " ' That will never do,' said mj' mother ; ' the first 
 cat that strays by will take the poor thing.' While I 
 was looking at it mother went in the house and came 
 back with a little tin jjail. 8he picked some branches 
 and tied them round it so that the tin didn't show. 
 ' Now,' she said to the Robin, the same as if it under- 
 stood our language, ' get up and let me see if I can't 
 better you a bit.' Then the Jjird left the nest, making 
 a great fuss, and crying ' quick ! quick ! ' as if all the 
 woods were afire. 
 
 " ' Oh, mother ! ' I cried, ' the eggs will get cold. 
 What are you taking the nest away for ? It was better 
 to chance the cats.' 
 
 "'Don't you fret, sonny,' said she; 'your mammy 
 has some common sense if she don't trampoose all over 
 creation watching birds.' And before I understood 
 
102 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 what she was doing she had put the nest m tlie top of 
 the tin pail and hung it on a hook under the shed roof. 
 ' Now,' she said, ' Mrs. Robin, try liow you like that ! ' 
 
 " I watched and after a few minutes first one Robin 
 flew under the shed and then the other, and the next 
 thing one was sitting on the pail-nest as nice as you 
 please ! " 
 
 " Did the birds hatch ? " asked Olive, Nat, and Dodo, 
 almost in the same breath. 
 
 " Yes, they hatched all right ; and then I noticed 
 something funny. The backs and breasts of the little 
 l>irds were almost naked when they were batclied, and 
 their eyes closed tight ; but when the feathers came 
 they were spotted on their backs and breasts and not 
 plain like their parents. Do you know," added Rap 
 after a little pause, " that when Bluebirds are little, 
 their backs and l^reasts are speckled too, though after- 
 ward they moult out plain ? So there is something alike 
 about Bluebirds and Robins that even a boy can see." 
 
 " You are quite rigid," said the Doctor ; "the 'some- 
 tliing alike, that even a boy can see,' is one of the 
 things that shows these birds to be cousins, as I told 
 you. Every one of the Silver-tongued Family is 
 spotted when it gets its first feathers. It is strange," 
 he added in an undertone, as if talking to himself, 
 " how long it took some of us to find out what any 
 bright boy can see." 
 
 The American Robin — Remember This 
 
 Length ten inches. 
 
 Upper parts slate color with a tinge of brown. 
 
 Head black on top and sides, with white spots around the eyes. 
 
A SILVFAi-TONGUED FAMILY 103 
 
 Tail black with wliite spots on the tips of some feathers. 
 Under parts brick-red, except tlie Ijlack and white streaked 
 throat and under the tail. 
 
 A Citizen of the United States and Canada. 
 
 A Ground Gleaner, Tree Trapper, and Seed Sower. 
 
 THE WOOD THllUSH 
 
 One pleiLsant evening after tea, but before sunset, 
 the Doctor sent Nat to ask llup to come up to tlie 
 Farm, as they were all going for a walk through the 
 orchard and the river woods. 
 
 " What birds will you tell us about to-night ? " asked 
 Dodo, as they stood in the porch waiting for the 
 boys. 
 
 " Cousins of the ]:>luebird — more cousins — but really 
 the heads of the Silver-tongued Famil\-. The}' wear 
 much plainer clothes than tlie liluebirds and Robins, 
 on their olive or russet-brown backs and light-tinted, 
 dark-spotted breasts, but have the most beautiful voices 
 in all Birdland. The names of these wonderful singers, 
 Avho make a musical quartette, are Wood Thrush, 
 Hermit Thrush, Wilson's Thrush, and Olive-backed 
 Thrush ; but you will have to keep both your eyes and 
 ears open to learn to tell them apart and name them 
 rightly." 
 
 " There has been the beautifuUest bird singing in 
 the big elm on the lawn for more than an hour, but I 
 don't know his name and I want to ever so much. Do 
 you think he might be one of these Thrushes ? He is 
 singing now. Uncle Roy." And Dodo began tugging 
 at the Doctor's hand, to lead him down the stejas. 
 They saw Nat and Rap coming along tlie road, and 
 
104 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 the Doctor motioned to them to walk quietly, so that 
 Dodo's bird might continue his song. 
 
 " Wliat is it? What are you waiting for?" whis- 
 pered Nat. " A bird ? Where ? " 
 
 The bird answered Nat's question itself, telling him 
 by its song in what part of the tree it was jjerchiug. 
 " Hea-r-me, Hea-r-me," it called ; and then followed a 
 short song as if two musical instruments were plajdng 
 together. The bird seemed well pleased with his per- 
 formance, and perfectly unconscious of the group of 
 House People who were listening to him ; for he re- 
 peated the strain over and over again. 
 
 " It's almost as big as a Robin," said Dodo. 
 
 " But its breast is speckled in big spots," said Nat. 
 " I wish I could see the toi3 of it. There, it has flown 
 to a lower branch, and its back is kind of rusty-brown. 
 What is its name. Uncle Koy? " 
 
 " Rap knows, I'm sure," said the Doctor. 
 
 " It's a Wood Thrush," said Rap. " People call them 
 Wood Robins, too, sometimes. I think that one, or his 
 brother, has a nest in the spruce back of your house." 
 
 " Uoli-uoli, a-e-o-lee-lee ! " sang the Thrush ; and as 
 the children became accustomed to the song they noticed 
 that six or eight other Silver-tongues were singing the 
 same tune in different parts of the orchard and garden. 
 It sounded as if the evening breeze were stirring iEolian 
 harps. 
 
 " Why is he called the Wood Thrush ? " asked Rap. 
 " I've hardly ever seen him in the real woods — he loves 
 to be in gardens and orchards. The trees round the 
 miller's house are full of them." 
 
 " It is not easy to say why he was named so," said the 
 
.4 SILVER-TONGUED FAMILY 
 
 Doctor, " unless it is l>eeause lie builds his nest liiglier 
 up in trees than most of his Thrush kin. I am very 
 glad you have had a ehance to hear and see him at the 
 same time ; for he is one of the home birds you must 
 make a place for in your very inside lieart, with tlie 
 Bluebird and Robin, though he 
 does not return from his 
 winter outing until 
 after these two have 
 begun nesting. 
 
 " When he comes 
 we are sure not 
 only that 
 Spring, bu 
 Spring is i 
 ant, good- 
 mood — th 
 is tlirou 
 with the 
 tempers 
 and 
 crying 
 
 fits she suffers from in 
 March and April, and 
 is kissing the buds of 
 the early blossoms of 
 ;\Iay, coaxing them to open their eyes. When you see 
 the first Wood Thrush hopping among last year's leaves, 
 you may look for jack-in-the-pulpit's pointed nose and 
 green and purple hood. 
 
 " As soon as this Thrush makes up his mind to settle 
 in a certain place, he calls a mate to him with his thrill- 
 
 WuOD Thrush. 
 
106 CITIZEN BIIW 
 
 ing song and begins house-building. From this time 
 until he moults, late in July, every one in his vicinity 
 may enjoy a free concert morning and evening, and at 
 intervals during the day. Sometimes in cloudy weather 
 he even sings at noon — a time when birds are most 
 likely to be silent. 
 
 " In gratitude for what we owe him for his music 
 and his work in the guilds, we must be patient with 
 him when he secures the first ripe cherries from the 
 top of the tree, before we House People know that they 
 are even red. For every cherry and strawberry he 
 bites, he pays ten times over by swallowing a hundred 
 wicked hungry worms and bugs that eat everything 
 and do no work in return. But House People are very 
 blind about some things, and often act as if they had 
 only one eye apiece, like the Cyclojies. We see one 
 of these darling Ijirds take a little fruit; we see more 
 fruit with holes in it, and think that birds have done 
 the damage, though a wasp or hornet may be the guilty 
 party ; and then we often say, ' What a nuisance those 
 birds are ! ' 
 
 " But all the rest of the growing year, when these 
 same birds toil from sunrise until sunset, to clear awaj^ 
 insect pests and give us a better crop of fruit next 
 year, we do not notice it. You children, however, will 
 have no such excuse for keeping one eye shut when 
 you know Citizen Bird as he really is." 
 
 " How late at night does the Wood Thrush sing ? " 
 asked Nat. "Does he never sleep?" 
 
 " Oh, yes, he goes to sleep when it is really dark, but 
 at this nesting season the night in Birdland is very 
 short ; some of the feathered people are stirring at 
 
A SILVEIt-TONGUEB FAMILY 107 
 
 three o'clock, and by four nil llirii't)^ Inrds liave dressed 
 themselves to go out marketing' for breakfast." 
 
 '• The Veeries are singing down by the river," said 
 Olive to her father; "perhaps we had Ijetter go there 
 before it grows dark." 
 
 " Veeries ? Is tliat wliat j-ou call those Ijirds ? " asked 
 Rap. " I never knew their name, so I called them 
 'sunset birds,' to myself." 
 
 "Veeries, yes, but called Wilson's 'J'hrush, too," said 
 the Doctor ; " because this kind of Tlirush was named 
 after Y\lexander Wilson, wlio wrote a description of it, 
 and published a colored plate of it, seventy-five years 
 ago. But your name of 'sunset bird" is very good, my 
 lad, for they sing best about twilight. We will go 
 clown to the river path and liear them, though you 
 cannot see them very clearlv now." 
 
 The Wood Thrush 
 
 The largest of our Thrushes except the KoLiii — length about 
 eight inches. 
 
 Upper parts "warm brown, like ground cinuanion ; lirightest on 
 the head, but a little greenish on the tail. 
 
 Under parts plain white in the middle, but boldly spotted with 
 black all over the breast and along the sides. 
 
 Ilye-ring whitish. 
 
 A Summer Citizen of the eastern United States, and a Ground 
 Gleaner, Tree Trapper, and Seed Sower. 
 
 avilson's THIMTSH 
 
 Connnonly called Veery from the sound (tf one of its notes 
 
 " How still it is here ! " said Dodo, as they walked 
 txlong the footpath that wound in and out among the 
 trees toward the edge of the river. Swallows were 
 
108 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 skimming close to the water, which sang a little song 
 to itself as it ran along. 
 
 " What do yon think those birds are doing, Rap," 
 said Nat ; " looking at themselves in the water or plaj^- 
 ing tag ? " 
 
 " They are Barn Swallows, who catch flies and little 
 gnats and things close down over the water. Hear 
 
 them talking and laugh- 
 ing ! " But the SAval- 
 lows really seemed to be 
 playing some 
 
 \ ^-1 'f4ii^'§' *^°^'* '^^ game 
 k'/jiH^S^^ as they cir- 
 cled about, everj' 
 now and then 
 turning sharply 
 and giving lit- 
 tle rippling 
 cries. 
 The Doctor halted 
 under a beech tree 
 that spread its branches 
 over a great mossy circle, 
 seating himself on an old 
 log that had been washed 
 down the river and lay on the ground. For a minute 
 the Veeries were silent ; then from the tree over his 
 head one sang a short tune — two sentences in a high 
 key, then two a little lower and softer, like an echo. 
 
 " It is different from any other bird-song," said Olive, 
 " and every spring when it comes it seems as lovely as 
 the first time I heard it." 
 
 Vekry. 
 
A STLVEH-TONGUED FAMfLV 109 
 
 " Is that Veery only visiting here, ov will he build a 
 nest ? " asked Nat. 
 
 " He will build ; and though he is so shy that we do 
 not see him as often as the Wood Thrush, his song makes 
 him one of the best-known of the family. lie makes his 
 home from the Middle States, east and west, all over 
 the country, up to the far Xorth ; but as insects are his 
 chief food he does not come as early or stay as late in 
 his summer home as the Hermit Thrush, and always 
 tries to reach the warmer countries before the trees are 
 wholly bare and there is danger of snow." 
 
 "Do they live up in the trees where they sing?" 
 asked Dodo, after they had listened to the Veeries, 
 who were then singing on Ijoth sides of the river. 
 
 " No, on the contrary, he is one of the Ground 
 Thrushes, who builds his nest close to tlie ground in 
 such places as that bit of brushwood opposite; and as 
 he spends most of his time about home we seldom see 
 him, even in places like this where many pairs live. 
 But we do not need to see a Veery to know of his 
 presence if we once learji his song by heart, because we 
 shall remember it as long as our hearts l)eat." 
 
 The children sat silent for a long time, looking up 
 through the trees at the coming of the night. Then 
 Dodo nestled close to Olive and whispered, "I think 
 that Veery is singing his prayers." 
 
 ■Wilson's Thrush — Veery 
 
 Length seven and a half inches. 
 
 Upper parts warm brown all over, not so bright as the "Wood 
 Thrush is on the head, and not the least bit greenish on the tail. 
 
 Breast and throat deep cream color, finely specked with brown 
 on the upper part. 
 
110 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 Belly white. No white ring around ej^e. 
 
 A Summer Citizen of the United States east of the plains. 
 
 A Ground Gleaner, Tree Trapper, and Seed Sower. 
 
 THE HEKMIT THRUSH 
 
 " Wlien we return to the house,"' said the Doctor, " I 
 will show you the Veery and Hermit ThriLsh also ; for 
 whether or not you will hear the Hermit sing will de- 
 pend very much upon what part of North America you 
 live or travel in, and this bird's song is its chief claim 
 to fame. Through all the southern and middle parts 
 of the States he only pays visits during the fall, winter, 
 and early spring. At these seasons he rarely sings, 
 and spends his time in hopping about the underbrush, 
 searching for insects. In spring and autumn you will 
 see him about the magnolia trees in your 3'ard or gar- 
 den, or in the hedges along roads and the edges of light 
 woods, where wild berries are plentiful. The name of 
 Hermit would naturally make you expect to find a very 
 shy bird, but he is not — only he likes his own company 
 in secret places. When on his travels, unlike most 
 birds, and like all good children in storj^ books, he is 
 oftener seen than heard. At this time you must look 
 for him on or near the ground, for he is a famous 
 Ground Gleaner. 
 
 " At first you may mistake him for a Wood Thrush. 
 But look again — he is smaller ; the spots on the breast 
 are more joined together like stripes ; the rump and 
 tail are a very reddish-hrown, like ripe chestnuts, differ- 
 ent from the f/rcew/sA-brown on the back and head. 
 You will be sure to notice this, for the Hermit jerks 
 
A SILVER-TONGUED FAMILY 
 
 111 
 
 his tail about when lie feeds on the ground, giving a 
 little warning call tliat sounds like 'chek! ehek ! ' 
 
 •' If you should happen to spend the summer among 
 the mountains of New York, New England, or nortliern 
 Michigan, and see tlie Hermit in liis nesting liome, you 
 would find him quite another character, true to his name. 
 There he is shy — or perhaps cautious 
 would be a Ijette 
 way in which h 
 his precious nest, 
 tie moist valleys 
 the pine-clad mc 
 ■where a bit of 
 woods is made 
 an island lay 
 tlie soft bog- 
 moss that — - 
 surrounds 
 it. There, 
 feeling quite 
 secure, he makes his 
 nest ujion the ground, 
 of moss, leaves, pine- ........... .- ^ 
 
 needles, and other such litter ; and the eggs that it 
 holds are very nearly tlie color of the Robin's, without 
 any spots. 
 
 " He goes a little way from home, a l)it up the moun- 
 tain side, so that House People and squirrels, both of 
 whom are sometimes cruel enough to steal eggs, may 
 not know exactly where he lives ; and tlien he begins 
 to sing. His brother Thrushes have louder voices and 
 know more brilliant songs ; but when the Hermit 
 
 HERiirr 'fHitr.sH. 
 
112 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 reaches his high notes, that sound as clear as the music 
 of a mountain brook, a strange feeling will suddenly 
 come over you. You will forget that you belong to 
 House People and that he is a bird ; you will think he 
 is telling you something in words that you understand 
 — a message that makes you think about pure and 
 holy things. The songs of some birds please the ear 
 alone, but this little brown Hermit sings to your con- 
 science. Some call him the Spirit of the Pines. If, 
 however, you never hear his song you can remember 
 that the Hermit is the In'own bird with the rusty tail 
 and speckled breast that hops among your bushes in 
 spring and fall. You must be very kind to him, and 
 tell your pet cat about him, warning her never to touch 
 him." 
 
 The Hermit Thrush 
 
 Length about seven inches. 
 
 Upper parts an even olive-brown, except the tail, which is rich 
 reddish-brown, different from the rest. 
 
 Throat and breast light buff, with black spots that run together 
 ill chains. 
 
 Belly white. A yellowish ring around the eye. 
 
 A Suninier Citizen of tlie northern parts of eastern North 
 America, spending the winter south of its summer home. 
 
 A Ground Gleaner, Tree Trapper, and Seed Sower. 
 
 THE OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH 
 
 " Children who live where the Hermit Thrush sings 
 will also have a good chance to hear the Olive-back 
 give his rapid bubbling music ; for, like the Hermit, he 
 prefers a cool summer climate, and thinks that the 
 mountains agree with his health much better than the 
 
A SlLVFAl-TONGUED FAMILY 
 
 113 
 
 seashore. For this reason he makes his liome all 
 through tlie Xorthern States, from the iVtlaiitie to the 
 Pacilie, following the mountains southward, and mak- 
 ing long summer exeursions to I>al)ra(h)i-, Hudson Ha}-, 
 and even Alaska. 
 
 "What stories of wild heasts he might tell us if lie 
 would ! For he looks 
 out of his nest of 
 grass, moss, hark, 
 and rootlets, to 
 see moose hrowsino- 
 among the young 
 trees, and hears 
 hlack hears 
 groAvling. His 
 hird companions 
 are Snowhirds, 
 Horned Larks, 
 Crosshills, and 
 Pine Grosbeaks; 
 and he trembles 
 lest the Great 
 
 Gray Owl shall '^tf^V / -A . " - ^' 
 
 find his nest- 
 
 lings. 
 
 Olive-eacked Thrush. 
 
 " But much as he hjves cool weather for nest-huilding, 
 he tires of it when the first frost touches the valleys, 
 and snow caps the to}is of his favorite mountains ; for 
 then Iris insect food grows scarce. So he changes his 
 summer habits ; leaving the guild of (iround Gleaners, 
 and becoming a Seed Sower, he follows the sun toward 
 the tropics, where, likelj' enough, he tells the alligators 
 I 
 
114 CITIZEN lilBD 
 
 long tales of northern lands and assures the water- 
 moecasin that, big snake as he is, tlie mountain rattle- 
 snake is quicker at biting. 
 
 " This Olive-backed Thrush you may liear more 
 often than see — lie is a will-o'-the-wisp for shyness, 
 whether on his journeys or about home. But remem- 
 ber three things about him : his back is evenly olive 
 (if you do not know what this dark-greenisli color is, 
 look at the olives you have on the table, or that stand 
 in the tall glass jars in the grocer's window, for if you 
 wish to study birds you must learn to distinguish this 
 color from brown or the bright green); he has a cream- 
 yellow ring round his eye ; and, lastly, his black- 
 speckled throat and breast are dull yellowish." 
 
 " Won't you let us go up to the wonder room now 
 and see all tliese Thrush cousins in a row? " asked Nat, 
 Avhen the Doctor had tinished describing them. 
 
 " We will go up to tlie house and you may take a 
 look at them, but I want you to be also able to name 
 them from what I tell you ; for when you see a bird 
 out of doors you will seldom be able to have a stuffed 
 one with which to compare it. 
 
 " Now we will make a procession of these cousins," 
 said the Doctor, as they reached his study. He then 
 opened a glass case, took out six birds, and stood them 
 on the window-sill. " See, this is the way they go 
 arm in arm when they walk in the great procession of 
 Bird families : 
 
 " The Bluebird and the Robin ; 
 
 " The Wood Thrush and the Veery ; 
 
 " The Mermit and the Olive-back. 
 
A SILVER-TONGUED FAMILY 115 
 
 " Ra[), my boy, look at each one and see if you eau 
 remember some of tlie diffevences between them. Now 
 shut your eyes and think. 
 
 " Wliat has tlie lUuel)ird '! "' 
 
 "A blue back and a red and wliite breast ; it is the 
 flag bird." 
 
 "The Robin?"' 
 
 "A brick-red breast and dark back." 
 
 " The Wood Thrush ? " 
 
 " A rusty-brown back, the brightest on the head, and 
 a little greenish on the tail." 
 
 " The Veery ? " 
 
 " An even light-brown back, tlie same from head to 
 tail." 
 
 " The Hermit ? " 
 
 "A greenish-brown back, much redder on the rump 
 and tail, like a chestnut." 
 
 " The Olive-back ? " 
 
 " An even greenish-brown back, the color of olives 
 all over." 
 
 " And the under parts of the last four — what gen- 
 eral color are they ? " 
 
 " From white to buff, with different sized and shaped 
 dark markings. The spots on the Wood Thrush are 
 the roundest and blackest ; those on the Veery are the 
 smallest, lightest, and most on the throat ; on the 
 Hermit they are longer and run together more like 
 stripes; and those on the Olive-back are most like the 
 Hermit's." 
 
 The Olive-backed Thrush 
 
 Length about seven inches — the same as the Hermit. 
 Upper parts an even olive color all over. 
 
116 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 Under parts cream-yellowish, whiter on the belly, the throat 
 and breast spotted with lilack. 
 
 A yellowish eye-ring, like the ci-eamy color of the breast. 
 
 A Summer Citizen of the monntaios of the northern United 
 States. 
 
 A Tree Trapper and Ground Gleaner. 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 PEEPERS AND CREEPERS 
 
 THE GOLDEN-CKOWNED KINGLET 
 
 " We have been looking at some of the larger song 
 birds ; now try the sharpness of your eyes by finding a 
 tiny little fellow — a veritable midget, who belongs to 
 the guild of Tree Trappers. He is usually intent uj^on 
 his Avork, continually hopping and peeping among little 
 branches and twigs, and thinks it would be time wasted 
 if he stayed still long enough to give you a chance to 
 look at him. He is so small that there are very few 
 North American birds to compare with him in little- 
 ness. The Hummingbird is smaller still, and the Win- 
 ter Wren measures no more, only he is chunkier. But 
 what of that ? This Kinglet is as hardy and vigorous 
 as the biggest Hawk or Owl. His body is padded 
 with a thick feather overcoat that enables him to stay 
 all winter, if he cliooses, in all but the most northern 
 States. 
 
 " Small as he is, however, every one knows him, for 
 he disports himself at some time of the year in the 
 North, South, East, and West. If you see a tiny bird, 
 darting quick as a mouse in and out among the budded 
 twigs of fruit trees in early spring, now and then show- 
 ing a black stripe and a little gleam of red or yellow 
 
 117 
 
118 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 GOLDEN-CKOWNED KiMlLET. 
 
 on its head, it is this Kinglet. 
 If you see sucli a pygmy 
 again in autumn, exploring 
 the bare twigs, it is this King- 
 let. When light snow is first 
 powdering the spruces and 
 bending the delicate hemlock 
 branches, dusky shapes flit 
 out of the green cover. 
 Are they dry leaves 
 blown about by tlie gust ? 
 No, leaves do not climb about 
 in the face of the wind, or pry 
 and peep into every cone 
 crevice, crying ' twe-zee, twe- 
 zee, twe-zee ! ' 'I'hey are not 
 leaves, but a flock of Kinglets forcing the bark crevices 
 to yield them a breakfast of the insects which liad put 
 themselves comfortably to bed for the winter. Think 
 of the work that these birds do, who not only fight the 
 insect army in summer, but in sleet and snow are as 
 busy as ever destroying the eggs that would turn in 
 another season to worms and eat the orchards! 
 
 "Though the Golden-crowned Kinglets rove about 
 in flocks a great part of the year, they are extremely 
 private in the nesting season. They go to northern 
 and high places to hide their homes, putting them as 
 far out of reach as does the Baltimore Oriole. This nest 
 is made of moss and seems very large when compared 
 with the size of the builder. It is partly hung from the 
 coucealLug bough of an evergreen, sometimes quite near 
 the ground, sometimes swinging far up out of sight." 
 
PEEPERS AND CREEPERS 119 
 
 " Does this Kiiigiet lay two little white eggs, like the 
 Huimnijigbird ? " asked Nat. 
 
 " No," said the Doctor, " this stiirdjr bird la3's eight 
 or ten white eggs with brown spots." 
 
 " Ten eggs ! " cried Dodo. " How can it sit on 
 them all at once and keep them warm enough to 
 hatch ? " 
 
 "Perhaps the birds stir the eggs up every day to 
 give them all an even chance," said Rap. 
 
 " It is possible that they may," said the Doctor ; "))ut 
 that is one of many things about home life in Birdland 
 that we do not know. 
 
 "There is one thing more that I must tell you here, lest 
 you make a mistake about the Golden-crowned King- 
 let. He has a twin brother, so much like himself that 
 their own parents can hardly tell them apart without 
 looking at the tops of their heads. The other twin's 
 name is Ruby-crown, for he has a beautiful little crest 
 of that color, half hidden in dark greenish ; but not 
 any of the black and yellow marks on the head that 
 will always enable you to recognize the Golden-crown, 
 if you can get a chance to see them while the little 
 fellow is fidgeting about. It is a snug family that 
 contains these two birdlets, for there is only one other 
 member of it in all this part of the world, and you will 
 not be likely to see him about Orchard Farm." 
 
 The Golden-crowned Kinglet 
 
 Length four inclies. 
 
 Upper parts olive-green, browner on the wings aud tail, wliich 
 have some yellowish edgings. 
 
 A briglit-red stripe on the crown, bordered by a yellow and then 
 
120 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 by u black line; but j'oiiug birds and females have only tlie yellow 
 and lilack stripes, ■without any red. 
 
 Under parts soiled white, witliout any marks. 
 
 A Citizen of tlie United States, and a Tree Trapper. 
 
 THE WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH 
 
 '"Yank I yank!' .says the Wliite- 
 
 )ji'easted Nuthatch, as he 
 
 i-ims ujD tree-trunks and 
 
 comes down again head 
 
 foremost, quite as a matter 
 
 of course. 
 
 " At first, or from a dis- 
 tance, you may mistake 
 him for liis cousin the Clnck- 
 adee, -who Avears clothes of 
 nuich tlie same color 
 and is seen in the same 
 places ; or perhaps for 
 the little Downy Wood- 
 pecker, who also hammers 
 his insect food out of the 
 tree bark. 
 " But at a second glance 
 you will find the Nuthatch is very different. He keeps 
 his body very close to the tree and uses his feet to 
 creep about like a mouse or chipmunk ; he also goes 
 upside down, in a way that Woodpeckers never do, 
 clings to the under side of a branch as easily as a fly 
 to the ceiling, and often roosts or takes a nap head 
 downward on the side of a tree-trunk — a position that 
 
 AVhite-breasted Nuthatch. 
 
PEEPERS AND CHEEPERS 121 
 
 would seem likely to give liim a severe headache, if 
 birds ever have such things." 
 
 " This is the bird I saw the first day I went to 
 the orchard witli Olive ; but why is he called a Nut- 
 hatch?" asked Nat. 
 
 " Because, besides liking to eat insects and their 
 grubs or their eggs, he is also very fond of some kinds 
 of nuts, like beech and chestnuts," said the Doctor, 
 " and he may be obliged to live entirely upon them in 
 winter, when insects fail him. Having no teeth to 
 gnaw and crack them open as squirrels do, he takes a 
 nut in his claws and either holding it thus, or jamming 
 it tight into a crack in the bark, then uses his bill for a 
 hatchet to split or hack the nut open. I have seen the 
 bird crack hard nuts in this way, that it would take 
 very strong teeth to break. People used to call him 
 ' Nuthack ' or ' Nuthacker ' ; these words mean exactly 
 the same thing, but we always say ' Nuthatch ' now." 
 
 " Then there are Nuthatches up in the hickory 
 woods," said Rap, " but I never knew their real name 
 until now ; for the miller calls them ' white-bellied 
 creepers.' Last summer I found one of their nests, 
 when I wasn't looking for it either." 
 
 " Do they build here ? " asked Olive. " I thought they 
 only visited us in winter. I don't remember ever hear- 
 ing one sing, or seeing one in late spring or summer." 
 
 "They live and nest everywhere in the eastern part 
 of the country," said the Doctor ; " but they are very 
 silent and shy except in the autumn and winter. In fact, 
 this Nuthatch keeps his nest a secret from everybody 
 but his wife and the Dryad of the tree in which he 
 places it ; he will not even trust the little branches 
 
122 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 with his precious liome, but makes it in the wood of 
 the tree itself. You say, Rap, that you fouud one of 
 these nests — won"t you tell us about it?" 
 
 " It was this way," said llap. " I was up in a hick- 
 ory tree trying to look over into a Woodpecker's hole 
 that was in another tree, when I stepped on a stumpy 
 branch that was rotten and partly broke off ; and there, 
 inside, M'as a soft nest made of feathers, with four very 
 little birds in it. I was afraid thej^ would fall out, 
 but there was enough of the branch left to hold them 
 in. While I was wondering what sort of birds they 
 were, the father and mother came running along a 
 branch above, and gave me a terrible scolding, so 
 pretty soon I slid down and left them. How they did 
 squeak ! " and Rap laughed at the remembrance of it. 
 
 " They have not very musical voices at best," said 
 the Doctor; "even their spring song is a rather husky 
 performance." 
 
 "Isn't that a Nuthatch now?" asked Nat. "There 
 — hanging to the end tassel of the big spruce ; and 
 a lot more above — do come and look, Olive." 
 
 " No, Nattie, they are the Chickadees that father said, 
 a moment ago, you might mistake for Nuthatches." 
 
 " Chickadee-dee-dee ! " said a bird, looking at the 
 children with one eye. 
 
 The White-breasted Nuthatch 
 
 Length about six ii\clies. 
 
 Upper parts grayish-blue. 
 
 Top of head and back o£ neck black. 
 
 Some black and white marks on wings and tail. 
 
 Sides of face and whole breast white, turning rusty on belly. 
 
 Bill strong, straight, sharp-pointed, two-thirds of an inch long. 
 
 A Citizen of the eastern United States and Canada. 
 
 A Tree Trapper. 
 
PEEPEliS AND CREEPERS 
 
 123 
 
 THE CHICKADEE 
 
 " I see them, I see tlieiii, Jots of 
 tliem ! " almost screamed Dodo, 
 o-rowino- so excited tliat Nat and 
 Olive each grabhed one of her 
 hands to keep her from clapping 
 them, and so driving tlie Chicka- 
 dees away. 
 
 " I never saw a strange new 
 bird so near by," exjjlained Dodo, 
 " and if my eye was only a photo- 
 graph machine I could take his 
 picture." 
 
 " You can make a word-picture 
 instead, by telling us how the 
 bird appears to 3'ou," said the 
 Doctor in a low voice, "lint you 
 need not whisper, for Avhispering 
 is an unnatural use of the voice ; it makes Ijirds and 
 other people suspicious, and is more likely to attract 
 attention than a quiet low tone." 
 
 " That is what mother said when she was sick last 
 winter and the neighbors came in to sit with lier. If 
 they talked softly she stayed asleep and didn't mind, 
 Ijut if they whispered she said she dreamed that the 
 room was full of geese liissing and always waked uj) 
 frightened," said Nat. 
 
 The Chickadees did not mind the conversation in the 
 least, but kept on flitting in and out of the spruces, 
 swinging from the little pink buds that M'ould grow 
 into cones by and by, doing a dozen pretty tricks, and 
 
 Chickadp;e. 
 
124 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 all the time calling "uliiukadee-dee-dee " as if they 
 were repeating a joke among themselves. 
 
 " They mean we shall know their name, anyway," 
 said Nat. "Have they any other song?" 
 
 " 01), yes, some nice little whistle-tunes like this — 
 ' whee-ewee, whee-ewee,' " said Rap, "and if you whistle 
 back they'll answer. I've done it lots of times." 
 
 "Try now — do, Rap, and see if they will answer," 
 begged Dodo. 
 
 " It's too open out here, but I will go back of the 
 trees and perhaps they will answer. I heard one whis- 
 tling in there a minute ago." 
 
 The children listened, and presently "whee-ewee, 
 wh^e-ewee," came two high notes from among the trees. 
 They were answered by two others, very musical, but a 
 little bit sad. So the duet went on, boy and bird, until 
 Dodo and Nat lost count and could not tell which was 
 which. 1'lien the music stopped and Rap returned 
 laughing, saying that when the C'hickadee found out 
 it was not another bird that he was calling to, he was 
 vexed and flew away. 
 
 "Some Chickadees lived around our house all last 
 winter," continued Rap, "and used to eat out of the 
 chickens' dish. I watched them every day but one 
 that was terribly windy, and then they stayed under 
 the miller's cow-shed. Even strong winter birds don't 
 like the wind much — do they, Doctor ? " 
 
 " No, my lad, wind is one of the greatest enemies 
 that a bird has. A hardy bird who has plenty to eat 
 can endure bitter cold, but when the food-supply is 
 scanty, as it often is in winter, and the trees are cov- 
 ered with snow and ice, life is a battle with the Bird 
 
PEEPERS AND CREEPERS 125 
 
 People. Then if a liigh wind is added to all this dis- 
 comfort tlieir strength gives way, and they often die 
 in great numbers. 
 
 " If people who own gardens and farms, where there 
 are no evergreen trees or hayricks for birds to hide 
 in, would put up each fall little shelters of brush and 
 branches, they would save a great many bird-lives, and 
 their orchards would be freer from insects in the spring. 
 But, Dodo, you are not painting the word-picture of the 
 Chickadee. Haven't you watched them long enough 
 to think it out? " 
 
 " Y-e-s, I believe I have," said Dodo slowly. " I see 
 a dear little bird about as big as a Chippy Sparrow, 
 only fatter, and he is nice soft gray on top, about the 
 color of my chinchilla muff. He has a black cap on his 
 head, that comes down behind where his ears ought to 
 be, fastened with a wide black strap across his throat, 
 and his face is a very clean white, and his breast, too. 
 That is, it is white in the middle, but the sides and 
 below are a warmer color — sort of rusty white. And 
 that's all, except that he's as fidgety as ever he can 
 be," ended Dodo, quite out of breath with her haste to 
 tell all she could before the bird flew away. 
 
 " Do you think you will remember the Chickadee, 
 while he is in the deep woods nesting this summer, so 
 that you will know him again in the autumn? " 
 
 Dodo and Nat said they were quite sure they would, 
 but Rap said : " Tve known him ever so long, only the 
 miller called him a 'black-capped titmouse.' Isn't he 
 a relation of the Nuthatch, Doctor?" 
 
 " Yes, a second cousin, and Black-capped Titmouse is 
 one of his right names. They used to belong to the 
 
126 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 very same family, but they liacl a little falling out, and 
 are not now so intimate as tliey were before each went 
 his own way, and acquired some different habits." 
 
 " I thought they were alike in a good many things," 
 said Rap, "and their nests are something alike, too." 
 
 The Chickadee 
 
 Length aliout five inches. 
 
 Upper parts asliy gray. 
 
 Head, back of neck, and throat, shining black. 
 
 Cheeks pure wliite. 
 
 Middle of breast white; sides and belly buffy. 
 
 A Citizen of the eastern United States. 
 
 A Tree Trapper. 
 
 Brown Creeper. 
 
 THE BKOWN CREEPER 
 
 " Another bird that, like the 
 Nuthatch, spends his days peep- 
 ing into the cracks of tree bark 
 in search of food. He is not a 
 relation of the Nuthatch, but a 
 lonely bird and the only one of 
 his family in this part of the 
 world. 
 
 " He does not advertise his 
 whereabouts as freely as do the 
 Woodpeckers and other tree- 
 trunk birds, so you will have to 
 keep a sharp lookout to find him. 
 In the first place he is nearly 
 the same color as the brown 
 and gray bark u2:)on which he 
 creeps, the white under parts 
 
PEEPEBS AND CHEEPERS 127 
 
 being quite liidden, and liis call, which is the only note 
 that is commonly heard, is only a little sharp squeaky 
 ' screek, screek,' given as he winds his way up and 
 around a tree-trunk, in the same way as a person would 
 go up a circular staircase. 
 
 " You may catch sight of a brown object moving as 
 swiftly as a mouse, and before you have made up your 
 mind what it is he will have gone round the other side 
 of the tree. But the Creeper has one habit that will 
 some day give you a good chance to look at him. 
 When he wishes to remain still a moment, he spreads 
 his tail with its stiff pointed feathers and props himself 
 by it against the tree. This is your opportunity." 
 
 " Does the Creeper stay here all summer ? " asked 
 Nat. " And doesn't he sing a song like the otlier birds 
 when he makes his nest ? " 
 
 " He is not a Citizen hereabouts ; he likes a coaler 
 climate and makes his home near and across the north- 
 ern border of the United States. We shall see him in 
 the autumn, when he has become a wanderer through 
 the country. If the trees are not coated with ice, a 
 little flock may stay here all winter, while others drift 
 further south." 
 
 " Then we shan't hear him sing or see his nest — 
 have you ever seen it. Uncle Roy?" 
 
 " Yes, my boy, and it was tlie beauty of his little 
 song that made me stop one day, in going through an 
 old pine wood, and search for the singer. The song 
 was very strange and wild, unlike any other I had ever 
 heard. As my eyes grew accustomed to the dim liglit, 
 I saw that my old friend, the Brown Creeper, was the 
 musician. At the same time he flew to one of the pine 
 
128 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 trees and seemed to disappear inside of it. I watched 
 awhile until the bird flew out, and, climbing to the spot, 
 saw that the nest was squeezed in a sort of pocket 
 between the loose bark and the tree itself. You see, 
 like the Chickadee and Nuthatch, he loves trees so well 
 that he tries to creep as close to their hearts as he 
 possibly can." 
 
 " Would you call this Creeper mostly a winter bird ? " 
 asked Dodo. " I'm going to remember the winter birds 
 by themselves and write them in my book, because 
 there will be fewer of them." 
 
 " Yes," said the Doctor, " at least a winter bird in 
 places where we mostly see him ; but you know that 
 every bird must be a summer bird somewhere." 
 
 The BroT!7n Creeper 
 
 Length five and a lialf inches. 
 
 Upper parts mixed brown, white, and buff. 
 
 A plain brown tail, and a light-buff band on the wings. 
 
 Under parts white, without any marks. 
 
 Bill very sliarp and slender, curved like a surgeon's needle. 
 
 A Summer Citizen of northern North America. 
 
 A Tree Trapper. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 MOCKERS AND SCOLDERS 
 THE SAGE THllASHEK 
 
 " I THOUGHT that more tree-trunk birds, snch as 
 Woodpeckers, would come next," said Rap. 
 
 " We are still taking the Birds that Sing," said the 
 Doctor. " Woodpeckers have no real song ; the}' be- 
 long to the Birds that Croak and Call ; but the Nut- 
 hatch, Chickadee, and Brown t'reeper each has a little 
 tune of its own, as you have heard." 
 
 " Of course — I don't see wli}^ I said that, for I know 
 Woodpeckers only hammer and croak," said Rap. 
 
 "The family of Mockers, Thrashers, and Wrens is 
 one of the most interesting that we shall meet in our 
 Birdland excursions, for all its members are bright 
 intelligent birds and great talkers. They have some- 
 thing to say for themselves and say it so cleverly that 
 we do not care if tlieir feathers are of sober grays and 
 browns. This family should be very proud of itself, 
 but it does not show any false pride or exclusiveness ; 
 its different members are as sociable and friendly as 
 possible, building their nests in bushes not far from 
 the ground, and taking everj' occasion to chat confiden- 
 tially with House People. Some of these friendly birds 
 are the Sage Thrasher, the jNIockingljird, the Catbird, 
 K 129 
 
130 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 the Brown Thraslier, the Rock Wren, tlie House Wren, 
 and the Long-billed Marsh Wren, the last being the 
 only reall}^ shy bird among the seven I am going to 
 tell you about." 
 
 " Do Wrens and Mockingbirds belong 
 
 to the same family? " asked Nat. " One 
 
 so little and one so big ! Mother had 
 
 a Mockingbird in a cage once, but it 
 
 got out and flew away to live in the 
 
 park, she thought." 
 
 i J \ \ ^ V^^^SH^ " '^^^'^y ^^'^ cousins and belong 
 
 ^»' V X^^^^^L. ^° ^^^'^ same large family, though 
 
 v-\ \ ^. V^'^^SI^^ ^'"^ different households, like 
 
 uViV '\ \V^B^^ House People. 
 
 " The Sage Thrasher be- 
 longs only to the West, just 
 as its relative the Brown 
 Thrasher Ijelongs to the 
 eastern part of the coun- 
 try. When your Cousin 
 Olive and I lived one summer 
 here and there, from Colo- 
 rado westward, it was this 
 bird that made us feel at 
 home by its sweet sociable 
 music. 
 
 " Everj'wliere in that 
 mountainous region the sagebrush, with its blue flower 
 spikes, spreads over the ground, making a silvery green- 
 ness where other plants could not grow. In and out 
 of the sage, nests and scratches and ho]:)s this Thrasher, 
 taking its name from the plant. He also ventures up 
 
 Sagk Thkasher. 
 
MOCKERS AND SCOLDERS 131 
 
 oil the mountain sidet^, giving iiis inquisitive, question- 
 ing, mocking notes, and so earns a seconil name in 
 tliose places, where lie is called the j\louiitaiii Moeking- 
 Ijird. 
 
 " Thougli he is a good deal smaller than tlie true 
 Mockingbird of the South, they have many points in 
 conimon. They can both imitate almost any sound that 
 strikes their fancy, such as the songs of other birds, 
 whistle various tunes of their own, and almost mock 
 the peculiarities of human speech. Not that they all 
 do it — oh, no, many have only their own beautiful 
 natural song ; every Mockingl)ird has not the power 
 of imitation, but certain memljers of the tribe acquire 
 a knack of mockery of which they seem quite con- 
 scious. 
 
 "The Sage Thrasher, though gentle and sociable in 
 its wild state, does not tiirive in cages as well as the 
 true Mocker. It seems to miss the broad expanse of 
 plain and mountain to wdiich it has l)een used, and 
 seldom lives long in confinement. 
 
 " Read what you iiave written about tlie size and 
 color of this Thrasher," said the Doctor to Rap. 
 
 The Sage Thrasher 
 
 Length eight inches. 
 
 Upper parts gray, tinged with brown. 
 
 Under parts white shaded to buff, and spotted thickly on the 
 breast with very dark brown, ahnost lilaclc. 
 
 Two white bands on each wing, and wliite spots on the end of 
 the tail. 
 
 A Summer Citizen of tlie western United States. 
 
 A Ground Gleaner, Tree Trapper, and .Seed .Sower. 
 
132 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 THE MOCKINGBUID 
 
 " Mammy Bun knows abnut Mockingbirds," said 
 Dodo. "She says the bushes were full of them down 
 in Louisiana where she was born, and that sometimes 
 they used to sit on the top of the cabins and sing so 
 loud at night, when the moon shone, that the children 
 couldn't go to sleep, and they had to throw sticks and 
 things at them." 
 
 " Did the children throw sticks at the birds, or the 
 birds pelt tlie cliildren?" laughed the Doctor — for 
 poor Dodo was famous for mixing up her sentences. 
 
 "No, no. Uncle Roy, neither; the children's mothers 
 threw the sticks at the Mockers." 
 
 " What else did Mammy Bun tell you? " 
 
 " Lots and lots of things, and a song, too, that her 
 people nsed to sing about the Mockers, only I can't 
 tell it as she does because you know she has a sort 
 of language all lier own." 
 
 " Suppose we ask mammy to come and tell us about 
 the JNIockingbirds herself," said Olive. " ]\Iay we, 
 father?" 
 
 " Certainl)', if you can coaxiher." 
 
 The children followed Olive to the house and soon 
 returned leading mammj', wlio was chuckling and out 
 of breath, but evidently very much pleased to be asked. 
 She could not be persuaded to try the apple-tree perch, 
 so they made her a sort of throne at the foot of tlie tree 
 and sat respectfully in a row in front of lier. Mammy 
 wore a dark-blue jirint dress with white figures on it, 
 but as she was one of tlie good old sort, she had a plaid 
 handkerchief tied turban fashion round her head. As 
 
MOCKERS AND SCOLDEh'S ISo 
 
 she talked she rolled her ej'es and waved her liaiids a 
 good deal, and her words had a soft comfortable sound 
 like molasses ponring out of a big stone jug. 
 
 "Does I know de mockin'bird, I reck'n so — "bout de 
 fust t'ing I did know, 'cept how ter suck sugar-cane. 
 Sugar-cane am good eatin! long in de "arly fall, but 
 de Mocker ain't doin' much singin' dese yer times, least 
 not 'less he's in a cage in a good sunshiny place. He 
 am a kind ob a peart gray bird, darker in some places, 
 lighter in oclers, and clean as a parson. f3ut come 'long 
 spring and time for droppin' de cottin seed, de Mocker 
 he know mighty well what's a-doin'. 'Long in March 
 he comes inter de bushes and orange scrul) round de 
 field a-raakin' a fuss and tellin' folks to git along to 
 work, or dere won't be no cottin, and he keep it straight 
 up all de day long till cottin's out o' bloom. All de da}' 
 long kind o' chatterin' and hurryin' de niggers up when 
 dere a-droppin' de seed in de line, and scf>ldin' and 
 hurryin' all de day long, when dere adioein' doAvn de 
 weeds. Den when it come night, de shedjird keep 
 close onter de nest, and de he-bird go in de scrub or de 
 redwoods or de gin'gos, nigh de clarin', maybe right on 
 de cabin roof, and he say to hisself — 'Now dem nig- 
 gers done dere work, I'll gib 'em a tune ter courage 'em 
 like.' Den he jes' let hisself onter his singin'. Some- 
 time he sing brave and bold, like he say big words like 
 missis and de folks dat lib in de big house. Den he 
 whisper soft an' low widout any words, jes' like a 
 mammy was a-singin' to her baby. Den agin he sing 
 kin' o' long and soft and wheedlesome, like Sambo when 
 he come a-courtin' o' me. Sho, now ! come to t'ink o' 
 Sambo, he didn't nebber like Mockers, a'ter one time 
 
134 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 he 'spicionecl a JNIocker tole tales on him. IMassa Brans- 
 come — he were a might)' tine man and your gran'dad, 
 Miss (_)live — lie sa}' he wouldn't have no puss'n to rob 
 de nests o" Mockers, not anywheres on his 'states. Dey 
 did eat a pile o' fruit, hut dat was nuffin'. Fus' place 
 he jes' loved ter hear 'em sing, an' den he 'lowed dat 
 dey was powerful fond o' cottin worms, what was mighty 
 bad some years. 
 
 " Now lots o' coon darkies dey uster steal de youn' 
 JNIockers jes' afore dey lef de nest and sell 'em to white 
 trash dat ud tote "em down the ribber an' sell 'em agin 
 in N'( )rleans, to be fotched off in ships. And I'se hear 
 tell dat dere ain't any sech birds in oder countries, and 
 dat de kings and queens jes' gil) dere gold crowns offen 
 dere heads t' liave a cage o' Mockers. 
 
 " I)em coons nebber got no gold crowns, howsumever. 
 Wliat dey got was mos'ly a quarter fob free he-birds. 
 Now Sambo he was a-courtiii' an' wanted a banjo power- 
 ful bad, an' he didn't want no common truck, so he 
 'lowed to get one up from N'Orleans. So he 'greed to 
 pay for it in jMockers, an' he to'lit he know'd where he'd 
 get "em fob sure. Mockers don' nes' in de woods and 
 wild places, dey alius keeps roun' de plantations near 
 where folks libs. 
 
 "He know'd lie war doin' wrong and he felt mighty 
 unconifoh'ble ; but he done took de j'oun' Mockers on 
 our plantation riglit under massa's nose. He war 
 crafty like and on'y took one outen each nes" and at 
 night de ole birds never miss "em. When he got de 
 banjo 'bout paid foil, dat time he took a whole nes'ful 
 to onc"t an' de birds what it b'longed to saw what he 
 war a-doin' an' gib him a piece o' dere mind, an' foiled 
 
MOCKKUS AND .SCOLDERS 
 
 135 
 
 him 'rouiul all day an' sat, cm du roof olj liis quarters 
 an' talked all night, 'an tole him to tiring back dem 
 blockers or dey'd tell ; an' Sanit)u war skeered an' 
 wanted to put de birds back an' den he didn't like to. 
 Nex' day, he "lowed de he-j\Iocker wen' to de big house, 
 an' tole massa 'bout it, an' he an' Miss Jessamine — dat 
 was your ma — dey come down to de quarters 
 an' tole Sambo he done took Mockers an' 
 ask him what had he done \\id all on "em. 
 An' he mos' turn' white an' lie say, 'I 
 sol' 'em down de ribber " ; an' 
 say, ' I'se a great mind to sell you 
 de ribber, too ' — but he nebber 
 ludfiu' — gib us all our free- 
 Now, no nigger want" to be sol' 
 down de ribber, an' Sambo say, 
 ' (_)h. Miss Jessamine, dere's 
 free I didn' sell, an' I'll gib 
 'em back to dat lie-lnrd, 
 an' ax his pardin.' ^lassa 
 lie laff and say, ' If dat 
 he-bird -will 'scuse you, 
 I will.' So Sambo put 'em Ijack 
 an' de lie-ljird act' s'if lie know'<l an' 
 talk' a lot o' good advice to Sambo, 
 but ]'se shore 't war anoder nigger w'at tole on Sam. 
 
 " Uey uster have a song 'bout de Mockei's roun' de 
 cabins, an' a dance went wid it, 'cause it was a berry 
 long song ; but aftali dat Sambo done cliange it some 
 wlien he uster sing it." 
 
 Mammy then chanted a verse, keeping time by beat- 
 ing her hands on her knees. 
 
 MoCKIXCBIRD. 
 
136 CITIZEN BIRli 
 
 " De sugar-cane hits pushin' in de bottoms, 
 De rice hits a-sprontin' now fo' shore ! 
 De cotton hits a-greenin' in de furrer, 
 An' honey I'se a-waitin' at de door ! 
 
 " Did I tole you dat I know'd whar dere's a possum? 
 
 Did I tole you dat I know'd whar dere's a coon ? 
 Oh, mah lady, come out soon! 
 Oh, mah honey, come out soon ! 
 
 While de Mocker, while de Mocker 
 
 Am a-singin' to de moon ! " 
 
 Suddenly mammy jumped up, and waving the chil- 
 dren off, started for the house as fast as she could trot, 
 muttering to herself. 
 
 "What is the matter?" called Olive; "has a bee 
 stung you ? " 
 
 " No, nope chile, but t'inkin' 'bout dem times I done 
 forgit I lef a big pan o' buns a-risin' fob yoh lunch. 
 Like's not dey's rised till dey's bust an' popped over ! " 
 And mammy disappeared amid a chorus of laughter. 
 
 " What mammy has said about the Mockingbird in 
 his suuuner home is true. As a visitor who sometimes 
 stays and builds, he strays east and north as far as 
 Massachusetts, and westward to Colorado and Cali- 
 fornia. If he were not a hardy bird who sometimes 
 raises three broods a year, I'm afraid the race would 
 come to an end, because so many nestlings are taken 
 each year and sold for cage birds." 
 
 The Mockingbird 
 
 Length about ten inches. 
 
 Upper parts gray, but dusky-brownish on the wings, which have 
 a large white spot. Three white feathers on each side of the tail, 
 
MOCKERS AND SCOLDERS IST 
 
 which is blackish. The males, who sing, have more white on the 
 wings and tail than Die females, who are soiigless. 
 
 Under parts whitish. 
 
 Sings his own true song, a rapid, sweet melody, heard best after 
 twilight; but has many comic songs o£ whatever nonsense comes 
 into his head. 
 
 A Citizen of the southern United States, often straying iio''th- 
 ward to New England. 
 
 A Ground Gleaner, Tree Trapper, and Seed Sower. 
 
 THE CATBIRD 
 
 When the Doctor said "Catbird" the children began 
 to imitate the various calls this famous garden bird 
 utters, for l.iy this time thej' were familiar with all 
 his tricks and manners. Some of the imitations were 
 very good indeed, if not musical. " JNliou ! Zea}- ! 
 Zeay ! " 
 
 "That is all very well in its waj'," said the Doctor, 
 " but which (ine of you can imitate his song? " 
 
 " I've often tried," said Rap, " but somehow he always 
 gets ahead of me, and I lose the place." 
 
 "Listen! There is one singing now in the grape 
 arbor, and he has a nest somewhere in the syringa 
 bushes," said Olive. 
 
 The Catbird was not alarmed wlien he saw that 
 five pairs of eyes were turned upon him. He seemed 
 to know that the secret fif his nest was in safe keep- 
 ing, flew out to the pointed top of a clothes-pole, and 
 continued his song, jerking his tail up and down 
 and showing the rusty feathers beneath, as if tliis 
 motion had something to do with the force of his 
 music. 
 
138 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " I can hear the words as pUiin as anything," said 
 Nat ; " if I only understood his hmguage ! " 
 
 "That is the difticulty," said the Doctor; "if some 
 kind bird would write a dictionary for us we should 
 soon learn a great many strange things." 
 
 " Roger, the gardener, says that Catbirds are bad 
 things and if he had his way he would shoot them. 
 He says they bite the strawberries and grapes and 
 things, even when he is looking at tlieni," said Dodo. 
 
 " There is some truth in what Roger says," replied 
 the Doctor, "but on the other hand, the Catbird, be- 
 sides being a merry garden neighbor and musician, 
 which in itself is enough to pay liis rent, belongs as 
 a citizen to the Tree Trappers and Ground (cleaners, 
 and is also a o'reat sower of wild fruits. Thouo-h he 
 does provoke us at times by taking a bite from the 
 largest berries in tlie bed, yet he really prefers wild 
 fruits if he can find them. So it is better for us to 
 protect our grape arbors and strawberry beds with nets 
 and bits of bright tin strung on twiue to frighten him 
 away from them, than to lose him as a friend and insect 
 destroyer. 
 
 "Surely his song is worth a few handfuls of cher- 
 ries. Then he is such a quick-witted, sympathetic bird, 
 always willing to help liis neighbors when the}- have 
 trouble with Crows or squirrels. And when half a dozen 
 pairs of Catbirds choose the garden for their home, 
 you may be sure that they will furnish fun as M'ell as 
 music." 
 
 " Why does he jerk his tail so? " asked Dodo. 
 
 " It is a trick that all the family have," said tlie 
 Doctor, "from which some of them are supposed to 
 
MOCKERS AND SCOLDERS 
 
 139 
 
 have taken ilie name of Tliraslit 
 is donhtful. The jMockiuyiiird 
 about in his eage ; the Brown 1' 
 on the ground under the bushes- 
 House AVren does the same, ant 
 tin_y Winter Wren gives his ti 
 a jerl-: instead, for it is uot 
 long enougli to really thrash." 
 
 "•There is a l)right-br(iwn 
 bird beating with his tail, 
 down under the quinee buslies 
 now,'" said Dodo. "Is that 
 some kind of a cousin?" 
 
 "It's a Song Thrush," said 
 Rap. 
 
 " Or rather what the Wise 
 Men call a lirown Thrasher," 
 said the Doctor ; " the ver)- 
 bird of «diich I was speaking." 
 
 "Wlio are the Wise iAlen?"' 
 asked Kaj). 
 
 "A society of House People 
 wlio study American birds and decide b}' \\hat name it 
 is best to call each species, so that each may be known 
 everywliere by the same name. This l->rown Thrasher 
 is sometimes called Soiig Thrush, Hrowu Thrush, Brown 
 Mockingbird, and iNIavis — though the first and the last 
 of these four names belong only to a kind of European 
 Thrush that is never found in this country. You see 
 how confusing this is, and how much Ijetter it is for the 
 Wise Men, wlio know him intimately, to. give liim one 
 name you can be sure is right." 
 
l40 (JitlZkN BIRD 
 
 The Catbird 
 
 Length between eight and nine inches. 
 Upper parts sUite color. 
 Crown, bill, feet, and tail black. 
 
 Under parts lighter gra3'ish-slate color, except a chestnut-red 
 patch under the tail. 
 
 A Summer Citizen of the United States. 
 
 A Ground Gleaner, Tree Trapper, and Seed Sower. 
 
 THE BROWN THKASHEK 
 
 " As I told you a moment ago, this handsome clean- 
 built bird with keen eyes, curved bill, and long graceful 
 tail that opens and shuts like a fan, has several names 
 besides that of Brown Thrasher, which seems the most 
 suitable for him." 
 
 " He looks retlder than brown, for we called the Wood 
 Thrush 'brown,'" said Nat. 
 
 " Yes, his back is a much brighter brown than that 
 of any Thrush, and this will show you the need in 
 studying birds of being able to distinguish between 
 several siuides of the same color. There are words to 
 represent these different grades of color, such as 'rufous' 
 for reddish-brown and ' fuscous ' for dusky -brown ; 
 these you must learn later on, for some of them are 
 pretty hard ones. Now it is better for you to use 
 words whose meaning is perfectly familiar to you. 
 
 " The brown of this Thrasher, you see, is brighter 
 than that of the Wood Thrush ; it is a ruddy brown, 
 with a faint brassy glint, something like a polished door- 
 knob, particularly Avhen the sun strikes his back." 
 
 " How he scratches round upon the ground," said 
 
MocKiiRH And scolders 141 
 
 Dodo; "just like n lieu. Why doesu't lie beloug to 
 the Birds that Seratch ? " 
 
 " Because, for one reason, his feet have tlie three toes 
 in front and the one behind, all on the same level ; this 
 makes hiiii a perching bird." 
 
 " Don't all birds sit on a perch when they go to 
 sleep ? " asked Dodo. 
 
 " By no means. The perching birds grasp a twig 
 firmly with their very limber toes and sharp claws, and 
 put their head under their wing ; but many others, 
 like tame Geese and Ducks, sleep standing on the 
 ground on one foot or sometimes floating on the water. 
 
 "The Tiirasher is a Ground (ileaner, who spends 
 most of liis time in the underljrush, having a great 
 appetite for the wicked May beetle ; but he does not 
 live near the ground only, mounting high in a tree 
 when he wishes to sing, as if he needed the pure high 
 air in order to breathe well , and he never sings from 
 the heart of a thick bush, as the Gatbird does so fre- 
 quently. 
 
 "But I am wrong in saying that he onlt/ goes up 
 into trees to sing, for there is no denying that he visits 
 cherry trees to pick cherries, in spite of the fact that 
 he is neither invited nor welcome. Yet we must re- 
 member that if he does like fruit for dessert he has 
 also first eaten caterpillar-soup and beetle-stew, and so 
 has certainly earned some cherries." 
 
 "Hush!" whispered Olive; "our Thrasher is sing- 
 ing now ill the birch tree, where you can both see and 
 hear him." 
 
 " That's a sure sign his nest is not very near," said 
 Rap; "for they never sing close by their nests." 
 
142 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 This Thrasher was clinging to the end of a slender 
 braneli, one claw above the other, so that his head, which 
 was thrown back, looked straight up to the sky. He 
 seemed to be half talking and half singing, as if giving 
 directions to some unseen performer, then following 
 these by two or three clear notes. 
 
 " What is he saying ? " said Dodo. 
 
 " He is telling you who he is, and what he sees from 
 the tree-top," said the Doctor. " (Jlive, dear, I am 
 going to repeat to the children the jingle you made 
 about the Thrasher." Though Olive then blushed 
 and said it was only nonsense, the children were de- 
 lighted with it. 
 
 " Jly Rreamy breast is speckled 
 (Perhaps you'd call it freckled) 
 Black and lirowii. 
 
 " My pliant russet tail 
 Beats like a frantic flail, 
 Up and down. 
 
 " In the top branch of a tree 
 You may chance to glance at me, 
 When I sing. 
 
 "But I'm very, rery shy, 
 Wlien I silently float l>y. 
 On the wing. 
 
 " Whew there ! Hi there ! Such a clatter i 
 What's the nnitter — what's the matter? 
 Really, really? 
 
 "Digging, delving, raking, sowing. 
 Corn is spiouting, corn is growing ! 
 Plant it, plant it I 
 
MOCKEHS AND SCOLDERS 
 
 143 
 
 Gather it, gatlier it ! 
 
 Thresh it, thresh it ! 
 
 Hide it, hide it, do ! 
 
 (I see it — and you.) 
 Oh ! — I'm that famous scratcher, 
 H-a-r-p-o-r-h-y-n-c-h-u-s r-u-f-u-s — Thrasliei' 
 Cloaked in browu." 
 
 The Bro-wn Thrasher 
 
 Length eleven inches. 
 
 Above bright reddish-brown, with two light liands on eacii wing. 
 
 Beneath yellowish-white, spotted witli very dark brown on tlie 
 breast and the sides. 
 
 Very long tail — about five inches — fan-shaped. 
 
 A Summer Citizen of the United States east of the Rocky Moun- 
 tains. 
 
 A famous Ground Gleanei' and Seed Sower, 
 
144 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 THE ROCK WREN 
 
 When the chikiren had finished apphiuding Olive's 
 poetry — or Avas it really the Thrasher's own perform- 
 ance? — the Doctor went on : 
 
 "We have seen that the West has one sort of a 
 Thrasher in the sage-hrnsh, and the East another, in 
 our own gardens. I also told you that these birds were 
 a kind of overgrown Wren ; and before we call upon 
 Mrs. Jenny Wren, I Avant to tell you about a bigger 
 relative of hers that (_)live and I knew when we were in 
 the Rocky Mountains. He is called the Rock Wren — " 
 
 "Oh! I know — I)ecause he lives in the Rocky 
 Mountains," said Dodo, clapping her hands at this 
 discovery. 
 
 " Yes, that is partly the reason," resumed the Doc- 
 tor, after this interruijtion, "but those mountains are 
 ver}' many, and varied in appearance, like most others: 
 covered in most places with pine trees, but including in 
 their recesses grassy meadows and silvery lakes. Some 
 parts of those mountains are the home of the Rock 
 Wren, but the little fellow is quite as well satisfied any- 
 where else in the western parts of the United States, 
 if he can find heaps of stones to play hide-and-seek in 
 with his mate, or great smooth boulders to skip up to 
 the top of and sing. So you see the mountains and 
 the Wrens are both named for the rocks. 
 
 " Do these Wrens look like our kind and act that 
 way?" asked Nat. "Ours always make me think of 
 mice." 
 
 "vVll kinds of Wrens are much alike," answered the 
 Doctor. " They are small brownish birds with cocked- 
 
3I0CKEnS AND SCOLDERS 
 
 up tails, not at all sliy about showing themselves off, 
 when they choose, hut they must have some liiding- 
 place to cluck into the moment an3'tliing frightens 
 them, and some odd, out-of-the-way nook or cranny 
 for their big rubbishy nests. Some prefer to hide in 
 marshes among tlie thickest reeds, some live in dry 
 brush heaps, and some, like the Rock Wren, choose 
 piles of stones. Their wings are not very strong, and 
 they seldom venture far from their favorite retreats, 
 except when they are migrating. 
 
 " When your cousin Olive and I were in Colorado we 
 climbed a mountain one day above the timber-line " — 
 
 "Do all the trees out there grow in straiglit lines? "' 
 asked Dodo anxiously. 
 
 "No, my dear little girl, trees don"t grow in straight 
 lines anywhere," said the Doctor, laughing — "except 
 when they are 
 planted so. The 
 ' timber-line ' of a 
 mountain is the 
 edge of the woods, 
 above wdrich no 
 trees grow, and we 
 see nothing but 
 - l>are rocks, and the 
 few low plants that 
 cling to the cracks 
 among them. Well, 
 we had hardly 
 rested long enough 
 to get our breath 
 after such a climb, Rock Wren. 
 
146 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 when we heard a ricli ringing song, sometliing like a 
 House Wren's, hut louder and stronger, and very quick, 
 as if the bird were in a great hurry to get through. 
 But he wasn't, for he kept saying the same thing over 
 and over again. Presently we spied him, on the tip- 
 top of a pile of stones, standing quite still, with his 
 head thrown back and his bill pointing straight up. 
 He looked gray, dusted over with pepper-and-salt dots 
 on the back, and liis bill was ver}^ straiglit and sharp 
 — almost an inch long, it looked. This was a Rock 
 Wren." 
 
 " He must have had a nest somewliere in those rocks," 
 said Uap. " Wrens most always have nests near where 
 they sing." 
 
 "No doubt he had, as it was the nesting season — 
 June," answered tlie Doctor; "but it was growing late 
 in the day, we had a long scramble down the mountain 
 before us, and could n(jt wait to hunt for it. iMost 
 likely, too, if we liad found tlie very place where it was, 
 we should not have been aljle to see it, tVir probably it 
 was tucked away too far in a crooked passage under a 
 shelving rock. 
 
 " When we were half-way down the mountain we 
 {jassed a miner's cabin. He was at home, and we sat 
 down on a bench by the door to rest. Thiidving he 
 might know about the nest of the Rock Wren, — for an 
 old miner knows a great many things he never thinks 
 of making a book about, — I asked him if there were 
 any Wrens around there. 
 
 "'Wall, I should smile, stranger! Ijots on "em — ■ 
 more'n one kind, too — but mostly not the reg'lar kind 
 they ha\'e where you tenderfoots live — bigger, and 
 
MOCKERS AND SCOLDERS 147 
 
 pickeder in front, and make more fuss. When tliey 
 fust c(ime, "long- abont J\Iay, or nigh onter June, they 
 act kinder siiy like, but they get nster to yer, soon's 
 the_y find nobody ain't goiu' to bother with 'em, and 
 stay around altogether, mostly in the rocks. Last y"ar 
 there was two on 'em come nigh chinking up this she- 
 bang with trash they hauled in for a nest, afore they 
 got it fixed to suit 'em, and had it chuck full o' speckled 
 eggs. Then one of these yere blamed pack-rats tore it 
 all up, and they had to start in to hauling more trasii.' 
 "So you see, children, this miner knew a Rock Wren 
 — do you know a Jenny Wren?" 
 
 The Rock Wren 
 
 Length nearly six inches. 
 
 Back gray, with fine black-and-white dots. 
 
 Under parts no particular color. 
 
 Some of the tail-feathers witli black bars and cinnamon-brown 
 tips. 
 
 A Citizen of the United States from the Rocky JNIountains to 
 the Pacific Ocean. 
 
 A Ground fJleaner. 
 
 THE HOUSE WREN 
 
 "We all know Jenny Wren!" cried the children. 
 "The Farm is full of Jennies and Johnnies'" 
 
 " They build in bird-boxes," said Dodo. 
 
 " And in old tin cans, and water pots, and anything 
 they find," said Rap. 
 
 "And Jenny does most of the work; if the can is 
 very large she fills it full of sticks until there is only a 
 cosy little corner left for the nest, for she is a very neat 
 bird," said the Doctor, when he could be heard. " She 
 
148 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 keeps her lioiise nice and clean, and is very industrious 
 too, making a fresh nest for every new brood, which 
 means a great deal of work, for Wrens often raise three 
 families a season." 
 
 "But Johnny Wren works too, doesn't he?" asked 
 Nat ; " he is alwavs taking home bugs and things, and 
 he sings as if he would split." 
 
 " Wrens live in woodpiles in winter," said Rap. 
 
 The Doctor laughed heartily at the hurry with which 
 the children told their knowledge. 
 
 " Everybody has a bowing acquaintance with the 
 House Wren," he said, "for they are seen everywhere 
 through the United States, those that are citizens of 
 the West being a trifle paler in color and more sharply 
 barred than their easterly brothers, but all having the 
 same habits ; even tlie Rock Wren is as jolly and 
 sociable as his house-loving cousins. 
 
 " But the Wren that Rap says lives in the woodpile 
 in the winter is not our House Wren, but anotlier mem- 
 ber of tlie same family — the smallest of all, called the 
 Winter Wren. 
 
 " He is a citizen of the far North, whence he follows 
 tlie mountains down to Carolina, and he is chiefly seen 
 when he visits the Eastern States in the winter — hence 
 his name. But few who see him then liave heard his 
 ripple-song — one of the sweetest bits of our bird 
 music." 
 
 " Hear Johnny AVren singing on the trellis, and his 
 wife scolding at him all the time, too. I Avonder why 
 she does it ? " said Nat. 
 
 " She is only making believe scold," said the Doctor, 
 " because she has a quick temper and wants to say 
 
MOCKEBS AND SCOLDERS 
 
 149 
 
 sonietliing, and eannot exactly sing. Jolinny and Jenny 
 make a great fuss, l)ut tliey are really very fojid of each 
 other and make the very 
 best of citizens, eating- 
 no fruits and Ijeing ofti- 
 cers in the guilds of 
 Ground Gleaners and 
 Tree Trappers." 
 
 "Look!" said Dodo, 
 "Jennjr is scolding and 
 dancing about, and 
 Johnny is singing away 
 again. What is the mat- 
 ter with them. Uncle 
 Roy?" 
 
 " Did you never liear 
 the ' Wrens' duet ' ? 
 That is what they are 
 singing now. Listen, 
 and 1 will tell you Avhat 
 they say in House Peo- 
 ple's language : House Wren. 
 
 Johnny nvceping time with his wings) : 
 
 I'm jolly Johniij' Wren, 
 
 The busiest of men ; 
 
 For I sing and I clean lionse. too. 
 
 Though wife is such a l)ustler, 
 
 'Tis I that am the hustler, 
 
 For / v(n'k when there's nothing to ilo ! 
 
 And / don't care to talk, 
 
 And / daren't take a walk, 
 
 For Jenny's such a jealous, j-e-a-1-o-u-s She ! 
 
150 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 Jenny (keeping time witli her liead) : 
 
 I'm thrifty Jenny Wren. 
 
 The foolish, lazy men 
 
 Think they work if they sing all day. 
 
 If husband is a martyr, 
 
 I'm a great deal, great deal smarter, 
 
 For / talk when I've noOiing to say ! 
 
 And though I mind my work, 
 
 I also prink and perk. 
 
 For Johnny's such a f-a-s-ci a-a-l i ng He! 
 
 Both (beating time with all four wings) : 
 
 (She) Though you don't care to talk — 
 (He) We might both take a walk — 
 (Both) For we are such a captivating WE ! 
 
 [Exeunt, dancing on tiptoe along the trellis.'' 
 
 The House Wren 
 
 Length five inches. 
 
 Upper parts dark brown finely barred with black. 
 
 Under parts graj', washed with brown and very faintly banded. 
 
 Tail rather long (for a Wren's), full of light and dark bars, 
 mostly held cocked up. 
 
 A fidgety little bird with a very nien-y song, 
 
 A Summer Citizen east of Indiana, and a Citizen south from the 
 middle districts. 
 
 A Ground Gleaner and Tree Trapper. 
 
 THE LONG-BILLED MARSH WREN 
 
 " You must alwaj's wear your rubber boots when you 
 go to look for the IMarsh Wren," said the Doctor ; " and 
 you must be careful where you step, for this Wren 
 knows where to put his nest safely out of the way of 
 both House People and cats. 
 
MOCKErtS AND .'^COLDEUS 
 
 151 
 
 "He chooses a buneli of 
 reeds, or a bush that is sur- 
 rounded either by water or 
 tlie treacherous g'reen grass 
 of bogs, and tliere weaves an 
 oblong or globular nest from 
 coarse grass and leaves, with 
 a little hole on one side for a 
 door. This done, he goes to 
 a short distance and appoints 
 himself da)' watchman to his 
 home. If a footstep touches 
 the grass ever so lightly, he 
 tells his mate of it and they 
 ffit off ; and if any one thinks 
 that by following the birds 
 they will find the nest, they 
 will be very much disaj)- 
 pointed. Mr. and Mrs. Long- 
 bill will lead them a will-o'- 
 the-wisp dance ; and when the House People are tired, 
 bewildered, and very wet in the shoes, the clever l)irds 
 will return home l)y a secret way, chuckling to them- 
 selves. You will know this little bird by his nervous 
 Wren-like wa^'s and jerking tail, even if you are not 
 near enough to see his markings and long curving 
 bill." 
 
 " But there are no marshy places near the Farm, so 
 I'm afraid we sliall never see him, except in the wonder 
 room," said Nat. 
 
 " By and by wlien Ave go to the beach, where our 
 river meets the sea, I will show vou some nests. I 
 
 Long-billed ISIarsh AVken. 
 
152 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 speak of tins Marsh Wren now so that you may re- 
 member it with the rest of this family of Mockers and 
 Scolders." 
 
 The Long-billed Marsh "Wren 
 
 Length about five inches. 
 
 Upper parts clear brown, with a long light line over the eye, 
 and a patch o£ black-and-white streaks on the back ; light and 
 dark brown bars on tail and wings. 
 
 Under parts white, tinged with brown on the sides. 
 
 A long slender bill, with more of a cnrve than a House AVren's. 
 
 Song something like a Hou.se Wren's, but move bubbling and 
 gurgling. 
 
 A Citizen of the eastern United States. 
 
 A Ground Gleaner. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 WOODLAND ^VAla5LERS 
 
 " Now you may be introduced to a family of y\.meri- 
 can birds, many of them brightly colored and none of 
 them large, who have no cousins or relations in any 
 other country. You must not expect them to come 
 and peep in the window like the Catbird, or feed on 
 the lawn like the Thrush and Robin ; for they are birds 
 of woodland and brushland. Yet the}' often come for 
 a time in their journej's to gardens and orchards, for 
 they are among the greatest travellers." 
 
 "Why do they travel so much, if they are only 
 American birds ? " asked Nat. " I shouldn't think 
 they would have to go far if they always live in 
 America." 
 
 " America is a very large country, my boy, and vou 
 must not forget it includes South as well as North 
 America — the Western Hemisphere of the whole globe. 
 Warblers are insect-eating Citizens and cannot live long 
 on anything else. Now, as many of them nest far 
 North, when the early frosts lock the country they 
 must often make long journeys at short notice, until 
 they find their insect food again." 
 
 " Why don't we see swarms and swarms of them 
 flying by ? " asked Dodo. 
 
 " You mean flocks," said Olive ; " we only say 
 'swarms' when we mean bees or other insects." 
 
 153 
 
15-1: CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 "They make tlieir journeys mostly by night," con- 
 tinued the Doctor, " for diirkness protects their bright 
 cobjrs from the cannibal l)irds and various other ene- 
 mies. One day there will not be a single Warbler in 
 the river woods, and the next the trees will be bright 
 with them. 
 
 " Another reason tliat we do not commonl}^ see these 
 Warljlers is, that the greatest number do not come 
 from the South until the trees are in leaf, and they 
 pass back again through the middle portions of the 
 States before the trees are bare in autumn, so tliat they 
 easily hide from us." 
 
 " Are tliere no bright-colored birds that live all 
 winter where the trees are bare ? " asked Rap. 
 
 " Yes, three — the Cardinal, the Crossbill, and the 
 Pine Grosbeak. The}' are seed-eating birds, and all 
 lielong to the Sjiarrow family. INIost of the very 
 showy birds belong to tropical countries, where the 
 trees are always in leaf and there are quantities of 
 orchids and other conspicuous flowers to attract the 
 eye from the birds themselves. 
 
 " This habit of travelling by niglit has caused a great 
 many of these beautiful Warblers to lose their lives, 
 for they often fly against telegraph wires, high steeples, 
 and lighthouse towers, and are killed. Another dan- 
 ger also besets them — they may come from the South 
 with a bit of early mild weather, and nearing the Great 
 Lakes meet a storm from the North, and the food-sup- 
 ply being very scanty, the icy winds overcome their 
 strength. 
 
 " A friend of mine who lives in Wisconsin," con- 
 tinued the Doctor, "has a garden that slopes down to 
 
]rOODLANn WAIIIlLEliS 155 
 
 (ieueva I^ake. I^ate Diie April tbei'e came a wind- 
 sfconn from tlie iiortliwest, and tlie next morning tlie 
 lawn was strewn with the bodies of hundreds of little 
 Warblers who had become confused in the darkness and 
 unaljle to reach shelter. 
 
 " You see how many troubles and risks Citizen Bird 
 has to endure at best, so that we House People should 
 do ever3rtliing we can to protect him and make his life 
 among iis happy. 
 
 "You will have more use for your eyes than your 
 ears, in naming the Warljlers. Their plumage is al- 
 most always striking, but their voices are rather lisping 
 than musical, though they sing pretty little snatches 
 in the woods ; but many of their call-notes sound more 
 like the squeaks and Ijuzzings of insects and tree-toads 
 than like the voices of birds, and it will take time and 
 practice before you can distinguish them apart. I have 
 chosen only half a dozen species to tell you of, from 
 the half-hundred that rove about the United States. 
 The first, and one that you are the most likely to see, 
 is the Black-and-white \Varbler." 
 
 THE BLACK-AND-WHITE WAKBLEK 
 
 " There are exceptions to everything," said the Doc- 
 tor, as he pointed to an old willow tree on the edge of 
 the river Avoods, where he had taken the children to 
 look for Warblers. " And the exception among the 
 shy Warblers of these woods is that sociable little black- 
 and-white fellow over there, Avho is creeping and swing- 
 ing about the branches as if he was own brother to the 
 Brown Creeper himself. This Black-and-white War- 
 
156 
 
 CITIZEN r.IHT) 
 
 bier hides liis nest in an overtnrned stump, or on the 
 ground, and you may try for days in vain to find one. 
 But at the same time he spends liis time running mer- 
 rily through the orchard trees, even wliispering his 
 husky ' weachy-weaohy-twee-twee, tweet ' to the old 
 queen apple by the study window." 
 
 "Is that bird a Warbler?" asked Nat. "I thought 
 
 he was some kind 
 of a Nuthatch or 
 a Woodpecker — 
 he was with a whole 
 lot of them up by 
 the house last week." 
 " I used to think so 
 0," said Rap ; " but 
 now I see a difference, 
 le bod}' and bill of the 
 Nutliateh is stouter, and not such 
 a pretty shape, and his bill almost turns 
 up. This Warbler is thinner, with a 
 slender bill that curves a little down, 
 like the Brown Creeper's. Then too, 
 BLArK-AND-wHiTE ]ie lias smallcr and finer stripes than 
 
 Warbler. ttt ^ ^ •>•> 
 
 any VV ooclpecl^er. 
 
 " What guild does he belong to ? " asked Dodo. 
 
 " To the Tree Trappers ; most of the Warblers be- 
 long to this, while some have joined the Sky Sweejjers, 
 and a few the Ground Gleaners and Seed Sowers." 
 
 " Look ! " said Nat. " He has spent a long time on 
 one twig and he doesn't seem to have cleaned off all 
 the insects yet ; he must have pretty good eyes." 
 
 " Yes, and more than that," said the Doctor, " his 
 
WOODLAND WARBLERS 157 
 
 eyes magnify niueli more tluui ours do, so that all ob- 
 jects appear far larger to a liird tliaii tliey do to ns, 
 and they can see insects that we never notice." 
 
 " I wonder if that little Warbler tlunlcs spiders are 
 crabs and flies chickens," said Dodo, so soberly that all 
 the others laughed heartily. 
 
 The Black-and-TArhite 'Warbler 
 
 Length five inches. 
 
 Upper pui'ts striped everywhere witli hlack and white. 
 
 Under parts white in tlie middle, with many black stripes on 
 the sides. 
 
 lias a weak and wheez}' voice. 
 
 From its habit of scrambling about tree-trunks and l)ranches, it 
 may be mistaken for a real Creeper, or a Nuthatch, or even a little 
 Woodpecker. 
 
 A Summer Citizen of the United States, east of the plains; in 
 winter from Florida southward. 
 
 A Tree Trapper. 
 
 THE YELLOW WAUBLER 
 (Or Summer Yellowbird) 
 
 "I know this Warbler by sight already," said Dodo; 
 "there is one in the low case in tlie wonder room — the 
 pretty bird sitting on a fuzzy nest; it looks like a 
 Canary." 
 
 " You may tliink that he looks like a Canary at a 
 little distance, but not wlien you are near by," said the 
 Doctor. " The C'anary has a short, thick, cone-shaped 
 Ijill suited to cracking seeds, while the Yellow Warbler 
 has the slender bill necessary for l>rying into small 
 cracks and crannies for insects. 
 
158 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " Tliis Wai'ljler also lias light rusty streaks on his 
 yellow lireast. Do you remember having ever seen a 
 Canary with such markings?" 
 
 Nat and Dodo thought for a moment, and then said 
 they never had. 
 
 " It really may not Ije like a Canary," said Rap, 
 " and it hasn't much of a song, but it has so many cute 
 little ways that it seems like one. 
 enow a boy who alwaj's says 
 it's a wild C'anar3^ but it 
 can't Ije that, I see. A 
 pair of these Warblers 
 have a nest in one of 
 the elder bushes by 
 our fence, and they 
 wouldn't mind a bit 
 if we went to look at 
 them. Would it be 
 too far for you to 
 come, sir '? " he inquired 
 timidly of the Doctor, evi- 
 dently^ proud of having some- 
 thing to show. 
 
 " We shall be glad to see the 
 nest, my boy. How is it that you have so many birds 
 about your house ? " 
 
 " I think it's partly for the same reason that j'ou 
 
 have birds here — for we don't keep cats either — and 
 
 it's partly because we have four Ijig old mulberry trees." 
 
 " What have mulberry trees to do with birds ? " asked 
 
 Nat, without stopping to thiidv. 
 
 " Everything," said the Doctor. " The mulberry is 
 
 Yellow Warbler. 
 
WOODLAND WAUBLERS 159 
 
 one of the inotst iittractive fruits to our familiar birds, 
 and at least twenty-five species feed upon it greedily. 
 
 " Whoever plants a mulberry tree in his garden sends 
 a puljlic invitation through 15irdland for its people to 
 come and live with him. Tlie invitation is always 
 accepted, and the birds a[»preciate the kindness so 
 much that when they find mulberries they leave the 
 cherries and strawberries in tliat garden in peace. 
 Tliis should teach us to plant wild fruits and berries 
 for the birds, who prefer them to garden fruits." 
 
 As the cliildren turned frf)m the road into Rap's 
 garden they saw that it held a great many birds. The 
 bushes and trees were all untrimmed, and the old 
 liouse with its shingled sides and coast-backed roof 
 was covered with a trumpet-creeper and some grape 
 vines. 
 
 " What a lovely place for Hummingljirds ! " cried 
 Olive. 
 
 " And Martins," added the Doctor, pointing to a bird- 
 box with ten or twelve divisions in it, that was fastened 
 under the eaves. 
 
 " The Warbler's nest is here," said Rap, leading the 
 way to a back fence and feeling very proud at the 
 admiration his home was receiving. 
 
 The children tiptoed up and each took a peep into 
 the cup-shaped nest. Tlie little gold and olive mother, 
 trusting Rap from past experience, gave a quick flip of 
 her wings, and perched on a wild blackberry bush near 
 by. The outside of the nest looked as if it were made 
 of silvery-gray linen floss. There were some horse- 
 hairs woven in the lining, and here and there some- 
 thing that looked like sponge peeped out between the 
 
160 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 strands which hekl the nest firmly in the crotch of the 
 elder stem. 
 
 "What is that soft stuff?" whispered Dodo. 
 
 " It is wool scraped from the stalks of young ferns," 
 said the Doctor ; " the soft brown wool that is wrapped 
 round the leaves to keep them warm in their Avinter 
 sleep until they stretch out of the sri-ound and feel the 
 warmth of the sun. The little Warblers gather it in 
 their beaks and mat it into a sort of felt." 
 
 " There is something else in the nest-lining that looks 
 like feathers," said Nat. 
 
 "That is dandelion down." 
 
 " Don't you think. Doctor, that this nest is very thick 
 underneath?" asked Rap. "It is twice as high as the 
 one they built here last summer." 
 
 The Doctor felt of the bottom of the nest very gently 
 with one finger and said, " I thouglit so ! You have 
 sharp eyes, Rap ; it is very thick, and for a good rea- 
 son — it is a two-storied nest ! " 
 
 " A two-storied nest ! Are there sucli things ? " 
 clamored the children together. 
 
 " The mother-bird is worrying ; come over under tlie 
 mulberry tree and I will tell you about this wonderful 
 nest. 
 
 " There are some very ill-mannered shiftless Citizens 
 in Birdland, called Cowbirds," began the Doctor ; " 3'ou 
 will learn aljout them when we come to the family to 
 which the}^ belong. They build no nests, but have the 
 habit of laying their eggs in the nests of other birds, 
 just as the equally bad-behaved Cuckoos do in Europe. 
 Some birds do not seem to know the difference between 
 these strange eggs and their own, and so let them re- 
 
n'OODLANJ) ]VJT!]}LEI}S 161 
 
 main until they are hatched. Others are wise euon^-li 
 to know their own eggs, and cliief among such sliar[i- 
 eyed ones is this little Yellow Warbler. 
 
 " Coming home some morning after taking exercise 
 for the good of her health, Mrs. Warljler finds a great 
 white egg spotted with brown, crowded in among 
 her own small pale blue eggs, that have their brown 
 sf)ots mostly arranged like a wreath around the larger 
 end. 
 
 " Being disgusted and very angry to find her house 
 invaded, she and her mate have a talk about tlie mat- 
 ter. Why they do not simply push the strange egg 
 out, we do not know, but instead of that they often 
 fly off for milkweed fibres and silk to make a new 
 nest right on top of the first one, shutting tlie hateful 
 egg out of sight underneath. TJien the}' begin house- 
 keeping anew, in a two-storied nest like this one, liv- 
 ing in the upper story, and keeping the Cdwhird's 
 egg locked up in the basement, where no warmth from 
 their bodies can reach it ; and so it never hatches. If 
 a second Cowbird's egg is laid, in the new upper story 
 of the nest, the Warblers generally abandon their home 
 in despair, and choose a new nesting place ; l)ut some- 
 times they build a third story over the other two, and 
 thus defeat the evil designs of both their enemies with- 
 out giving up their home. 
 
 " This nest of Rap's is a two-storied one, and when I 
 touched the bottom I could feel that there was an egg 
 in the lower story. By and by, when the Ijirds have 
 flown, we will take the nest apart and you can see for 
 yourselves how ingeniously it is made." 
 
 "To think of all the v/ays birds have," said Rap; 
 
162 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " going to sueli a heap of trouble for something they 
 could fix with one good push." 
 
 " What happens when the Cowbird's Qgg stays in the 
 nest and hatches out '! Aren't the other little birds 
 S([ueezed and uncomfortable '! " asked Dodo. 
 
 " Yes, they are very uncomfortable indeed, and often 
 starve to death ; but you must wait to hear about that 
 until we come to the Cowbird himself." 
 
 " What family does he train with ? " asked Nat. 
 
 " With the Ijlackbirds and Orioles," said the Doctor. 
 
 Then the male Yellow Warbler flew out along a 
 branch above their heads, gave his lisping song, that 
 sounded like " sweet, sweet, sweet, sweeter," seized an 
 insect, and went across the garden toward his nest. 
 
 " I'm going to watch that nest," said Rap, " and if a 
 Cowbird lays in it any more I'll take the wicked old 
 egg away." 
 
 "Sweet, sweet, sweet," called the Warbler from the 
 bushes. 
 
 "Maybe he understood you,"' said Dodo. "I'd be- 
 lieve most anything about birds." 
 
 The Yellow Warbler 
 
 (Or Summer Ykllowuird) 
 
 Length aliout five inches. 
 
 Upper parts rich olive-yellow, brightest on the rump and crown, 
 but dark brown on wings and tail, with the inside half of each tail- 
 feather yellow, and some yellow edgings on the wing-feathers. 
 
 Under parts bright yellow, in the male streaked with rich 
 brownish-red. 
 
 A Sunnner Citizen of the greater part of North America, nest- 
 ing in orchards and bushes, and going to the tropics in ■winter. 
 
 Belongs to the guilds of Tree Trappers and Sky Sweepers. 
 
WOODLAND WARBLERS 
 
 163 
 
 THE YELLOAV-KUjrPEI) WAEBLEK 
 
 (Or MVRTI.EIUKD) 
 
 " This Warbler does not sing much of a song, even 
 in nesting-time; but you will know him on tlie wing by 
 the In'ight ^yellow sjiot on the rump, and if he perches 
 near by perhaps you will also see 
 the crown of gold on the head and 
 a spot of 3'eUow on each side of 
 the breast. They say there 
 was once a great king 
 named Midas, whose touch 
 turned everything to gold 
 he was such an avaricious old 
 miser. If that be true he must 
 have put his finger on tlie 
 JMyrtlebird in four different 
 places. Unlike most of 
 his family the Yellow- 
 rump) is fond of seeds 
 and Ijerries ; and so 
 he is able to live further 
 north in winter than any of his 
 brothers. Unless you are spend- 
 ing the summer near the Canadian Ijorder you will not 
 see him in his own home. But when tliey are on their 
 journeys in spring and autumn you will meet them 
 almost everywhere, travelling in sociable flocks." 
 
 " It must be that dark-backed bird with a yellow 
 spot on his tail, that gobbles all the bay berries — and 
 eats the poison-ivy berries too," said Rap. 
 
 Yellow-rumped AYakeler. 
 
164 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 "Yes, I see that you know liim ; 'that dark -backed 
 bird with a yellow spot on Ins tail" is not a bad descrip- 
 tion of the Myrtle Warbler," said the Doctor ; "at least, 
 as you generally see it, in autumn or winter, when 
 that particular spot is the only one of the four which 
 shows off well." 
 
 " But why is he called Mjjrtle Warbler? " asked Nat. 
 "Does he build his nest in myrtle? I thought myrtle 
 was that shiny -leaved plant down on the ground, that 
 doesn't have berries." 
 
 " No, my hoy, the bird is not named from that sort 
 of creeping flowering myrtle ; his name comes from a 
 Latin word for 'bayberry,' because the bird feeds upon 
 its fruit, as Rap told you." 
 
 " And bayberry is that low sweet-smelling shrub that 
 we gather in the rocky pasture, to fill the great jar in 
 the fireplace," said Olive. "Some call it candle-berry, 
 and others Avax-myrtle." 
 
 "Yes," said Rap, "and these Warblers stay round 
 that pasture in winter as long as there is a berry left." 
 
 The Yellow-rumped Warbler 
 
 (Or Myrtlebird) 
 
 Length about five and a half inches. 
 
 Upper parts dark gray, streaked with black; two white bars on 
 each wing; large white spots on some of the tail-feathers. A yel- 
 loii' patch on the rump and crown. 
 
 Under parts white, streaked with black on the breast and sides. 
 A yellow patch on each side of the breast. 
 
 A Summer Citizen of tlie northern United States and northward. 
 Much less common in the West than the East. Travels south, 
 and spends the winter everywhere from southern New England to 
 Panama 
 
 A great Seed Sower and a Tree Trapper. 
 
WOODLAND WAllBLERS 
 
 165 
 
 THE OVENBIliD 
 
 "I Avill show you a 'skin' of the OvenLird, because 
 it may be some time before }ou will see tliis Gi-ound 
 Warbler at home in the deep woods." 
 
 " ' Skin! ' What is that? " asked Rap, as the Doctor 
 took from his pocket what looked merel}' like a dead 
 bird. 
 
 " A ' bird-skin,' so called, is the bird preserved and 
 prepared for stuffing, with all its feathers on, but with- 
 out glass eyes and not mounted in a natural position. 
 You see that it takes up much less room than the birds 
 that are set up in my cases, and is more easily carried 
 about." 
 
 " He looks like a little Thrush," said Olive, " except 
 that he is too green on the back, and the stripe on his 
 head is of a dingy gold color. That is why he is often 
 called the ' Golden-crowned Thrush,' though he is not a 
 Thrush at all, but one of the American Warblers, and 
 the crown is more the color of copper, than like the 
 gold oia the Golden-crowned Kinglet's head. Perhaps 
 
166 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 the Kinglet is called after new, clean gold, and this 
 'Thrush' after old dusty gold." 
 
 All this time Rap had been looking intently at the 
 Warbler without sdying a word ; then he said suddenly : 
 " Why, it's the bird that builds the little house-nest 
 on the ground in the river woods 1 The nest that is 
 roofed all over and has a round hole in one side for a 
 door ! I'm so glad I know his name, for it isn't in my 
 part of the Nuttall book and tiie miller doesn't know 
 what he is called. Is he named Ovenbird because he 
 has a door in one side of his nest like an oven?" 
 
 " Yes, Rap, the )iest is shaped like the kind of oven 
 that Indians used. Tell us about the one j^ou found." 
 
 " I was sitting on the bank where it goes down a 
 little to the river, and the ground there was humpy 
 with bunches of grass. A little bird like this Warbler 
 ran from between two of the grass humps and picked 
 about on the ground for a minute and then ran back. 
 I thouglit he had gone into a hole, Ijut j^retty soon he 
 came out again and flew up through the bushes to a 
 tall tree a little way off. He went out to the end of a 
 long branch and began to call — soft at first and then 
 very loud, as if his throat would split before he ended. 
 It was a very big noise for such a little bird." 
 
 "Did he seem to say Teac7ier,TEACHEU, TEACHER' ? " 
 asked the Doctor, who knew John Burroughs very well. 
 
 " Yes, he kept calling exactly that way. Then when 
 he stopped, I looked for the hole in the ground where 
 he came from. I felt round a little, and then I lay 
 down on the bank and looked up liill at the place to 
 try if I could find it that way. Then I saw a place 
 where the grass and leaves were made into a sort of 
 
]V001)LAND WARBLERS 167 
 
 roof between the grass humps, and in the middle of 
 this was a smooth round hole. I put my finger in and 
 another bird, just like the first, flew out, and I saw 
 that there were eggs there ; so I drove a stick in the 
 ground to mark the place, and went away. 
 
 " The miller said it must be a field-mouse's nest that 
 some birds had stolen. But in the fall I took the nest 
 home and 1 saw it was a real bird's nest, all woven 
 round of strong grass with finer kinds for a lining ; 
 and there were dead leaves on the outside, so that the 
 top looked like all the rest of the ground. I had often 
 heard that loud singing before, but this was tlie first 
 time I had a good look at the bird and his nest, and the 
 miller won't believe now that it's a bird's nest either." 
 
 "What trade does the Ovenbird belong to?" asked 
 Dodo. " He ought to be a baker if he lives in an oven." 
 
 " He is a C^round Gleaner and a Tree Trapper," said 
 the Doctor, while the children laughed merrily at 
 Dodo's idea of a baker bird. 
 
 The Ovenbird 
 
 Length about six inches. 
 
 Upper parts frog green, with a nisty-yellow streak between two 
 black lines on the crown. 
 
 Lower parts white, with black streaks on the lireast and sides. 
 
 A Summer Citizen as far west as Kansas and north to Alaska, 
 wintering far south. 
 
 THE MARYLAND YELLOW-THROAT 
 
 " Now we come to three very jolly Warblers with 
 bright feathers and perfeotl}' distinct ways of their 
 own. They are the Maryland Yellow-throat, the Yel- 
 low-breasted Chat, and the American Redstart. 
 
168 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " The Maryland Yellow-tliroat is the merry little 
 bird who puts his head on one side to peep at you 
 through his Ijlaek mask, and then flits farther along to 
 
 a tliicket or clump of bushes, 
 calling persuasively — ' Follow 
 me-6, follow me-e, follow ! ' 
 He is trying to coax j^ou into 
 a game of hide-and-seek ; but 
 f: -''-'' 0^7^^ ^'^ 3'-"'^ pl'^3' with him you will 
 
 I j^- i<^w soon find that you must do all 
 
 the seeking, for he intends to 
 do the hiding himself. 
 
 " Does he wish to show you 
 
 his deep narrow nest, made 
 
 of grape-vine bark, old leaves, 
 
 and grass ? Not he ; being 
 
 crammed full of good spirits 
 
 he simply wants you to 
 
 share them and have 
 
 a race. Some- 
 
 ' times he will stop 
 
 a moment quite near and call — 
 
 ' I-spy-it, I-spy-it,' and then fly off 
 
 and challenge you to a new chase. 
 
 Or sometimes, if two or three call at 
 
 once, you will stray away from j'our 
 
 jiath without knowing it. 
 
 " They are very gentle, lovable 
 little birds too, and sing all through the summer when 
 many of the better singers have grown silent." 
 
 " The Yellow-throat must be what I've called the 
 Black-faced Yellowbird," said Rap. " Please, Doctor, 
 
 1. Male. 2. Female. 
 
 Maryland Yellow 
 
 THROAT. 
 
WOODLAND n'AllBLEHS 169 
 
 does he sometiniL's ll}- right u[> in the uir to sing a little 
 bit and then g'o hack into the busiies as if he had 
 changed his mind ? " 
 
 " Yes, Rap, that is one ot the Yellow-throat's hal)its 
 in late summer, but one that \uvy few people notice." 
 
 The Maryland Yellovy-throat 
 
 Length about five and a half inclies. 
 
 Upper parts olive-green, in the male witli a Ijlack mask reaching 
 along each side of the head, and behind this an ashy-white border; 
 but the feuiale wears no mask. 
 
 Under parts blight yellow, growing white on belly. 
 
 A .Summer Citizen of the United .States from (Georgia to Canada. 
 
 When he lives west of the Mississippi River he is called the 
 Western Yellow-throat. 
 
 A Tree Trapper and occasionally a Sky Sweeper ; a beautif id 
 and familiar bird of the brush and tangles. 
 
 THE YELLOW-BREA.STED CHAT 
 
 "The Chat, besides being a very -handsome bird, is 
 a ventriloquist and a great joker." 
 
 "Please, Uncle Roy, what is a ventroc[uist? " asked 
 Dodo. 
 
 " I shoidd have remembered not to use sucli a long 
 word," laughed the Doctor. " A ven-tril-o-quist is 
 a person who can not only imitate sounds, but makes 
 it seem as if they came from his stomach, or even in 
 a different direction from where he is himself. The 
 Mockingbird can imitate many sounds, but all these 
 come directly from the bird ; \\'liile the C'hat can perch 
 on a twig above your head and give a whistle that 
 seems to come from a bush across the road. 
 
170 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " This is what enables him to pLay tricks on birds, 
 House People, and various other animals. He will 
 whistle until he has set a dog tearing through the 
 bushes to find his supposed master. Another time he 
 will give such a soft strange series of notes that 
 a bird-lover will immediately begin to search through a 
 
 tangle of briers, after what 
 
 strange 
 
 he imagines to be a 
 indulges in a fit of 
 merriment at his 
 own jokes — ' chatter- 
 chatter - chat-chat-chat- 
 chat - chat ' he says, 
 calling his own name 
 as he slips away 
 to the security of 
 a catbrier or bar- 
 berry bush. Large 
 and vigorous and 
 strong of beak as 
 he is, this practi- 
 cal joker is A\'ise, 
 and does not often 
 sho^^• his con- 
 spicuous yellow breast in open places. 
 
 " Some day in the nesting season you may see the 
 Chat fly up in the air and hear him sing his courting 
 song, which is very sweet, different from all his jests 
 and jeers. You will say, if you are near enough to 
 take a long look — 'Why, that Chat has forgotten to 
 fold up his legs, they are hanging straight down.' He 
 lias not forgotten, however ; it is merely one of his odd 
 habits at this season to cut all sorts of capers in the 
 
 YilLLOW-BREASTED ChAT. 
 
]VOODLAND WARBLERS 171 
 
 air, with his legs and wings and tail let loose, while 
 liis mate is (luietlj' house-keeping in some thick Itusli 
 near by. The nest is something like a Catbird's, not 
 very tidy outside, but snug inside, and easy to find if 
 you look in the right place. If you hud it at the right 
 time you will see that it holds four or live well-rounded 
 eggs of a crystal -white color, with plenty of bright 
 reddish-brown spots all over them." 
 
 The Yellow-breasted Chat 
 
 Length seven and a lialE inches — niucli more than any otiier 
 ^\'arbler measures. 
 
 Upper parts bright oHve-green, even all over. 
 
 Lower parts very bright yellow on the throat, breast, and wing- 
 linings, but the belly pure white. 
 
 A strong dark-colored beak, with some dark and light marks 
 between it and the eyes. 
 
 A Summer Citizen of the United States east of the plains and 
 south of Ontario and JNIinnesota; travels far south in winter. 
 When he is found west of the plains his tail is somewhat longer, 
 and he is called the Long-tailed Chat. 
 
 Chiefly a Tree Trapper, but also a Seed Sower. 
 
 THE AMERICAN REDSTART 
 
 "The Redstart is the dancing Warbler, just as the 
 Chat is the joker. He never flies along in a sober, 
 earnest fashion, as if his business Avas of real impor- 
 tance. When on the ground he skips and hops, then 
 takes a few short steps and a little dance backward. 
 In the trees, where he also feeds and where in some 
 crotch lie la.shes his pretty nest of leaf-stalks, moss, 
 and horse-hair, he moves about as suddenly as can be 
 imagined, and he has a way of flying up and back- 
 
17 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 •ward at tlie same time that makes him a very confus- 
 ing bird to watch. In flitting among the branches, 
 or darting into the air for gnats, his colors make him 
 
 look like a tiny Oriole." 
 
 h, uncle ! Uncle 
 
 lOy ! " cried Dodo, 
 
 who had been 
 
 looking along the 
 
 path, "there are 
 
 two of the dearest 
 
 little l)irds down 
 
 there, and one 
 
 of them is red 
 
 and black as you 
 
 Ay tlie Redstart is, 
 
 the other is shaped 
 
 .)nt has brown and 
 
 rs, and they move 
 
 the wind was blow- 
 
 o stopped speaking 
 party were looking 
 where she jiointed, Olive using 
 
 1. Male. 2. Female. 
 
 American Redstart. 
 
 the field-glass. 
 
 " Those are a pair of Redstarts," she said, " and they 
 are piicking up ants. I saw a number of little anthills 
 there yesterday." 
 
 "A pair?" queried Nat. "They aren't the same 
 color — one has yellow spots where the other is red." 
 
 " I guess tlie one with the brown and yellow feathers 
 must be tlie female," said Rap ; " you know the Doctor 
 told us, way back, tliat when the male bird wore very 
 
WOODLAND WARBLERS 173 
 
 bright feathers, the female was oftenest pLiin, so that 
 House People and cannibal birds shouldn't see her so 
 easily when she sat on the nest." 
 
 " You are right, my bo}'," said the Doctor, who always 
 let the children answer each other's questions, if they 
 could. " !Madam Redstart, you see, wears an olive- 
 brown cloak trimmed with yellow, and even her boys 
 wear clothes like their mother's for a couple of sea- 
 S(jns ; for Heart of Nature does not allow them to come 
 out in their red and black uniforms until they are three 
 years old, and know the ways of the world." 
 
 " Learning to name birds is harder than I thought 
 it would be," said Nat. " Some wear different feathers 
 in spring and fall, a lot more pairs are different to begin 
 with, and the young ones are mixed up at first. It's 
 worse than arithmetic " — and poor Nat looked quite 
 discouraged. 
 
 " You certainly liave to remember the laws of ISird- 
 land, as well as their exceptions," answered the Doc- 
 tor ; " but when you have once recognized and named 
 a bird you will carry its picture always in your mind, 
 for the Redstarts that you will see when you are very 
 old men and women, will be like the one that is dancing 
 along the walk now." 
 
 "Why do they call this Warbler a 'Redstart'?" 
 asked Dodo. 
 
 " Because it has a lot of red on it, and it's always 
 starting up in a hurry," ventured Rap. 
 
 " That is not the real reason," said the Doctor. 
 " The name comes from a (lerman word that means 
 'red tail,' and rightly belongs to a bird of Europe that 
 is ]iever found in this country. Our bird has some red 
 
174 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 on the tail, but I really think that Eap's answer is the 
 better one." 
 
 The American Redstart 
 
 Leiigtli about five and a half inches. 
 
 Upper pai'ts shining black, marked on the wings and tail with 
 rich salmon-red. 
 
 Under parts shining black on the neck and breast, bright salmon- 
 red on the sides, and pinkish-wdiite on the belly. 
 
 In the female all the parts which are black in her mate are light 
 greenish-gray, and slie is clear yellow where he is red. 
 
 A useful Summer Citizen of eastern North America, from Kan- 
 sas to Labrador. AVinters in the tropics. 
 
 A Ground Gleaner, Tree Trappier, and Skj' Sweeper. 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 AROUND THE OLD BARN 
 
 This day the bird lovers from Oreliard Farm were 
 having a picnic in the hickory and oak woods back of 
 the fiekls. It was a charming phice for sucli a day's 
 outing, for on the edge of tlie woods stood an old two- 
 storied hay barn, which was empty in early June and a 
 capital place in which to [)lay " I spy "' and " feet 
 above -water." On the other side of the wood was an 
 old Bwampjr meadow full of saplings and tangled hushes, 
 such as birds love f(jr nesting places. 
 
 The Doctor had set Rap, Nat, and Dodo roaming 
 about to look for birds, and promised to tell tliem some- 
 thing of their habits when each child had written d(jwn 
 the description of two birds. 
 
 The children divided their hunting ground, so that 
 they might not interfere with each other. Dodo chose 
 the woods, because she wanted to stay near Olive, who 
 was making a sketch of some ferns ; Rap took the old 
 barn and a bit of bushy pasture near it, and Nat went 
 down to the swampy meadow with its border of cedar 
 trees. While they tramped about the Doctor sat wdth 
 his back against the side of the barn, looking over the 
 beautiful scene and thinking. 
 
 The children did not return until after jNIammy Bun 
 had spread out a delicious luncheon in the barn, and 
 
 175 
 
176 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 then they were divided between hunger and the wish 
 to tell about their birds. 
 
 " I have two nice birds all written down," said Dodo, 
 between mouthfuls. " One was rather little and sort 
 of green on top and white underneath, and he kept 
 going up and down all the branches of an oak tree as if 
 he couldn't keep still a moment, and he talked all the 
 while as if he was asking me why I watched him and 
 then scolding me for doing it." 
 
 " That is the Red-eyed Vireo," said the Doctor. 
 
 " Maybe he did have red ej^es," said Dodo, " liut he 
 moved so quick I couldn't see them. But mj^ other 
 bird was splendid ! Very bright red all over, except 
 his wings and tail — they were black, and I'm sure he 
 has a nest high up on an oak branch." 
 
 " That is the Scarlet Tanager. What did you see, 
 Nat ? " 
 
 " I crept in among the cedar trees, and there was a 
 whole lot of rather big gray birds sitting in a row on 
 a branch ; they had black around their beaks and their 
 head feathers stuck up in front. They didn't seem to 
 be building nests, but were only whispering to each 
 other." 
 
 "Those were Cedar Waxwings." 
 
 " Then," continued Nat, " when I was coming back I 
 saw a flock of the prettiest, jolliest little birds flying 
 round the old grass, and hanging on to some stalks of 
 weeds. They were mostly yellow with some black, and 
 they sang something like Canaries, and when they flew 
 they sort of jerked along." 
 
 " Those were American Goldfinches. And now for 
 yours. Rap." 
 
ABOUND THE OLD BAllN 177 
 
 "I was looking at the Bani Swallows most of the 
 time," he answered, " and thinking there must be a 
 good many different cousins in their family ; then I 
 went down to the pasture and saw a bird I never 
 noticed before, who flew over from the potato held and 
 went into a thorn bush. He was bigger than, a Robin 
 and had a thick head and beak. He was black and 
 white on top, Ijut when he went by I saw lie had a 
 beautiful spot on the breast like a sliield — sort of pink 
 red, the color of raspberries, you know." 
 
 " That was the Rose-breasted Grosbeak," said the 
 Doctor. " Now, we have pockets full of material for 
 bird stories, — enough to last a week. By the time 
 you have heard about these six birds and some of their 
 near relations, such as the Butcher Bird, you will have 
 been introduced to the chief of the Birds that Sing and 
 be on the way to those that only Croak and Call. We 
 will begin with Dodo's 'Talking Bird.'" 
 
 THE KED-EYED VIREO 
 (The Talkki!) 
 
 " This bird is the most popular member of his family 
 — and he has twenty brothers, all living in North 
 America." 
 
 " Isn't he a Warbler ? " asked Rap. " I always 
 thought he was one, for he fusses roujid the trees the 
 same as they do, though of course he has much more of 
 a song." 
 
 " He belongs to a family of his own, but yours was an 
 easy mistake to make, for the difference is not readily 
 seen except in the beak, and you have to look at that 
 
178 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 veiy closely to see it. The Warblers mostly have 
 smooth slender beaks, l)ut the Vireos have stouter 
 ones, with a little hooked jaoiut that enables them to 
 pick out and secure a great variety of insects. The 
 Chat is our only Warbler with a very stout beak, even 
 stouter than a Vireo's, but it has no hook at the end. 
 The Redstart's has a hoijked point, but the rest of the 
 
 beak is very broad 
 and flat, with a 
 row of stiff bristles 
 at each corner of 
 tlie mouth, to keep 
 insects from kick- 
 ing free when they 
 are caught." 
 
 " You say his 
 eyes are red. J>ut 
 why is his Jiame 
 ' Vireo" — does that 
 mean anything? " 
 " ' \''ireo ' comes 
 from the Latin 
 ^\' o r d m e a n i n g 
 'green,' and because all of this family luive greenish 
 backs one of their common names is 'Greenlet.' Be- 
 sides being very pretty to look at, this little red-eyed 
 bird is a great worker and does whatever he undertakes 
 in a most complete manner. When he starts his tree 
 trapping in the morning he does not flit carelessly from 
 one tree to another, but after selecting his feeding 
 ground, goes all over one branch, never leaving it for 
 another until he has searched every crack and leaf. 
 
 Red-eyed Vireo. 
 
ABOUND THE OLD BARN 179 
 
 " Meaiiwliile lie carries on a rapid siiig-,soiig conver- 
 sation, sometimes for his own benefit and sometimes to 
 clieer liis mate on tlie nest, for this Vireo is one of the 
 few birds who talk too freely about their homes. 
 
 " These homes of theirs are another proof of indus- 
 try ; they are beautifully woven of a dozen kinds of 
 stuff — grass, bark-strips, seed-vessels, hue shavings, and 
 sometimes bits of colored paper and worsted, and half 
 hang from the crotch of a small branch with a nice 
 little umbrella of leaves to cover Madam's head. There 
 she sits peeping out, not a bit shy if she feels that your 
 intentions toward her are kindly. 1 have often found 
 these nests in the orchard, on branches only a few feet 
 from the ground, and I have also found them higli up 
 in the maples by the attic window. 
 
 " The Vireo does not stop work at noon when the 
 tield hands lie under the apple trees, with their dinner 
 pails beside them. No, he only works and talks faster, 
 keeping one eye on the home branch, and this is what 
 he says, stopping between every sentence: ' I know it — 
 I made it — Would you think it ? — Jlustn't touch it — 
 Shouldn't like it — If you do it — I'll know it — You'll 
 rue it ! '" 
 
 " He was talking exactly like that this morning," 
 said Dodo. " Will the nests last after they are emjjty. 
 Uncle Roy, so we can find some ? " 
 
 " Yes, surely ; these nests are very strong and firm, 
 often lasting a whole year." 
 
 "I know it — I made it! — Would you think it?" 
 called a musical voice from the wood. 
 
 " Why, he is at it yet," said Rap ; " I think ' The 
 Talker' would be a fine name for him." 
 
180 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 "So it would — and more polite than ' The Preacher,' 
 as some call him who think he is a trifle too prosy in 
 his remarks. One of his brothers, whose eyes are 
 white instead of red, and who lives in the bushes in- 
 stead of high woods, is called ' The Politician ' from his 
 fondness for newspapers — not that he can read them, 
 of course, but he likes to paper his nest with clippings 
 from them, which is his way of making a scrap-book." 
 
 The Red-eyed Vireo 
 
 Length about six inches. 
 
 Upper parts olive-green, ■with a "white line over the eje, and gra}- 
 caji with a black border. r 
 
 Under parts white, shaded with greenish on the sides. 
 
 A Summer Citizen of North America east of the Pacific States, 
 and a liard-working member of the guild of Tree Trappers. 
 
 THE GREAT NORTHERN SHRIKE 
 (Or Butcher Bird) 
 
 " I thought you would tell about my beautiful red 
 bird next," interrupted Dodo. " Why do we Avant to 
 hear about this bird if he lives so far north ? " 
 
 " Your bird will come later on, little girl. Nat and 
 Rap must each have their turn before it comes to you 
 again ; besides, this Shrike is a sort of cousin to the 
 Vireos by right of his hooked beak, and you know I am 
 trying to place our birds somewhat in their regular 
 family order." 
 
 Poor Dodo felt ashamed to have seemed selfish and 
 interrupted unnecessarily. 
 
 " Some winter or early spring day, Avhen the woods 
 are bare and birds are very scarce, you will look into a 
 
ABOUND THE OLD BARN 
 
 181 
 
 small tree and wonder what that gi'ay and hiack Ijird, 
 who is sitting there so motionless, can he. lie is loo 
 small for a Ha^Yk, tlionoh there is sometliing hawk-like 
 about his head. He is altogether too large for a (Hiick- 
 adee ; not the i-iglit shape for a Woodpecker ; and after 
 thus thinking over the most familiar winter l)irds, you 
 will tind tliat you only know what he is 'not. 
 
 Northern Shrike. 
 
 " Suddenly he spreads his wings and swoops down, 
 seizing something on or near the ground — a mriuse per- 
 haps, or a small bird — let us hope one of the detestable 
 English Sparrows. Or else you may see this same bird, 
 in the gray and black uniform, peep cautiously out of a 
 bush and then skim along close above the ground, to 
 secure the field-mouse he has been watching ; for the 
 
182 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 guild of Wise Watchers catch their prey in both of 
 these ways, and most of tliem are cannibal birds." 
 
 "What is a cannibal bird?" asked Dodo. "I for- 
 get. I know that real cannibals are peojjle that eat 
 other people. Do these birds eat people ? " 
 
 " They eat birds and other small animals," said Rap. 
 " Don't you remember ? " 
 
 " Why, of course I do," said Dodo. " But if Shrikes 
 eat birds, aren't they very bad Citizens ? " 
 
 " I do not wonder that you think so, my lassie ; and 
 so they would be if they ate birds only ; but the Shrike 
 earns his right to be thought a good C^itizen by devour- 
 ing mice and many kinds of insects, like beetles, which 
 injure orchards and gardens. The comparatively few 
 birds that he destroys are mostly seed-eaters — not the 
 most valuable kinds to the farmer. 
 
 " In fact, the Shrike is especially useful in helping 
 us to drive out the greedy, quarrelsome English Spar- 
 row. This disreputable tramp not only does no work 
 for his taxes — he hates honest work, like all vagrants 
 — but destroys the buds of trees and plants, devours 
 our grain crops, and drives away the industrious native 
 birds who are good Citizens ; so the Wise Men, who 
 have tried the Sparrow's case, say that he is a very bad 
 bird, who ought to suffer the extreme penalty of the 
 law. 
 
 " For this reason we must forgive the Shrike if he 
 takes a few other birds when he is hungry and in a 
 hurry. He has a strange habit which has earned for 
 him the name of Butcher Bird. If at any time he 
 secures more food than he needs for his immediate use, 
 he puts it by to keep in ' cold storage ' by hanging it 
 
AROUND THE OLD HARN 183 
 
 OH the frozen twigs of a tree or thorn bush. Heart of 
 Nature has doubtless tauylit him this habit througli 
 hard experience. Where the Shrike spends his win- 
 ters, the food-supply is variable ; it may snow for days 
 and days, when he can find nothing to eat ; so he has 
 learned to store up provisions when the hunting is 
 good, and of course such a thrifty bird may sometimes 
 save vip more than he really needs. 
 
 "You may know this Shrike on sight without hear- 
 ing him sing — and perhaps you do not expect a canni- 
 bal bird to be a singer. But in late March and early 
 April, when he is about to take his homeward journey 
 to the North, he often warbles beautifully, and even 
 brings in some mocking notes, until you would think 
 that a Catbird, Thrasher, or iMockingbird must have 
 wandered from the South too soon ; and if you ever 
 happen to see a Shrike and a Mocker close together, 
 you may mistake one for the other, they look so much 
 alike at a little distance." 
 
 " I never knew that there were nice birds around in 
 winter," said Nat. "I thought all the country was 
 good for then, was for coasting and skating ! I wish I 
 could stay here a whole year, Uncle Roy." 
 
 " Stranger things have hap)pened," said the Doctor, 
 looking at Olive with a twinkle in his eye that the 
 children did not see. 
 
 The Great Northern Shrike 
 
 Length about ten inches. 
 
 Upper parts bhiish-gray, witli a broad black stripe along the side 
 of the head to behind the eye. Black wings with a large white spot 
 on each. Black tail with white tips to the outside feathers. 
 
 Lower parts grayish-white, faintly barred with darker. 
 
184 CITIZEIS! BIRD 
 
 A great strong beak, hooked like a Hawk's. 
 Onljf a Winter Visitor in the United States — a Summer Citizen 
 of the far North. 
 
 Belongs both to the Ground Gleaners and the Wise Watchers. 
 
 THE CEDAR WAXWING 
 (The Polite Bird) 
 
 " This is the bird, Nat, that 3'ou saw in the cedar 
 tree, \yliere you said it was ' sitting about doing noth- 
 ing,' " continued tlie Doctor. 
 
 " The reason of this seeming idleness is, that he be- 
 longs to the small group of birds who do not nest until 
 June, and hereabouts rarely begin their homes before 
 the middle of that month. Waxwings are very gentle, 
 affectionate birds ; before the nesting season, and after 
 their families are able to take care of themselves, they 
 wander about in flocks of sometimes thirty or forty, 
 keeping close together, both when they fly and when 
 they take their seats. They spend most of the time in 
 the trees where they feed, whispering to one another 
 in their quiet way, and you will very seldom see them 
 on the ground. 
 
 " Your best chance to watch them is either before 
 the leaves are out or after they Iiave fallen, when a 
 flock will sometimes sit for half an hour in a bare tree, 
 exchanging civilities, stroking eacli other's feathers, 
 and jjassing food around. This trait has given them 
 the reputation of being the most jtolite birds in all 
 Birdland. One will find a dainty morsel and offer it 
 to liis next neighbor, who passes it on — hunt-the- 
 slipper fashion — until some one makes up his mind 
 
AllOUyn THE OLD ISAUN 
 
 185 
 
 to eat it, or returns it ti) its (irigiiial dwiier. All the 
 wliile such a pleasant lunch is going on, the amiable 
 birds make complimentary remarks to one another 
 about their tlress — how very handsome is one's long 
 p)ointed topknot, what a becoming yellow Ixirder an- 
 other's tail has, and how particularly' line are the coral- 
 red bangles on the wings of a third — which ■ 
 is much better than if they should pick 
 each other to pieces and talk about 
 ' frumps ' under their breath. 
 
 "Some p)eople have complained that 
 the Cedar Wax wing eats cheuies, 
 and have given him the name 
 of ' Cherry IJlrd ' ; but 
 the Wise ]\Ien 
 that he really 
 eats very few 
 cherries or 
 other warden . 
 fruits, more 
 than half of liisfood 
 being wild berries, 
 such as those of 
 the evergreen ~~' 
 
 juniper we com- ^edar waxw.n 
 monly call ' cedar.' 
 
 "He may be called one of the best of neighbors; for, 
 besides feeding his young on many different kinds of 
 destructive insects, he eats cutworms and the wicked 
 beetles which destroy so many grand old elm trees. 
 And you know it is always nice to have polite neigh- 
 bors." 
 
186 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 The Cedar 'Waxw^ing 
 
 Length about seven inches. 
 
 Upper p<arts quiet Quaker Iirown, xevy smooth and satiny, with 
 a fine long-, pointed crest on the head. 
 
 Rich veh'ety blaclv about the bealc and in a line thiougli the eye. 
 
 A yellow band across end of tail, and some little points like red 
 sealing-wax on the inner wiug-featliers, from which it takes the 
 name "Waxwing." 
 
 A Citizen of North America from the Fur Countries southward, 
 visiting all but the most southern of the United State.s. 
 
 Belonging both to the Tree Trappers and Fruit Sowers. 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 THE SWAI.l-OWS 
 
 u ; 
 
 ' Rai* has l)een watcliing tlie Bavii Swallows," con- 
 tinued the Doctor, after the children had been over to 
 the cedar belt to see if the flock of [jolite birds Avere 
 there still. " Me thinks there are a great many cousins 
 in the Swallow family, but can't tell them apart. 
 
 " There are ten species of North American Swallows, 
 four of which are very familiar birds in all parts of the 
 United States. These are the Purple Martin ; Barn 
 Swallow; Tree Swallow; and Bank Swallow. 
 
 "As a family it is easy to name the Swallows from 
 their way of flying. All are officers who rank high 
 in the guild of Sky Sweepers, being constantly in the 
 air seizing their insect food on the M'ing ; thus the)- kill 
 all sorts of flies, flying ants, small winged beetles, 
 midges, and mosquitoes. Tiiey have lithe and sliapely 
 Ijodies, strong, slender wings, wide mouths, and flat, 
 broad Ijills coming to a sharp point, which makes it 
 easy for them to secure whatever they meet in the air. 
 So swift and sure is their flight that they can feed 
 their newly flown nestlings in mid air ; but their feet 
 are small and weak, so that in perching they usually 
 choose something small and easy to grasp, like a tele- 
 graph wire. 
 
 " Though they nest in all parts of the country, some 
 
 187 
 
188 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 species going to the Fur Countries, as far nortli as any 
 trees grow, yet they all seek a very warm climate for 
 their winter home, because it is only in such places that 
 the insects of the air are found. The distance, there- 
 fore, between the summer and winter homes of the 
 Swallow family is very great, and these brave little birds 
 are wonderful travellers. 
 
 " They are so swift on the wing that they do not fear 
 to fly in the day-time, and so escape a great many of 
 the accidents that overtake birds who travel by night. 
 They come to the middle jDarts of the United States 
 during the month of April, and start on their south- 
 ward journey during late SejDtember and early Octo- 
 ber. 
 
 " After mating they either choose separate nesting 
 places, or keep together in colonies. In early autumn 
 they gather in great flocks along the borders of rivers, 
 ponds, and lakes, often also on sea beaches, where they 
 fly to and fro, as if strengthening their wings for the 
 long flight they intend to take. It has been recently 
 discovered by the Wise JNIen that these birds, who had 
 been supposed to eat nothing but insects, feed at this 
 time upon the same bayberries of which the Yellow- 
 rumped Warbler is so fond ; and that is one reason 
 why tliey stay by the sandy wastes where these bushes 
 grow. But no doubt Ilap could have told us that, if 
 we had asked him about it. Another reason for lin- 
 gering near water is, that winged insects fly about wet 
 places later in the season than they do in dry ones." 
 
 " But you have left out the Chimney Swallow," said 
 Nat ; " and there are plenty of them all about everj-- 
 where." 
 
THE SWALLOWS 189 
 
 " I have luit left liim out. Have you forgolteu that 
 he does not belong to the Swallow family'/ Though 
 he looks like a Swallow and flies like one, tlie Wise 
 Men know that he is not a song Ijird, and have put 
 him where he belongs — with the Birds that Croak and 
 Call, next to the Hummingljird and Nighthawk. They 
 call him the Chimney Swift, because he flies so fast, and 
 you must always give liim liis riglit name. 
 
 " If you write very carefully in your little Ijooks 
 the description of our four common Swallows, you 
 will not And it diflicult to name tliem when you see 
 them. We will begin with the largest — the Purple 
 ^lartin." 
 
 "Why is it called '^lartin'?" asked Rap. "Did 
 somebody named Martin find it, as ^Ir. AX'ilson found 
 the Thrush they named after him V " 
 
 " No, my boy, the name comes from a Latin word, 
 meaning 'warlike' or 'martial,' because in the Old 
 World certain Swallows there called ]\Iartins were con- 
 sidered good fighters, and very Ijrave in driving awa}' 
 Hawks and other cannibal birds. Don't you remem- 
 Ijer that Mars was the (lod of War in classic mj'tholog)', 
 and haven't you heard soldiers complimented on their 
 fine martial apjjearance ? " 
 
 The Purple Martin 
 
 Length seven and a half inches. 
 
 Upper parts shining bhie-l>lack, not quite so glossy on the wings 
 and forked tail. 
 
 Under parts the same as the upper in the male, but grajisli-white 
 in the female and 3'oung ones. 
 
 Song rich and musical, of two or three flute-like notes. 
 
190 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 Nest made of a few leaves or straws, in a bird-box wlien it is 
 provided — otherwise in a hollow tree. Eggs white, without any 
 spots. 
 
 A good Summer Citizen and a favorite everywhere; but for 
 
 1. Mall'. 2. Kc-iiiule. 
 
 PUKPI.E M.iRTIN. 
 
 many reasons it is growing scarcer every year. The English Spar- 
 row is one of its greatest enemies, and not only drives it from its 
 nesting-boxes, but attacks tlie young birds. 
 A member of the gnild of Sky Sweepers. 
 
THE S]VALL()]VS 
 
 191 
 
 The Barn Swallow 
 
 Length six to seven inches. 
 
 Upper parts shining steel-bkie, bat the face huff. 
 
 Under parts ricli buff, brick-red on the throat, where there is 
 also a steel-bhie collar. 
 
 Tail very long and deeply forked, with the side-feat her.s narrow, 
 and some white spots on them. 
 
 Song a musical laugh, heard when the birds fly low over 
 meadows and ponds. 
 
 Nest a sort of bracket, made of little mud balls and straw stuck 
 on a beam in a hayloft. Eggs white, with plenty of reddish-brown 
 spots . 
 
 A Sununer Citizen in most of the United States. 
 
 A Sky Sweeper of the very first rank. 
 
 Bakn Swallow. 
 
 " Barney is a charming neighbor, who should be wel- 
 come in every home — sociable, musical, and very use- 
 ful in destroying the flies and gnats that worry horses 
 and cattle. Though it builds its first nest in May, it 
 often brings out its last brood in August ; thus dur- 
 ing its long nesting season consuming a very large 
 share of insects, and proving itself a kind friend to 
 the cows at a time when flies are most persistent." 
 
192 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 The Tree Swallow 
 
 (Or White-bellied Swallow) 
 
 Length six inches. 
 
 Upper parts sparkling green, with darker wings and tail, the 
 latter but little forked. 
 
 Under parts snow-white. 
 
 A sweet, twittering song. 
 
 Nests in the hollows of dead trees, usually in old Woodpeckers' 
 holes, but occasionally in bird-boxes. Uggs pure white. 
 
 Tri>,e Swali 
 
 A good Citizen of the United States, but more shy than the INIar- 
 tin and Barn Swallow ; these two often return, year after year, to 
 some favorite nesting place, but the Tree Swallow is not so reliable. 
 
 A Sky Sweeper. 
 
 The Bank Swallow 
 
 (Or S.IND M.A.RTIN) 
 
 The smallest Swallow, only five inches long. 
 Upper parts dusty brown, darker on the wings, and tail forked 
 a little, like the Tree Swallow's. 
 
THE SWALLOWS 
 
 193 
 
 Under parts white, with a lirown band across tlie breast. 
 
 Song a sort of giggle — like some little girl's we know. 
 
 Nests many together in holes in a clay or loamy hank, lined 
 
 with feathers and straw. 
 
 white 
 
 A Citizen of most parts of tlie world — 
 northerly in summer, soutlierly in winter. 
 A Sky Sweeper. 
 
 " Bankey is a sociable, tisefiil little 
 bird, living usually in great colonies. 
 I have seen a hundred of their holes 
 in a single bank, all dug by these 
 industrious little Swallows with no 
 other tools than their feeble l)eaks 
 and claws. When the young from 
 these nests are learning to fly the old 
 birds are darting to and fro all day 
 long to teach them how to use their 
 wings, and the bank seems like a 
 bustling village ; every bird has some- 
 thing to do and say, and they always try to do both 
 at once. If any one asks you why House People should 
 love and protect Swallows, even if you have forgotten 
 the names of many of the insects they destroy, remem- 
 ber to answer — ' Swallows eat mosquitoes ! ' " 
 o 
 
 llVNK Sw.\[,LOW. 
 
OH APT Ell XV 
 
 A BRILLIANT PAIR 
 
 THE .SCAKLET TANAGER 
 
 " That is my beautiful reel 
 Inrd! " cried Dodo, clapping 
 her hands. " I never shall 
 forget the looks of his bright 
 red coat with black 
 sleeves and tails. 
 I saw a 
 sort of 
 g 1' e e n 
 bird in the same 
 tree, but it was so 
 different I never 
 thought it could 
 be his wife, till I 
 came to tliink — for the 
 green one stayed near the 
 nest when I came nearer 
 and looked up, but the red bird flew away and hid 
 behind some leaves." 
 
 " You are quite lucky to have seen a Scarlet Tanager 
 in his home woods," said the Doctor, " for he is a shy 
 bird who does not often venture to show his tropical 
 
 194 
 
 Scarlet Tanatjer. 
 
A BItlLLIANT VAIIt 195 
 
 colors ill open places, lie knows enough not to make 
 himself a target for cannibal binls or House People 
 either. Except in his journeys to and from his winter 
 home he lives in the shelter of the tallest forest trees, 
 where it is very diflicult to see hiui, showy as he is in 
 his flashing colors, and even if ym\ know by liis song 
 that he is there. He may say, as some people think 
 he does, ' Pshaw 1 Avait — wait — wait for me, wait!' 
 but lie does not wait a moment if he tliiiiks he is seen. 
 
 "He is very fond of water, botli for bathing and 
 drinking, and seldom nests far from it. Whetlier he 
 uses the ipiiet [>onds and smooth streams also for a 
 looking-glass to comb his hair and arrange his gay coat 
 b)', we cannot be sure, but he always looks as trig as if 
 he had some such aid. 
 
 "The Tanager children are curious things. Some- 
 times thej' wear coats of many colors, like Joseph's." 
 
 " Why is that? " asked Nat. 
 
 "The reason is this. You remember I told 3'ou that 
 young birds usuall}- wear plain feathers like their 
 mothers ? " 
 
 " (_)li, yes," said Rap ; " so that it is hard to see them 
 until they have sense enough to take care of them- 
 selves." 
 
 " Precisely ! Now, Mother Tanager is greenish and 
 yellow, and Father Tanager is scarlet and black. The 
 young ones come from the nest looking like their 
 mother, but as they shed their l)aby clothes and gain 
 new feathers, bits of red and black appear here and 
 there on the little boys, until they look as if they had 
 on a crazy-quilt of red, yellow, green, and black. You 
 need not wonder that little Tommy Tanager does not 
 
196 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 care to be seen in such patched clothes, but prefers to 
 stay in the deep woods or travel away until his fine 
 red spring jacket is complete. Father Tanager also 
 changes his scarlet coat after the nesting. About the 
 time he counts his children and starts on his southward 
 trip, he puts on a greenish coat like his wife's gown ; 
 but he keeps his black tail and wings, so that the chil- 
 dren need not mistake him for their mother. It is 
 lucky for her that he and the boys have sense enough 
 to put on their own clothes, or such a very dressy 
 family would keep her busy looking after their toilets." 
 
 " These Tanagers aren't very plenty about here — 
 are they. Doctor?" asked l»ap. 
 
 " Not now, my boy ; their scarlet feathers are very 
 handsome, and thoughtless, greedy people have shot so 
 many in the nesting season, to sell for bonnet trim- 
 mings, that the family is growing small. But I hope 
 that, by making laws to protect birds and teaching 
 children everywhere what good neighbors and Citizens 
 they are, these beautifully plumed families may increase 
 once more. 
 
 " The Scarlet Tanager is the brightest red bird that 
 you will find in the eastern half of the United States, 
 but even he is not as showy as his western cousin, the 
 Louisiana Tanager. " 
 
 The Scarlet Tanager 
 
 Length about seven inches. 
 
 Male: bi'ight scarlet with black wings and tail. 
 
 Female : light olive-green above, dull yellow below, with dusky 
 wings and tail. 
 
 A good Summer Citizen of Nortli America east of tlie plains and 
 north of Virginia. 
 
 Belonging to the guilds of Tree Trappers and Seed Sowers. 
 
A JlIilLLIAJVT PAIR 
 
 197 
 
 THK Ldl'ISIANA TAXAGliU 
 
 " Isn't this the one I saw in your i 
 case, Doctor?" asked Rap with great 
 eagerness ; " I mean that one 
 like a Scarlet Tanager, 
 but not so red, more 
 of a rose-piidv all 
 over, Avings and tail 
 too." 
 
 " No," said the 
 Doctor pleasantl}'. 
 " That is a Summer 
 Tanager — the 
 only one I 
 ever saw in . 
 this neigli- 
 borhood. It 
 is so rare 
 
 here that I shot it to make sure there A\as no mistake, 
 and you probably never saw one alive, for the Summer 
 Tanager is a tender bird, who seldom strays so far 
 north as this. But see — wliat do you think of this — 
 isn't it a beauty ? " 
 
 So saying, the Doctor took out of his j)ocket a bird- 
 skin lie had provided for the occasion, and the children 
 could not restrain their glee at the sight. 
 
 " Oh ! oh ! " exclaimed Dodo, clapping her hands as 
 she always did when excited; "it's idl gold and ruby 
 and jet. Where did you get it, Uncle Roy? " 
 
 " A friend of mine sent it to me from Oregon," 
 answered the Doctor ; "he thought I would like to liave 
 
 IjOUISIANA Tanagkh. 
 
198 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 it for my collection, because it came from the very 
 region where this kind of Tanager was discovered 
 almost a hundred years ago." 
 
 "I thought you said it was a Louisiana Tanager," 
 said Rap and Nat, almost in the same breath. 
 
 " So it is, boys ; but it does not live in the State of 
 Louisiana you are thinking about, down by the mouth 
 of the ]Mississippi River. I shall have to explain bow 
 it got its name by giving you a little lesson in the his- 
 tory and geography of our country'. A great many 
 years ago there was a King of France called Louis the 
 Fourteenth, and during his reign all the western parts 
 of America that the French had discovered or acquired 
 any claim to were named Louisiana in his honor b}^ one 
 of the missionaries who came over to convert the Ind- 
 ians to Christianity. After a good many years more, 
 about the beginning of this century. President Jeffer- 
 son bought all this immense country from Napoleon 
 Bonaparte, and that made it a part of the United 
 States — every part of them that is now ours from the 
 Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean, except some 
 that we afterward took from Mexico. President Jef- 
 ferson was a very wise man, and as soon as he had 
 bought all this land he wanted to know about it. So 
 he sent an expedition to explore it, inider two brave 
 captains named Lewis and Clark. They were gone 
 almost three years ; and one day, — I remember now, it 
 was the sixth of June, 1806, — M'hen they were camping 
 in what is now Idaho, near the border of Oregon, they 
 found this lovely bird, and wrote a description of it 
 in tlieir note-books — just as you did with your Scarlet 
 Tanager, Dodo, only theirs was the first one anybody 
 
A BlULLIANT PAIR 199 
 
 ever wrote. Tliey also saved the Hpechiien and after- 
 ward gave it to jVlexaiider Wilson, who painted the 
 first picture of it, and named it tlie Louisiana Tanager 
 in his book." 
 
 "Did j'ou ever see one alive, Uncle lioy?" asked 
 Nat ; " what does it look like If^'iug ? " 
 
 " I can answer that cj[uestion," said Olive ; " don't 
 you remendjer, father, when Ave were in Colorado, the 
 same j'ear we found the Sage Thrasher and Ilock 
 Wren, that I thought the first one ■we saw was a Scarlet 
 Tanager in one of its patch-work plumages, till you 
 told nie about it — though it did seem to l>e too liright 
 yellow, and the middle of the back was black. ]5ut it 
 looked the same size, and flew just the same. IIow 
 beautiful it looked, as it flashed its golden feathers 
 through the dark-green pine trees!" added Olive, her 
 face lighting up at the recollection. 
 
 "Yes, I remember," answered the Doctor. " ^VU the 
 Tanagers oi our country have pretty much the same 
 habits. Even if we had found the nest we might have 
 mistaken it for a Scarlet Tanager's. Those I have seen 
 in the Museum are quite similar, built of twigs and 
 pliant stems, and lined with line rootlets. Tlie posi- 
 tion of the nest, saddled as it is on the horizontal limb 
 of a tree, is very similar, and you could hardly tell the 
 eggs apart. 
 
 " Birt come, children, you must be tired by this time, 
 and hungry too. Let us go to supper, and see what 
 Mammy Bun lias cooked for us this evening. You stay 
 too. Rap." 
 
200 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 The Louisiana Tanager 
 
 Length about seven inclies. 
 
 Adult male: ricli yellow, with black wings, tail, and middle of 
 the back ; the wings ■\vitli two wliite or yellow bars on each ; the 
 whole head crimson. 
 
 Female : not very different from the female Scarlet Tanager. 
 
 A handsome and u.seful Summer Citizen of nearly all that great 
 part of the I'nited States which was once called Louisiana. 
 
 A member of the same guilds as the Scarlet Tanager. 
 
(UIAPTER XVI 
 
 A TRIDH OF WEED WARUIOIIS 
 
 (Coutaiiiiii;:,^ Iiotli Soldiers and Quakers) 
 
 "A NEW family? Soldiers aiul Quakers? What 
 does that mean?" asked Nat. "I thought my jolly 
 yellow hird with the l)hiok cap came next." 
 
 "His family does come uext — the Finch family. 
 You must hear a little about that lirst, and let your 
 American Goldfinch take his turn with his brothers 
 and cousins, for leap's Itose-breasted (irosbeak belongs 
 also in this family." 
 
 "You sajr my bird is called jVmerican ({oldtinch. 
 He is such a bright yellow that gold is a go<j(I name for 
 him, but what does ' Finch ' mean ? " 
 
 " Finch, as I said, is the name of the great family to 
 which he belongs. It is the very largest family in 
 Hirdlancl, and mendiers of it li\e in almost all parts 
 of the world. All kinds of Finches and Sparrows 
 belong to it, and so do Grosbeaks and P>untings, as well 
 as the Canaries that we kee[) for pets. There are about 
 five hundred and fift}^ different kinds of them. 
 
 " The birds that you have been studying thus far, 
 from the Bluebird, I'obin, and Wood Thrush to the 
 Tanagers, belong to several different families and are 
 chiefly insect-eaters, taking various fruit.s and berries 
 in season, it is true, but making insects their regular 
 
 201 
 
202 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 diet. Insects are not hard for any bird to eat, and so 
 the bills of these birds do not have to be very stout or 
 thick — some, indeed, are very thin and weak, like the 
 Brown Creeper's. 
 
 "But the habits of the Finch family are quite differ- 
 ent, and their beaks also. They are true seed-eating 
 birds, and their beaks are short, stout, and thick — 
 cone-shaped it is called, like that of the White-throated 
 Sparrow you learned about one day. This enables 
 them to crack the various seeds upon which they live 
 at all times except in the nesting season, when few 
 seeds are ripe. During this time they eat a variety of 
 insects and feed them to the young birds ; for .young- 
 birds must grow so rapidly, in order to be strong enough 
 for the autumn journe}', that they require more nour- 
 ishing food than seeds. 
 
 " The Finch famil}- being able to live so well ujjon 
 seed food do not have to make such long autumn jour- 
 neys ; for even in very cold places there are plenty of 
 seeds to be had all through the winter." 
 
 " Do you mean berries, please, uncle ? " said Dodo ; 
 "because if it was verj- cold Avouldn't berries freeze as 
 hard as pebbles ? " 
 
 "They eat berries, bat only as Weed Warriors, — for 
 the seeds that are in the berries, — not for the juicy, 
 fruity part, as the Seed Sowers do. 
 
 " The Robin, Thrush, and Catbird eat fruits and ber- 
 ries for the juicy, pulpy part. They swallow this, and 
 the seeds or pits pass out with the wastage of their 
 bodies ; this' is what makes them Seed Sowers. But 
 when one of the Finch family eats Ijerries, it is for 
 the seed or pit inside the pulp. His strong beak cracks 
 
A TRIBE OF WEED WAJUIWIIS 203 
 
 llie seed and liis stomach digests its kernel. So tliese 
 birds do not sow the seeds they eat, but destroy them. 
 This is why I call them Weed Warriors. A warrior is 
 any one wlio goes to war, and tights against enemies ; 
 we have enemies among phmts, and tliese hirds fight 
 f(ir us against them. There are hundreds of different 
 kinds of plants, whose flowers have no beauty, and for 
 which we have not as yet found any use ; so we call 
 them weeds. All such seeds would be blown about, 
 take root, and sprout everywhere, thus filling the place 
 of useful p)lants, if they were not held in check by these 
 seed-eating birds." 
 
 " Isn't it wise the ways things are fixed ? " said Rap. 
 " .Some birds to eat the insects and sow wild fruits 
 and berries ; some birds to eat weed seeds and prevent 
 them from being sown. I think some people would do 
 better if they didn't think themselves so smart and mix 
 things all up ! " 
 
 " You are right, my boy ! We shoidd not interfere 
 with Heart of Nature by foolishly trying to aid him 
 uidess we are perfectly sure that he wishes and needs 
 our lielp. 
 
 " There is one member of this Finch family, the 
 European Sparrow, that we know by the name of 
 English Sparrow. In his native country he eats both 
 insects and seeds, and also does some good by eating 
 certain tree-worms. A nundjer of years ago the trees 
 in our cities were being eaten by canker-worms, and 
 some one said — 'Let us bring over some of these 
 Sparrows to live in the cities and eat the canker- 
 worms.' This person meant well, but he did not know 
 enough about what he was doing. 
 
204 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " The birds were brought, and for a while they ate 
 the worms and stayed near cities. But soon the change 
 in climate also changed their liking for insects, and 
 they became almost wholly seed and vegetable eaters, 
 devouring the young buds on vines and trees, grass- 
 seed, oats, rye, wlieat, and otlier grains. 
 
 " Worse than this, they increased very fast and 
 spread everywhere, quarrelling witli and driving out 
 tjie good citizens, who belong to the regular Birdland 
 guilds, taking their homes and making themselves 
 nuisances. The Wise Men jDrotested against bringing 
 these Sparrows, but no one heeded their warning until 
 it was too late. Now it is decided that these Sparrows 
 are bad Citizens and criminals ; so they are condemned 
 by every one. All this trouble came because one man, 
 as Rap says, ' thought he was so smart and mixed 
 things up.' '" 
 
 " It was those Sparrows in the city that made me 
 think all wild birds must be ugly ; but that was be- 
 cause /was too smart and didn't know anything about 
 other birds," said Nat frankly. 
 
 " I think we are getting way off from Nat's yellow 
 bird," said Dodo ; "and now I see lots more of Rap's 
 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, over on the fence. I want to 
 know what they are doing in the potato field. I hope 
 they don't dig up the little potatoes." 
 
 "No, you need not worry about that," said the Doc- 
 tor, " and you must wait a bit yet, for the Rose-breast 
 does not come until nearly the end of his farail}'." 
 
 "There must be a great many different-looking birds 
 in this Finch family," said Rap, " if plain Sparrows and 
 yellow Goldfinches both belong to it." 
 
A TRIBE OF ]VEED WARRIORS 20;") 
 
 " Indeed there are ! Did I not say tliat there were 
 both Quakers and soldiers in it?" said the Doctor. 
 " For in addition to the (4ohHinch there is a hright-blue 
 cousin and a red one." 
 
 "What are their names, and shall we see them 
 here ? " cried Dodo. 
 
 " You will learn their names very soon. The blue 
 one now has a nest across the meadow, and tlie red one 
 makes us a visit every autumn ; but you must stop 
 asking questions if you want to hear about them 
 to-day. 
 
 " The first of the Finch family is a bird you will 
 only see in the winter, and not even then if you are 
 living further south than the middle range of States. 
 It is called the Pine Grosbeak." 
 
 THE PINE GROSBEAK 
 
 " This bird has a great heavy beak, that makes him 
 look rather stupid ; in fact, this Ijeak gives him the name 
 of Gros-beak, which means the same as (4i'eat-beak. 
 He loves the pine woods of Canada and builds his nest 
 among them, only a little way above the snow that still 
 covers the ground at the early season when this bird 
 Ijegins housekeeping. 
 
 " When the northern winter is very severe. Pine 
 Grosbeaks gather in flocks and scatter through the 
 States. But you must not expect to see a whole flock 
 of Ijeautiful strawberry-red birds, for only the old males 
 are red ; the females are dull gray and yellowish, while 
 the young males look like their mothers, and do not 
 wear their gay coats until they are two years old. 
 
206 
 
 CITIZEJSI BIRD 
 
 You will not be likely to hear these birds sing, though 
 they sometimes do so on tlieir winter trips. Their usual 
 call-note is a whistle which they give when flying. 
 
 " Some day this winter when you are taking a walk 
 you may see them on the ground under chestnut and 
 beech trees, and in old pastures where the red sumach 
 berries are the only bright things left above the snow. 
 
 You will think it 
 a very cheerful 
 sight — red birds 
 and red berries 
 together. You will 
 also have time to 
 take a good look 
 at them, for they 
 move slowly ; and 
 l>e glad to know 
 the names of your 
 friends who are 
 hardjr enough to 
 brave the cold. 
 "Though this Groslieak seems rather dull and stupid 
 out of doors, he is a charming cage pet, growing tame 
 and singing a deliglitful warl)ling song. I picked up 
 one with a broken wing when I was a boy, and kept him 
 for many years ; the hurt wing was soon healed, and 
 the bird was always tame and happy after that, though 
 he soon lost his briglit feathers. l>ut I would never 
 advise any one to make a cage pet of a bird who has 
 been Ijorn Avild and once known liberty. No matter 
 if he lives and thrives : he will sometimes remember 
 the days when he was free, and be very sad." 
 
 Pine Grosbeak. 
 
A TRIBK OF ]VEED WAUmOUS 207 
 
 " My Canary is never sad," said Nat ; " he is always 
 singing." 
 
 " For very many years Canaries have been bred in 
 cages, to be pets, and as these have never been wild 
 they are used to cage life. Tiiey are the Ijest Ijirds for 
 pets, because they are seed-eaters, and it is easy to 
 supply the food they like. 
 
 " Some winter day, or even late in autumn, you may 
 see on your walks, another red bird — a near relation 
 of the Pine Grosbeak ; in fact, tiie two often flock 
 together. This bird is called the American Crossbill." 
 
 The Pine Grosbeak 
 
 Length about nine iiiclies. 
 
 General color of adult male strawberry-red, the wings and tail 
 dark, with some light-bro\Yn and white edgings; the tail forked a 
 little. 
 
 The female and J'oung male gray, tinged here and there with 
 saffron-yellow. 
 
 A Summer Citizen as far north from the States as trees grow, 
 roving in winter about the northerly and middle States. 
 
 A fine, large Weed AV'arrior, with a very stout beak, almost like 
 a Parrot's. 
 
 THE AMERICAN CECSSBILL 
 (The Cone Wrenchek) 
 
 " When it is winter in the northern parts of North 
 America, and the Great Snow Owls have scattered on 
 their southward journey — -when heavy snows have 
 beaten down and covered the seed-stalks of weeds and 
 well-nigh walled the little fur-bearing beasts into their 
 holes — then in regions where March brings only storms 
 of sleet to coat the tree-trunks and lock up insect food, 
 a pair of strange birds are already building their nest. 
 
208 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " These two Ijirds, thougli alike in shape, are as dif- 
 ferent in color as jMr. and ]\lrs. Scarlet Tanager. But 
 there is one point about them by wliicli j'ou may tell 
 them from any others. Their curving bills are crossed 
 
 at tJte tip, which strange 
 
 arrangement gives them 
 
 their name of Crossbill. 
 
 \£ " 'M^ liB^tWHf ^^^ '^ little distance you 
 
 ~^^S^^ \)^'j ^^1^ // might mistake them 
 
 for Paroquets, but 
 only the upper half 
 of a Paroquet's 
 beak is curved, and 
 it closes over the under 
 half ; while both parts 
 of the Crossbill's beak 
 are curved, and they cross 
 each other at the tip like 
 a pair of scissors that do 
 not close properly. 
 j^ ' "How and where do you 
 I^^ think these birds build their 
 ' nests in such a cold season ? " 
 
 " Make a burrow in the snow, 
 perhaps," said Dodo. 
 " Go into a haystack or under 
 a shed," said Nat. 
 
 " Or a hole in a tree," added Rap. 
 
 " No, the Crossbill does not place his nest in any of 
 
 these ways. He chooses a thick evergreen tree, and upon 
 
 the fork of one of the branches makes a little platform 
 
 of rubbish to support the nest. With great care the 
 
 American Crossbill. 
 
A TRIBE OF WEED WARIUORS 209 
 
 couple gather shreds of hark, t\\ igs, ami small sticks, 
 till they think they have enough ; then they begin the 
 nest itself, weaving it of softer materials and lirnng it 
 with grasses, fur, and feathers, luitil they make a very 
 comfortable bed for the pale-green, purjile-spotted eggs 
 to lie in."' 
 
 " How cold the poor birds' toes must be while they 
 are working," said Dodo with a shiver ; " and I should 
 think the eggs would freeze instead of hatching." 
 
 " But what do they find to eat when everything is 
 frozen stiff ? " asked Rap. " Are they cannibal birds 
 that can eat other birds and mice ? " 
 
 " These two questions can be answered together," 
 said the Doctor. "The nests are usually built in 
 evergreens, which are cone-bearing or coniferous trees. 
 You all know what a cone is like, I tliiidv ? " 
 
 " Yes, I do I " cried Rap. " It is a long seed pod 
 that grows on evergreens. In sunnner it is green and 
 stick}^ but by and by it grows dry and brown, and 
 divides into little rows of scales like shingles on a 
 house, and there is a seed hidden under each scale. 
 Each kind of an evergreen has a different-shaped cone ; 
 some are long and smooth like sausages, and some are 
 thick and pointed like a top. The squirrels often pick 
 the cones off the spruces over at the miller's and shell 
 out the scales, just as you shell corn off the cob, to get 
 the seeds." 
 
 " Very good, my boy," said the Doctor. "I see you 
 know something about trees as well as birds. The 
 Crossbills build in evergreens, and all around their 
 nests hang the cones with spicy seeds stored away 
 under the scales, ready for the birds to eat. So the}' 
 
•210 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 do not have to so far from home for their market- 
 ing." 
 
 " But their beaks are so crooked that I don't see how 
 tliey can pick out the cone seeds," said Nat. 
 
 " These curiousl}^ twisted bills, like pincers, are made 
 expressly for the purpose of wrenching the scales from 
 the cones, so that the seeds are laid bare." 
 
 " It's very funny," said Nat ; " whenever we think a 
 bird is queer or awkward and would be better in some 
 other way, it is sure to be made the \evy best waj^ 
 only we don't know it."' 
 
 " By and by, when the eggs are laid and the young 
 are hatched," continued the Doctor, " Crossbills make 
 the most devoted parents ; they would let themselves 
 be lifted from the nest rather than leave their family. 
 
 " And when it is midsummer the old and young 
 Crossbills form into flocks. Then the parents begin 
 to think that the young people need a change of air 
 for their health, and a few months of travel to finish 
 their education. So thej^ wander southward through 
 the States without any method or plan, sometimes go- 
 ing as far as New Orleans before winter really begins ; 
 and it is on these journeys that we see them. 
 
 "Some frosty morning in October, if you hear a 
 sound coming from the sk}', like the tinkling of little 
 bells — ' Tlink-link-link-link ' — yon may be sure there 
 is a flock of Crossbills near, and soon 3'ou will see 
 them climbing about an evergreen, or quietly picking 
 seeds on a birch or beech. The moment before they 
 move to another tree they begin to call ; this is the 
 oidy note you will be likely to hear from them, and 
 one which they often keep up during flight. 
 
A TRIBE OF WKEI) W'ARTUORS 211 
 
 " They are capricious birds when on their travels, 
 sometimes letting you come very near them without 
 showing a sign of fear, then suddenly taking flight 
 and dashing about in a distracted way. They are also 
 tardy in getting back to their piney homes sometimes, 
 and choose their mates on the journey, unlike most 
 birds. Very often a thoughtless couple are obliged 
 to camp out and build a home wherever they happen 
 to be, so that their nests have been found in several 
 of the New P]ngland States." 
 
 " Is there only one kind of Crossbill in North 
 America?" asked Rap. 
 
 " No, this Red Crossbill has two cousins ; one with 
 two white bars on each wing, called the White-winged 
 Crossbill, who sometimes travels with him, but is rarer ; 
 and another who lives in Mexico." 
 
 The American Crossbill 
 
 Length about six inches. 
 
 Beak crossed at the tips, but looking like a Parrot's if you ilo not 
 notice bow the points cross. 
 
 Male : general color bidian red, ^yith dark wings and tail. 
 
 Female: general color dull olive-green, with wings and tail like 
 the male's. 
 
 A Citizen of the North, making winter excursions all through 
 the United States. 
 
 THE AMERICAN GOLDFINCH 
 (The Jolly Bird, ur Thistle Bird) 
 
 " This must be my other bird," said Nat, " the yellow 
 one from the wild grass meadow, "who had what looked 
 like a little black velvet cap tipped down over his eyes. 
 They are such jolly little chaps that it made me laugh 
 
212 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 Amp:rican Goldfinch. 
 
 when I watched them swinging 
 
 on tlie ends of the tall grass. 
 
 Once in a while one would 
 
 play he was angry and 
 
 try to look cross; hut he 
 
 \ • .JW!^;^ W?/' couldn't keep it up long, 
 
 *■',};■, ■K§i,, Ik because he really felt so 
 
 good natured." 
 
 " I believe everj' one 
 knows Goldfinches," said 
 Olive. "I remember them 
 longer than any birds but 
 the liobin and Bluebird." 
 " Yes, for even I know 
 them a little bit," said 
 Dodo, " but not b}' their right name, for when I saw 
 some in the Park last summer somebodjr said they were 
 wild Canaries that had flown out of cages." 
 
 "What do they eat, cones or little seeds'?" asked 
 Nat. 
 
 " They eat grass-seeds, and the seeds of Aveeds — the 
 most fly-away weeds too, that blow everywhere and 
 spread ever so fast," said Rap. " I.ook, c_[uick ! There's 
 a flock coming by now, and they are calling ' Come 
 talk to me ! Come talk to me ! ' See — tliej^ have set- 
 tled on the long grass by the fence and are gobbling 
 seeds like everything," continued Rap in a whisper. 
 
 As he spoke a flock of twenty or more birds flew 
 over; some were the bright-yellow males and others 
 the more plainly colored females. They did not fly 
 straight, but in a jerky way, constantly dropping down 
 and then lifting up again, and calling out " wait for 
 
A TBIBE OF WEED WARRIOHS 213 
 
 me" on ever}' down-grade curve, until by common con- 
 sent they alig'lited among some wild grasses, where the 
 early yellow thistles were already going to seed. 
 
 " Watch and listen," said the Doctor, as he handed 
 the field-glass to the children in turn. 
 
 There was a perfect babel of bird-talk, the jaunty 
 blond males all making prettj' speeches to the gentle 
 brown-haired females, who laughed merry little bird- 
 laughs in return. 
 
 '■ It is like the noise in the store where they sell Ca- 
 naries," whispered Nat, after taking a long look; " tirst 
 they all sing together and then a few sing so much 
 louder that the others stop. I wonder ^\'hai they are 
 saying : 
 
 " They are talking about housekeeping," said the 
 Doctor. "Some of the ladies say they prefer high 
 a})artments in a tree-top, while others like one-story 
 bushes the best ; but all agree that the ground floor is 
 too damp for the health of their families. In a few 
 days, or a week at most, this merry flock will have 
 parted company, and two by two the birds will begin 
 housekeeping." 
 
 " Why, they are pulling off the thistle-down, and 
 gobbling it up. I should think it would choke them," 
 said Dodo. 
 
 " Those are some of the fly-away seeds that Rap 
 spoke of a moment ago. The fluff is not the seed, but a 
 sort of sail to which the seed is fastened, that the wind 
 may blow it away to another jtlace to grow. If you 
 look carefully you will see that the birds do not eat 
 thistle-down, but only the seed; they will soon use the 
 down to line their pretty round cup-shaped nests." 
 
214 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 "Oh, yes," said Dodo, "there are lots of fluffy seeds, 
 and they mostly belong to very bad weeds. Olive has 
 been telling us about them, Uncle Roy, and so of course 
 the Goldies do heaps of good by eating them. If they 
 eat these weed-seeds and do not need insects they can 
 live here all winter — can't they, uncle?" 
 
 "Certainly; they gather in flocks after their nesting- 
 time, which you see is very late. Then the males shed 
 their bright-yellow feathers, and look exactly like their 
 wives and children. Still, they make a merrjr party 
 flying about in the garden and field edges, where the 
 composite flowers have left them food, whispering and 
 giggling all day long — even singing merrily now and 
 then. They often have hard times in winter, and when 
 I am Iiere at the Farm 1 always scatter canury seed on 
 the snow for them." 
 
 " What is a com-pos-ite flower ? " asked Dodo. 
 
 " A kind of flower which has a great many little 
 blossoms crowded together in a bunch, so tliat they 
 look like one big flower — such as a dandelion, thistle, 
 or sunflower. Olive will tell you more about them to- 
 morrow. Slie is the Flower Lady, you know — I am 
 only your IJird Uncle, and if I mix up flowers with 
 birds 1 shall be apt to confuse you." 
 
 " They eat sunflower seeds," said Rap. " We grow 
 these seeds for our hens and the Goldies always get 
 their share." 
 
 " 1 wonder if that is why they are such a beautiful 
 yellow," said Dodo. "'Flying Sunflower' would be a 
 nice name for them. No, you needn't laugh at me, 
 Nat ; the man in the bird store said he gave Canaries 
 red pepper to make them red, so 1 don't see why the 
 
^1 TIUBE OF WEED WAinilORS 215 
 
 seed of yellow sunflowers sliouldn't make birds 3'el- 
 low ! " But in spite of her argument Nat and Ivap 
 continued to laugh. 
 
 " It must be hard to tell them wlien tliey lose their 
 yellow feathers," said Nat finally. 
 
 "No; (Toldfinches keep up a habit by which you 
 can always tell them, old or young, male or female, in 
 summer or winter. Can you guess what it is? '" 
 
 " I know ! Oh, I know I " cried Rap. " They always 
 fly with a dip and a jerk." 
 
 The American Goldfinch 
 
 Length about five iuclies. 
 
 Male ill sununev: bright clear yellow, with a black cap, and the 
 wings and tail black with some white on both. 
 
 Female at all times, and male in winter: light flaxen br(jwn, 
 the wings and tail as before, but less distincth' marked with white, 
 and no black cap. 
 
 A Citizen of temperate North America, and a good neighbor. 
 
 Belongs to the guild of Weed Warriors, and is very useful. 
 
 THE SNOWFLAKE 
 (The Autumn Leaf) 
 
 " It is a very warm day to talk al)out snowstorms 
 and winter birds, but several of these birds belong to 
 the Finch family," said the Doctor, a few mornings 
 later, as the children went through the old pasture 
 down to the river woods in search of a cool quiet place 
 to spend the morning. The sun was hot, and most of 
 the birds were hiding in the shade trees. " But as the 
 Snowflake will walk next to the (loldfinch in the pro- 
 cession of Bird Families I am going to show you after 
 a while, we must have him now." 
 
216 
 
 CITIZEN BIHD 
 
 "I think a cool l)ird will be very nice for a warm 
 da}','" said Dodo. " Something like soda water and ice 
 cream. That makes me think ■ — Mammy Bun was 
 cracking ice this morning, and I wonder what for ! " 
 
 "I wonder ! " said Olive, laugliing. 
 
 "I know," said Nat, who was a tease; "it must be 
 to bake a cake with ! " 
 
 Snuwklake. 
 
 " Here is a nice place for us," said the Doctor, who 
 had walked on ahead, " where we can see over the lields 
 and into the woods l)y only turning our heads, and the 
 moss is so dry that m-c may sit anywhere we please. 
 
 " The trees are in full leaf now," he continued, look- 
 ing up as he leaned comfortal)ly against the ti'unk of 
 an oak that spread its high root ridges on each side 
 of him like the arms of a chair. " The spring flowers 
 
A rniBE OF WEED WAuuions 217 
 
 are gone, str;uvl)erries are ripe, and tliere is [)lenty of 
 food and shelter for birds here. Hut if we were to travel 
 northward, beyond the United States and up through 
 Canada, we should find that tlie trees were different ; 
 that there were more pines and spruces. Then if we 
 went still further nortli, even tliese would begin to 
 grow more scanty and stunted, until tlie low pines 
 in which the Grosbeak nests would be the only trees 
 seen. Then beyond tlus parallel of latitude comes the 
 ' tree limit ' — " 
 
 " Oh, I know what a ' parallel of latitude ' is, because 
 I learned it in my geography," said Dodo, who had 
 been pouting since Nat teased her about the cracked 
 ice ; "it's a make-believe line that runs all round the 
 world like the equator. But wliat is a ' tree limit " ? " 
 
 " Don't you remember, little girl," answered the Doc- 
 tor, " what I told you about the timber-line on a moun- 
 tain — the height beyond which no trees grow, because 
 it gets too cold for them up there? It is just the same 
 if you go northward on flat ground like ( )rchard Farm ; 
 for when you have gone far enougli there are no more 
 trees to be seen. In that northern country the winter 
 is so long and cold, and summer is so siiort, that only 
 scrubljy bushes can grow there. Next beyond these 
 we should find merely the rough, curling grass of the 
 Barren Grounds, which would tell us we were approach- 
 ing the arctic circle, and already near the place where 
 wise men think it is best to turn homeward; for it is 
 close to the Land of the Polar Bear and the Northern 
 Liglits — the region of perpetual snow, liut ilreary as 
 this would seem to us, nest building is going on there 
 this June day, as well as here. 
 
218 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " Running liglitly over uneven hummocks of grass 
 are plump, roly-poly, black-and-white birds, with soft 
 musical voices and the gentlest possible manners. They 
 may have already brought out one brood in thick, deep 
 grassy nests, well lined with rabbit fur or Snow Owl 
 feathers, that they know so well how to tuck under 
 a protecting ledge of rock or bunch of grass. Now 
 and then a male Snowflake will take a little flight and 
 sing as merrily as his cousin the (Toldfinch, but he never 
 stays long away from the ground where seeds are to be 
 found. 
 
 " The white featliers of these birds are as soft as 
 their friend the snow, of which they seem a part. They 
 Lave more white about them than any other color, and 
 this snowy j^lumage marks them distinctly fi'om all 
 their Sparrow cousins. After the moult, when a warm 
 brown hue veils the white feathers, and the short 
 northern summer has ended, the birds flock together 
 for their travels. When they will visit us no one can 
 say ; they come and go, as if driven by the wind. 
 
 " A soft clinging December snowstorm begins, and 
 suddenly you will wonder at a cloud of brown, snow- 
 edged leaves that settle on a bare spot in the road, then 
 whirl up and, clearing the high fence, drop into the 
 shelter of the barnyard. 
 
 "'How very strange,' 3'ou will say; 'these leaves 
 act as if they were bewitched.' You look again, and 
 rub your eyes ; for these same whirling winter leaves 
 are now walking about the j^ard, picking up grass-seed 
 and grain under the very nose of the cross old rooster 
 himself ! Then you discover that thej^ are not leaves 
 at all, but plump little birds who, if they could speak, 
 
A TIUJiE OF WKEU WAURIOTifi 219 
 
 would say liow very iimch obliged tliey are for the 
 food. 
 
 "When the snow melts they fly away. By the time 
 they have got home again, Aveatlier and travel have 
 worn the brown edges of their feathers away, so that 
 the black parts show ; and thus, without a second 
 moulting, they are black-and-white birds again. 
 
 " When j^ou search for them look in the air, or on 
 the shed-top, or about the haystack, or on tlie ground ; 
 for they seldom perch in trees." 
 
 "Why is that?" asked Ihip. "I should think it 
 would be warmer for them in tlie thick evergreens." 
 
 " They nest on the ground, and as they also gather 
 their food there, are unused to large trees." 
 
 " Why don't they nest in trees up North ? " asked 
 Nat. 
 
 "For the same reason," laughed Olive, "that Simple 
 Simon didn't catch a whale in the Avater pail ! There 
 are no trees where the Snowflake nests ! " 
 
 The Snowflake 
 
 Length seven iiicbes. 
 
 In sunniier snow-white, with lilacl;: on the bacli, wings, and 
 tail. 
 
 In winter wears a warm brown oloal;:, witli black stripes, fastened 
 with a brown collar, and a brown and white vest. 
 
 A Citizen of the North, travelling sontlnvard in snowstorms as 
 far sometimes as Georgia. 
 
 A member of the guild of Weed Warriors, eating seeds at all 
 seasons. 
 
220 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 THE A'ESPElt SPAl!J;i;)W 
 (The Grass Finch) 
 
 Please, uncle, Ijefore 
 
 this Sparrow, 
 
 sort of a 
 
 - you tell us about 
 "will j'ou look at a 
 striped, dull-ln'own bird 
 that lias been fidgeting 
 over there under the 
 bushes ever since we have 
 been here ? " 
 
 " I have been 
 Avatching him 
 too," said Kap ; 
 " a minute ago, 
 when he flew 
 over the stone 
 fence, I saw he 
 had white feath- 
 ers outside on 
 his tail — now lie is back 
 again." 
 "How ver^r kind that bird is 
 to come when he is wanted, 
 and save my time — it is the 
 Vesper Sjiarrow himself. I sus- 
 pect that we are nearer to his 
 nest than he cares to have us, lie is so uneasy." 
 
 " Where would the nest most likely be ? " asked 
 Nat; "in a tree or a bush?" 
 
 " ]\Iost Sparrow nests are near the ground," said Rap. 
 
 "A little lower yet. Rap; the A'^esjier Sparrow sinks 
 
 his deep nest either in thick grass or in the ground 
 
 Vesper Sparrow. 
 
A TTtlBE OF WEED WAnRIORS 221 
 
 itself ; but tlioiigh it is thus sup^Kirted on ;ill sides it 
 is as nicely woven us if it were a tree nest." 
 
 "It isn't a very pretty bird," said Dodo. " Does it 
 sing well '.' Why is it called the Vesper Sparrow — 
 what does Vesper mean, Uncle Ivoy ? " 
 
 " Vesper means evening. This plainly clothed little 
 bird has a beautiful voice, and sings in the morning 
 t'liorus with liis brothers ; but he is fond of continuing 
 his sung late into tlie twilight, after most others have 
 gone to bed. Then in the stiUness his voice sounds 
 sweet and clear, and the ^vords of the song are : 
 'Cliewee, chewee, chewee lira, lira, lira lee.' Tliat is 
 the way lie says his evening prayers : you know that 
 in some of the churches there is a beairtiful service 
 called Vespers. All, if we only knew bird language ! " 
 
 "Do you remember," said Olive, "last night wlien 
 you were going to bed you asked me if it wasn't a very 
 rare bird that was singing so late down in tlie garden, 
 and I told you that it was a Sparrow ? It was tlie 
 Vesper Bird, perhaps the very one who is over there in 
 the birshes, wondering if the giant House People will 
 find his nest. You can easily tell him when he flits in 
 front of you by the roadside, because he always shows 
 two white feathers, one on each side of his tail." 
 
 The Vesper Sparrow 
 
 Length six inches. 
 
 Upper parts brown, streaked with dusky ; some bright bay on 
 the wings, but no j'ellow anj'wliere, and two white tail-feathers. 
 
 Under parts dull white, striped on breast and sides with brown. 
 
 A Citizen of North America from Canada soutliward, nesting 
 north of the Middle States. 
 
 A regular member of tlie guild of Wi'ed Warriors, and in sum- 
 mer belonging also to the Seed Sowers and (iround Gleaners. 
 
222 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 WHITE-TH RO ATED SPARKOW 
 (The Peabody Bird) 
 
 " The Wliite-tlii'oat is another bird that you will 
 not see in his summer home, unless you look for him in 
 the Northern States. You may find him nesting ahout 
 the White Mountains, on or near the ground, with the 
 Olive-backed Thrush and Winter Wren. In other 
 places he may be seen as a visitor any time in spring 
 and autumn, or may even linger about the whole winter. 
 You remember the dead one Nat found, that we used 
 when I was teaching you something about birds in 
 general that rainy day, before I began to tell you the 
 particular bird stories. 
 
 "If you think of Sparrows only as a sober, dusty- 
 colored family, you may be surprised to learn that this 
 large, handsome bird, with the wdiite throat, the head 
 striped Avitli black and white, a yellow spot over the 
 eye, and richly variegated brown feathers, is a member 
 of that group." 
 
 " It l)othered me dreadfully at first," said Rap, "until 
 one fall some sportsmen, Avho came through the upper 
 fields looking for Quail, whistled his song and told me 
 about him. There were lots of them here early this 
 spring by the mill, l>nt the miller didn't like them 
 because they pitched into liis new-sown pasture and 
 gobbled the grass-seed." 
 
 " Yes, of course they eat grass-seed in spring, when 
 the old weed seeds of autumn are well scattered ; but 
 surely we must give a Citizen Bird S(mie good valuable 
 food, not treating him like a pauper Avliom we expect 
 to live alwaj's on refuse. 
 
.1 TIUBE OF WEEJ) W'AHIIIORS 
 
 " Some iiiui'iiiny in euii}- spring, w Ik-u tlio C'liickadee.s 
 wIk) liiivo wintered aljuuttlie Fai'iu are g-rc)\\iiig restless, 
 and al)out readjr to go to a more seeliided sp(_)t t(.) nest, 
 3aiu will hear a sweet persuasive whistling song coming 
 from a clump of Ijnshes. AVhat is it? ±sot a lUnehird, 
 or a Roljin. The notes are too sliort and simple lor a 
 Song Sparrow or a Tiirush, too plaintive for a- Wren, 
 and too clear for a lisping AVood A\^arl)ler. 
 
 " Presentl}' several White-throats t\j 
 down to a hit of newl}- 
 seeded lawn or patch of 
 wild grass, Avhere ihey feed 
 industri(jnsly for a few min- 
 utes, giving <-inly a few little 
 call-notes — ' t'sip, t'sip ' — 
 hy way of conversation. 
 Then one flies up into a 
 bush and sings in a high 
 key. AVhat does he say — 
 for the song of two short 
 bars surel}' has M'ords ? (.)ue 
 person understands it one 
 Ava}', and thinks the Ijird 
 says 'all-day whittling, whittling, Avhittling ! ' Sunie 
 one else hears 'pe-a — peabody — peaJiody — pea))od3- ! ' 
 "While to me the White-throat always says '/\\-ork — 
 cleverly, cleverly, cleverly — poor me — ele\'erlv, clev- 
 erly, cleverly ! ' " 
 
 As the Doctor paused a moment. Rap whistled an 
 imitatioir of the song, throwing the sound far from him 
 after a fashion that the Cliat has, so that it seemed to 
 come from the trees, completely deceiving Dodo. 
 
 White- 
 throated 
 Spakko^v. 
 
224 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 "Uncle, uncle 1 " she Avhispered, creeping suftly up to 
 liim, "one of the White-throats must have stayed until 
 now, for that bird says ' cleverly ! cleverly ! cleverly ! ' " 
 
 RajJ was delighted at the success of his imitation, 
 and Nat and Dodo tried to whistle with him. Dodo 
 being the most successful. 
 
 " (3h ! oh ! what happens to whistling girls ? " said 
 Nat, who was a little provoked at her success. 
 
 " Nothing at all," said Olive, " when they only 
 whistle bird-songs. I've whistled to birds ever since 
 I could pucker up my lijjs, and father taught me how 
 — didn't you, father dear? Only you used to say, 
 'Never whistle in public places.'" 
 
 " I believe I did ; and Rap shall teach yon. Dodo, so 
 3'ou can call a bird close to you by imitating its song." 
 
 The Wliite-throated Sparrow 
 
 Length about six und a lialf iiiclies. 
 
 Striped on the back with bay, lilaclv, and gray; two wliite cross- 
 bars on each wing, the edge of which is yellow ; two white stripes 
 on the black crown, and a yellow spot before the eye. 
 
 Gray below, more slate-colored on the breast, with a pure white 
 throat, which is bounded by little black streaks. 
 
 A Summer Citizen of the Northern States and bej'ond. Spends 
 the winter in the Middle and Southern States. 
 
 lielongs to the guild of Weed Warriors, and is a bright, cheerful, 
 useful bird. 
 
 THE ni-TIPPING SPARROW 
 (The Chippy. The Soctabt.e Bird) 
 
 " I know a Chippy now, when I see it, before you tell 
 us anything about it ! " said Dodo gleefully. " There 
 were three or four dear little ones j^esterday on the 
 
A TRTBE OF WEED WARRIORS 
 
 00^ 
 
 grass, near the dining'-room window. Tliey had vel- 
 vety brown caps on, and said 'chip, chip, clnp ' as 
 they hopped along, and as they didn't seem afraid of 
 nie I threw out some bread-crund)s and they picked 
 them lip. Then I knew, to begin with, that they must 
 ])e seed-eating birds." 
 
 "How did you know that?" asked N;it. "bread- 
 crumbs aren't seeds ! " 
 
 "No, but bread is made of ground-up wheat-seed! 
 Don't you i-emember Olive said so last week - ^^■ 
 
 when she told us about all the grains V " 
 
 " Yes," said Nat reluctantly^ 
 
 " lairds that won't eat seeds 
 won't eat bread-crumbs 
 either," contin- 
 ued Dodo ear- 
 
 Chippixg Sparrow. 
 
 nestly ; " 'cause I tried 
 
 Woo d T lir u s h e s w i t h 
 
 bread-crumbs last week 
 
 and they simply turned up their 
 
 noses at them." 
 
 Rap and Nat laughed at the 
 idea of birds turning up their 
 noses, but the Doctor said: 
 
 " \'^ery good indeed. Miss Dodo, you are learning to 
 use your eyes and your reason at the same time. Tell 
 us some more about your Chippies." 
 
 "At first I didn't know what they were, and then 
 they seemed like some kind of Sparrows ; so I went to 
 the wonder room and looked at some of the books tjiat 
 you left out on the low shelf for us. I couldn't find 
 any picture that matched, but then 1 began to read 
 
 Q 
 
226 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 about Sparrows, and wlien I came to Chippy Sparrow 
 I was sure it matched ; for the book said it was a clever 
 little fellow with a jaunty red cap that came with his 
 mate to the very door and that children make the 
 Chippy's acquaintance and hunt in the vines on the 
 piazza or in a bush for its nest and that the nest is very 
 neat and made of horsehair — " Here Dodo stopped 
 to get her breath. 
 
 " Bravo I bravo ! " called the Doctor. " I see that 
 I shall soon have to resign my place as Bird ]\Ian if 
 this ,young lady takes to bird hunting and reading also. 
 Is there more to come, little one ? " 
 
 '•Yes, Uncle Hoy, just a little bit more. Because 
 the book said children looked for Chippies' nests I went 
 right away to see if I could find one. First I hunted 
 in all the bushes, and the Catbirds scolded me and the 
 Brown Thrasher in the barberry bush was very mad 
 and a Robin in tlie low crotch of the bell-pear tree 
 nearly tip[)ed his nest over, be iiew away in such a 
 hurry. I thought I had better stop, but Ijy this time 
 I was way down in the garden and all at once I saw 
 a Chippy fly straight into the big rose bush at the 
 beginning of our arbor. I looked in and there about 
 as high up as my chin was the loveliest little nest like 
 a nice grass cup, with pretty rosebuds all around it for 
 a trimming, and on it sat a Chippy — and do you know 
 it never flew away when I stroked its back with my 
 iinger ! It was so cute and friendly I thought I would 
 give it a little mite of a kiss on top of its head. But 
 I guess it misunderstood and thought I meant to bite, 
 for it flew off a little way and I saw three speckled 
 blue eggs and — then I thought I'd better come away."' 
 
A TRIBE OF WEED WAItlllOliS 227 
 
 " Did 3-011 lie:u- it sing-'.'' " asked Nat. 
 
 " No — it <inly said ' chip — cliippy — uliip.' " 
 
 " Cliip[)ies liave two song's," said the Doctor. " One 
 is a kind of chirp or trill like an insect's note — 
 ' trr-r-r-r-r.' They give this usually when they first 
 wake up in the morning. The other is a pretty little 
 melod)', but is less fre(|uently heard." 
 
 "If they eat seed, why don't they stay here all 
 winter '! " asked Rap ; " yet I'm sure they don't." 
 
 "They are not as hardy as some of their hrothers, 
 and do not like our winter weather ; but even in 
 autumn you may mistake them for some other Spar- 
 row, for then ]\Ir. Chippy takes off his brown velvet 
 cap, and his dainty little head is stripped." 
 
 The Chipping Sparrowr 
 
 Length about five inches. 
 
 A dark chestnut cap, a light stripe over the eye, and a (lark 
 stripe behind the eye ; forehead and bill black ; back streaked with 
 black, tirown, and buff; ramp slate-gray; wings and tail dusky. 
 
 Under parts plain ligVit gray, almost white on throat and belly, 
 darker on breast. 
 
 A Citizen of North America, nesting from the Gulf of JNIexico 
 to Canada, wintering in the Southern States and beyond. 
 
 A "\'\'eed AVarrior and a member of the Tree Trajipers and 
 Ground Gleaners in nesting-time. 
 
 THE SLATE-COLOIiED JUNCO 
 (The Snowbird) 
 
 " Here we have a northern winter bird — or, at least, 
 one that we associate with winter and call the Snow- 
 bird ; for everybody sees him on his autunni and win- 
 ter travels, and knows his Sparrow-like call-note, while 
 
CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 his summer home is so far north or so higli on moun- 
 tains that few visit Jiim in tlie tangled woodlands 
 where he sings a pretty trilling song to his mate. 
 
 "When I was a Ijoy here at the Farm, these white- 
 vested Juncos were my winter pets. A flock was al- 
 ways sure to come 
 in October and stay 
 until the last of 
 April, or even into 
 i\Iay if the season 
 was cold. One win- 
 ter, when the snow 
 came at Tlianks- 
 giving and did not 
 leave the ground 
 until March, the 
 birds had a hard 
 time of it, I can 
 tell you. The Rob- 
 ins and Ijluebirds 
 soon grew discour- 
 aged, and left one 
 by one. The Chick- 
 adees retreated to 
 the shelter of some 
 hemlock woods, and I thought the Winter Wrens were 
 frozen into the woodpile, for I did not see any for weeks. 
 The only cannibal birds that seemed to be about were 
 a pair of Cat Owls that spent most of the time in our 
 hay-barn, where they paid for their lodgings by catch- 
 ing rats and mice. 
 
 " But my flock of Juncos were determined to brave 
 
 Slate-coloued Junco. 
 
A riuBE OF WEED uAiunons "229 
 
 ail weathers. First they ate the seeds of all the weeds 
 and tall grasses that reaehed above the snow, then 
 thej- cleaned the honeysuckles of their watery black 
 berries. Wlien these were aiearly gone, I began to feed 
 them every day with crumbs, and they soon grew very 
 tame. At Christmas an ice storm came, and after that 
 the cold was bitter indeed. For two days I did not 
 see my birds ; but on the third day in the afternoon, 
 when 1 was feeding the hens in the barnyard, a party 
 of feeble, half-starved Juncos, hardly able to flv, set- 
 tled down around me and began to pick at the chicken 
 food. 
 
 " I knew at a glance that after a few hours' more 
 exposure all the poor little birds would be dead. 80 I 
 shut up the hens and opened tlie door of the straw-barn 
 ver}' wide, scattered a quantity of meal and cracked 
 corn in a line on the floor, and crept behind the door 
 to ^A•atch. First one bird hopped in and tasted the 
 food ; he found it very good and evidently called his 
 brothers, for in a minute they all went in and I closed 
 the do(n- upon them. And I slept better that night 
 because I knew that my birds were comfortable. 
 
 " ' They may go in once, but you will never catch 
 them so again,' said my father, when he heard about it. 
 1 had an idea, however, that the birds trusted me ; for 
 though they flew out very gladly the next morning, 
 they did not seem afraid. 
 
 "Sure enough, in the afternoon they came back 
 again ! I kept them at night in this way for several 
 weeks, and one afternoon several Snowflakes came in 
 with them. Later on this same winter live thin starv- 
 ing Quails came to the barnyard and fed with the hens. 
 
230 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 I tried several times to lure or drive them into the barn 
 with the Juiicos, but they would not go. Finally, one 
 evening when I shut the chickens up, what did these 
 Quails do but run into the hen-house with the others 
 and remain as the guests of our good-natured Cochins 
 until spring ! 
 
 " I well remember how happy I Avas when grand- 
 mother gave me half a dollar and told me to go over 
 to the mill and buy a bag of grain sweepings for my 
 'boarders'; how angry I was with the miller when he 
 said, ' Those Quails'll be good eatin' when they're fat ' ; 
 and how he laughed when I shouted, ' It's onlj' canni- 
 bals that eat up their visitors ! ' " 
 
 The Slate-colored Junoo 
 
 Length about six inches. 
 
 Dark slate color ; throat and breast slate-gray ; belly and side 
 tail-feathers white; beak pinkish-white. 
 
 A Citizen of North America, nesting iu the northern tier of 
 States and northward, and also on high mountains as far south as 
 Georgia. 
 
 A Tree Trapper, Seed Sower, and ^A'eed Warrior, according to 
 season . 
 
 THE SONG SPARROW 
 (EvEKY One's Dakling) 
 
 " This Sparrow, who guides you to his name by the 
 dark spot on the breast as clearly as the Peabod3r-bird 
 does by his white cravat, is every one's bird and every 
 one's darling," said the Doctor, as if he were speaking 
 of a dear friend. 
 
 " When you have learned his many songs, his pretty 
 sociable ways, and have seen his cheerfulness and pa- 
 
A TRIIIE OF WEED ]VA111U01!.S 
 
 281 
 
 tience in hard times, you will, I know, agree Avitli me 
 that all possible good bird (|ualities are packed into this 
 little streaked Sparrow. 
 
 "Constancy is his first good jjoint. If we live in 
 sonthern New England or westward to Illinois, we shall 
 
 SON'G 81'AKROW. 
 
 probably have him with us all the year, wearing the 
 same colored feathers after the moult as before, not 
 shedding his sweet temper and song with his spring 
 coat. Now there are a great many birds, as you will 
 see, that wear full-dress suits and sing wonderful songs 
 in spring and early summer, while the weather is warm, 
 food plentiful, and everything full of promise ; but 
 
232 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 whose music and color vanish from the garden and 
 roadside when frost comes. Yet the Song Sparrow 
 sings throughout the year, except in tlie storms of 
 February and March' — not always the varied spring 
 song, but still a sweet little tune. 
 
 " The Song Sparrow is humble and retiring about 
 the location of his nest, usually putting it on or near 
 the ground ; though of course some pairs may have 
 ideas of their own about nest-l)uilding, and choose a 
 bird-box or even a hole in a tree. One thing you 
 must remember about birds and their ways : Nature 
 has fixed a few important laws that must not be 
 changed, but has given birds and other animals liberty 
 to follow their own tastes in all other matters. 
 
 " Wherever the thick nest is placed, it is cleverly 
 hidden. If in a low shrub, it is in the croteli where 
 the branches spread above the root. If on the ground, 
 it is against an old stnmjs with a tuft of grass on each 
 side, or in a little hollow between bushes. Our Spar- 
 row likes to live in the garden hedges and about the 
 orchard, and to cultivate the acquaintance of House 
 People in a shy sort of way. 
 
 " He never flies directly to and from his home like 
 the Chippy, Wren, and Robin, but slips off the nest 
 and runs along the ground as nimbly as a Thi'ush, till 
 he reaches a bush, well away from his house, when he 
 hojjs into it and flies away. 
 
 " ' Chek ! chek ! chek ! ' is the call-note of the Song 
 Sparrows, who also have a short, sweet song, which 
 every bird varies and lengthens to please himself or 
 his mate. 'Maids, maids, maids, hang on your tea- 
 kettle-ettle-ettle,' some people fancy the bird saj's, and 
 
\ A TRIBE OF WEED WARTHORS 233 
 
 the short song fits these words very welL But when 
 tliis Sparrow sings his best music, all trenihliug with 
 love and jo}', he forgets about such a simple thing as 
 the tea-kettle ! Now it is a grand banquet he tells 
 you of, with flowers and music ; then lie stops sud- 
 denly, remembering that he is only a little Ijrown bird, 
 and sings to his favorite alder bush by the brook a soft 
 apology for having forgotten himself. This Sparrow 
 even dreams music in the spring, when you will often 
 hear his notes in the darkest hours of the night. 
 
 " The eggs are as varied as the songs, being light blue 
 or whitish, with every imaginable sort of Ijrown marking 
 — no two sets are exactl}^ alike. Birds' eggs often vary 
 in color, like their plumage, and the different hues seem 
 fitted to hide the eggs ; for those of birds tliat nest in 
 holes and need no concealing are usually plain white. 
 
 " If you ever make a bird calendar at Orchard Farm, 
 you may be able to write this Sparrow's name in every 
 month of the year. Another good thing about this 
 happy faithful bird is, that his tribe increases in Bird- 
 land, in spite of all dangers." 
 
 "My mother loves Song Sparrows," said Rap. "She 
 says they are a great deal of company for her when she 
 is doing her washing out under the trees. She thinks 
 they tell her that people can be happy, even if they 
 wear plain clothes and have to be snowed up in the 
 country half the winter. She is right, too ; the Song 
 Sparrows only tell her what happens to tliemselves." 
 
 The Song Sparrowr 
 
 Length about six inches. 
 
 Head and back all streaked with gray and lirown, and a brown 
 stripe on each side of throat. 
 
234 
 
 CITIZEN miilJ 
 
 Under parts wliitisli, all striped with dai'k brown, tlie heaviest 
 stripes making a large blackish spot on the breast. 
 
 A Citizen of the United States east of the pLains, nesting from 
 Virginia northward to the Fur Countries. 
 
 A Ground Gleaner as ^^■ell as a Weed Warrior, and a constant 
 joyful songster. 
 
 THE TOWHEE 
 (JoKEE. Chewink. Ground Robin.) 
 
 " Here we have one of the hirger bird.s of the Finch 
 family, Avlio is both nervous and sliy, and so quick to 
 sHp out of sight that lie alwaj's surprises one. 
 
 " To see the Towhee as he liops away from the briers 
 that hide his nest, you Avouhl never dream that he is a 
 cousin to the meek brown Sparrows. A very smart 
 bird is ' Jore-e Blur-re,' as he keeps telling 3'ou his 
 name is, trig in his glossy Ijlack long-tailed coat, his 
 vest with reddish side facings, white trousers, and 
 
A TRIBE OF ]]-KEI> IIM /,'/,' /OA'.S 285 
 
 lig'lil--bro\vii shoes iind stdckiiigs. A knowing' glance 
 has he in the ruby-red e>-es tliat sparkle in his coal- 
 black head, while inside that little head are very wise 
 thoughts." 
 
 "How are his eyes red, Uncle Roy?" asked Dodo. 
 " Are tlicy all plain red or only red in a ring around 
 the seeing part where uiine are blue?" 
 
 " They are ' red in a ring,' as you say ; we call this 
 ring tiie iris, and the 'seeing part' the pupil." 
 
 "Please, what does iris mean? Iris is the name of 
 one of the lily flowers that grow in the garden." 
 
 "Iris is a word that means rainbow, which as you 
 know is a belt of beautiful colors, made by the sun 
 shining througli rain. The iris of the eye is a film of 
 color covering the watery inside [lart of the eyeball, 
 and the pupil is a round hole in the iris that lets the 
 liglit into the back of the eye. This opening expands 
 and contracts according to whether the eye needs much 
 or little light. I tell you this now, but you will need 
 to remember it Avhen we come to the <)wls, who have 
 curious ways of keeping too much light from their eyes. 
 
 "The iris in birds, as in House People, may he of 
 many different colors — red, as in tlie A'ireo I told you 
 about, and as you now know it is with the Towhee. 
 Each has a brother with white eyes. You remem- 
 ber the White-eyed Vireo, and in Florida there is a 
 Towhee who has white eyes ; but this is so unusual that 
 it makes the bird look to you as if it were blind, until 
 you understand that it is the natural color. Most 
 Ijirds' eyes are brown of some shade, or perfectly black ; 
 a few have blue or green eyes. But where did I leave 
 Mr. Jore-e Blur-re ? " 
 
'23G CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " You were saying that lie is wise," answered Rap. 
 
 " Well, lie is wise enough never to fly either straight 
 to or from his nest, which is a rather poor affair, down 
 on the ground, within reacli of every weasel or snake 
 that cares to rob it. 
 
 " He does not sing on the ground, but moves silently 
 among the leaves and litter of old ferns, such as are 
 found near ponds and streams. A stick will crackle 
 perhaps, and tlius draw your attention to him. When 
 he knows that he is seen, he will flip his wings and flirt 
 his tail, like suddenly opening and shutting a fan, as 
 he flits on before you with his head on one side, giving 
 the pert call ' Towhee ! towhee I ' that is one of his 
 names. Some people think he says ' Chewink ! che- 
 wink ! ' and call him by that name ; while some who 
 have noticed where he lives, and seen that the color of 
 his sides is like the reddish breast of the Robin, call 
 him the Ground Robin, though he is no relation of the 
 Thrush family. 
 
 "Meanwhile his wife stays quietly on the nest, where 
 her brown back matches the dead leaves of which it is 
 made outside, keeping her quite safe from sight. 
 
 " In the afternoon, when the work of the day is 
 almost over, and her mate is tired of scratching about 
 for food, he takes a little rest and goes up high in a tree 
 to boldly declare his whereabouts. 
 
 " ' Jore-e Blur-re, .Jore-e Blur-re, wilh'-nilljs willy- 
 nilly ! ' he calls defiantly, as if he did not like having 
 to keep quiet all day, and meant to tell his name at 
 last. 
 
 " In early autunui tlie .Joree family grow sociable 
 enough to come into the garden, but they seldom 
 
A TRIBE OF WEED WARRlOltS 287 
 
 linger late; vig-Di-ous as they are, they hurry south- 
 ward before an}- hard frosts eouie." 
 
 The Towhee 
 
 Length about eight and a half inches. 
 
 Male: black with chestnut sides, white belly, tan-colored under 
 the tail, the side feathers of which are white-tipped. 
 
 Female: reddish-brown wdiere the male is black. 
 
 A Summer Citizen of the United States east of the plains, and 
 along the southern border of Canada. Nests northward from 
 Georgia. Winters .south of the Middle States. 
 
 A Ground Gleaner, Seed Sower, and Weed Warj-ior. 
 
 THE CARDINAL 
 (The Cardin.vIj Grosbeak) 
 
 "There is a legend about tliis Cardinal — the soldier 
 with a red uniform," said the Doctor; "one of Maumiy 
 Bun's strange stories that came from the Indians to 
 the negroes, always growing larger and stranger. 
 
 " There were two Indian warriors of the southwest 
 that hated each other. (Jne had an only daughter and 
 the other a son. While their fathers were at war, this 
 boy and girl met in the green forest. The old women 
 of their tribes told them that they must never speak to 
 each other, or their fathers would surely kill them. 
 But the children said, ' There is no war or hate in our 
 forest; the birds meet — why may not we?" One 
 summer evening they stayed too long, watching the 
 fish swim in the river and floating little sticks for 
 canoes. The two warriors returned suddenly to their 
 villages, missed their children, and then some one told 
 them tales. 
 
238 
 
 CITIZEN IIIJII) 
 
 " Tlie wind wliisperud tu the trees, 'TrouLle, trouble ! 
 Tliese warriors liute eaeli other more tluiii tliey hjve 
 tlieir children. Hide them, O trees ! ' Then the trees 
 wluspered to the liirds, 'Help the jjoor children — 
 help, help ! " And tlie birds said, ' They shall be turned 
 
 into birds and 
 escape, if j'ou 
 \\ill make a 
 little fire, () 
 wind, to delay the 
 warriors and gi\'e us 
 time.' 
 So the trees told the fire- 
 Hies to light the dead leaves 
 that covered the g-round ; 
 the wind Ijreathed on the 
 fire, and soon the wood 
 was all aflame ! 
 
 " ' What Ijirds do 
 yon choose to be, 
 that you may al- 
 ways li\'e in 
 the forest to- 
 gether?' asked 
 the Bird Broth- 
 ers of the chil- 
 dren. 'Answer ([iTickly, for the time is short.' 
 
 "'I will be a large brown Sparrow," said the girl; 
 then none Mill trap me for mj' feathers.' 
 " ' And I too," said the lioy. 
 
 " Suddenly they were no longer children. But there 
 was confusion, as the fire burned nearer and nearer. 
 
 Cardinal. 
 
A TRIBE OF WEED WARRIORS 239 
 
 "'Fly! lly ! ' cri(-'(l the ISird ISrcitliei's. ' Vou have 
 wings — do not h)ok at tlie earth, lest you grieve to 
 leave it.' 
 
 " Gonda, being obedient, made an effort to fly above 
 the flame, which only tinged some of her feathers red. 
 But Towai, loath to leave the earth, lingered so long 
 that his feathers became all red from the flames, and 
 the soot blackened his face. 
 
 " Though these two Ijirds and their children still be- 
 long to the dull-brown Sparrow famil}', tliej' liave little 
 peace in the forest ^vhere they live. Towai wears a 
 splendid red robe and is called the Cardinal, but there 
 is a price upon his head because of his beauty. 
 
 " This is one of tlie legends that explains whj' this 
 bird is classed with Sparrows. The Tanager is more 
 fiery red, and the Oriole carries flame on his back ; 
 but there is something strange about the Cardinal — 
 he seems out of place and lonely with us. \Iq should 
 belong to a tropical country and have orchids and 
 palms for companions — but instead, where do we find 
 him ? " 
 
 " Please, Doctor," said Rap, who thought he could 
 answer that question, "the miller's wife has a pair in 
 a cage, but they aren't very pretty, 'cause they've 
 scraped most of the feathers off their heads and rum- 
 pled their tails, trying to get out. The miller caught 
 three of them down there last winter, only one died 
 and the other two aren't a bit happy ; the male doesn't 
 sing and the female has a cough. The miller's wife 
 doesn't care much for them ; the3'"re a bother to feed, 
 she says — have to have meal-worms, and rice with the 
 hulls on, and all that." 
 
240 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " Why doesn't slie let them out ? " asked Olive. 
 
 " 'Cause she thinks that raa^yhe some of the people 
 that oome fishing will boy them." 
 
 " How much does she ask for them ? " said the 
 Doctor. 
 
 " She said if they ever moulted out and got any 
 decent feathers she could ask three dollars for them, 
 but the way they were looking a dollar was all she 
 could expect." 
 
 " Children, shall we have a Liberty Festival this 
 morning ? How would you like for me to buy these 
 birds and bring them here, so that you can see them, 
 then — then what ? " 
 
 " Open the cage and let them out and see what they 
 will do ! " screamed Dodo, jumping up and down. 
 
 " May I go down to buy them ? " begged Nat. 
 
 " You will have to take me, too," said Olive. 
 
 "Can 1 open the door?" asked Dodo. 
 
 "Here is the dollar — now go, all together," said the 
 Doctor, putting his hands over his ears ; " but if you 
 make so much noise the birds in the river woods will 
 mistake your kind intentions and think j'ou are a 
 family of wildcats." 
 
 In less than half an hour the party returned, Nat 
 carrying the cage, which was only a box with a bit of 
 wire netting over the front. 
 
 " No wonder poor Mrs. Cardinal has a cough, living 
 in this dirty box," said Olive. " See, father, only one 
 jjerch — and I don't believe the poor things have ever 
 had a bath given them." 
 
 " That is the saddest part of caging wild birds," said 
 the Doctor. " Not one person in fifty is willing to 
 
A TRIBE OF WEED WARIilOHS 241 
 
 g'ive them the care they need. Put the cage under 
 those bushes, Nat. 
 
 " I began by asking, Wliere do we find this bird ? 
 Living in Florida in snnslune, among tlie shady red- 
 woods of Kentuelvy, and in all the liitterness of our 
 northern winters. He varies his habits to suit his sur- 
 roundings, and roves about after the nesting season ; in 
 mild climates he sings for six months of the year — 
 from ]\hirch until August. Bat one of the strangest 
 things about him is that he wanders most when the 
 trees are bare and he can be so easily seen that hun- 
 dreds of his kind are shot for their gay feathers, or 
 trapped to sell alive for cage birds. When snow is on 
 the ground he is very conspicuous." 
 
 " Why doesn't he get into evergreens or cedar 
 bushes ? " asked Rap. 
 
 " He does when he can and often sings when so 
 hidden; but he is not a very quick-witted bird and 
 seems to move awkwardl}-, as if his topknot were as 
 heavy as a drum major's bearskin. 
 
 " But no one can find fault with his song ; it first 
 rings out loud like a shout, then ends as clearly as the 
 bubbling of the stream near which he likes best to 
 live — ' Cheo-cheo-chehoo-cheo-qr-qr-qrr-r-r.' " 
 
 "Isn't it time to let them out?" whispered Dodo. 
 "Mrs. Cardinal is coughing again dreadfully! " 
 
 " In a moment. Turn the cage sideways, Nat, so 
 that we can watch them through the bushes — so, and 
 please keep quite still. Now, Dodo, open the little door 
 — carefidly." 
 
 For two or three minutes there was perfect silence. 
 Four young people squeezed behind a tree, and a Wise 
 It 
 
242 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 Man down on his hands and knees behind a stump 
 — all watching two forlorn birds, who did not under- 
 stand that liberty was theirs for the taking. 
 
 Mrs. Cardinal put out her head, then took a step and 
 hojjped along the ground into a cornel bush ; wdiere, 
 after looking around a moment, she began to smooth 
 her poor feathers. Another minute and Mr. Cardinal 
 followed, giving a sharp chip like a loud Sparrow call. 
 The}^ both hopped off as if they were not half sure 
 their freedom was real. 
 
 " I think they might have sung to us," whispered Dodo. 
 
 "Too soon," said the Doctor; "but I'm sure that we 
 have not seen or heard the last of our Cardinals." 
 
 "Hist ! " said Nat, "they are taking a bath in the 
 
 brook this side of the stepping-stones." And so they 
 
 were. 
 
 The Cardinal 
 
 Length eight and a quarter inches. 
 
 Male : splendid cardinal-red, with a black throat and band about 
 the coral-red bill, and a fine long crest, like a Cedar Waxwing's. 
 
 Fenuile : j'ellowish-brown with a little red in her crest, wings, 
 and tail, and her face not so black as her mate's. 
 
 A Citizen of the eastern United States to the plains and from 
 Florida to the Great Lakes, nesting wherever found. 
 
 A Tree Trapper, Oio\nid Gleaner, Seed Sower, and Weed War- 
 rior, besides being a fine singer. 
 
 THE ROSE-HIIEASTED GROSBEAK 
 (The Potato-Bug Bird) 
 
 " This must be the bird I saw the other day in the 
 brush lot by the old barn," said Rap ; " and there were 
 two more this morning in our own potato patch. Why 
 do they go there, Doctor?" 
 
.1 TIUllE OF WEED WAlllUORS 
 
 243 
 
 " Because tliis bird, Ijcsides wearing a Ijeautit'ul rowy 
 sliiekl on his Ijreast, and singing at morning and even- 
 ing more beautifully even than the very best Iiol)in, is 
 a very industrious and useful bird, lie earns his livina- 
 by helping farmers clear their fields of })otato-bugs. If 
 you go liuietly over to the large potato lot <in tlie north 
 
 ROSF,-r,REASTRD GruSIIEAK. 
 
 side of the Farm, you \\'i]l find these birds at work any 
 morning. I saw them m3-self to-day, and am going to 
 trust my crop entirely to their keeping this season. 
 They are nesting in tlie yoiing growtli near these very 
 river woods, and I will show 3'ou one of their homes 
 presently. You see that protecting birds, and leaving 
 suitable bits of woodland and brush for them to build 
 in, is practical as well as sentimental. 
 
244 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " This Grosbeak dares not trust its brilliant colors in 
 large trees or open places, and so nests where it may 
 hide in a maze of bushes. When it finds the right 
 spot, it is not very particular about nest-ljuilding. A 
 jumble of weeds, twigs, roots, and sometimes rags or 
 bits of 23aper, serves to hold its light-blue eggs with 
 brown markings. 
 
 "If it be ever right to cage a wild bird, you miiy 
 make a prisoner of tliis Grosbeak ; but remember, j'ou 
 must take a young male before it has known the jo}'s 
 of freedom, and give at least a half-hour every day to 
 taking care of him. Then he will grow to love you 
 and be a charming pet, living happily and singing 
 gladly ; but under any other circumstances it is less 
 cruel to shoot one than to make it a prisoner." 
 
 The Rose-breasted Grosbeak 
 
 Length about eight inches. 
 
 Male : black on the head, back, wings, and tail; the belly, rump, 
 several spots on the wings, and three outer tail-i'eathers, white ; 
 rose-colored breast and wing-linings; bill white and very heavy. 
 
 Female ; streaked brownish above and below, without any rosy 
 color, but orange-yellow under the wings ; she looks like an over- 
 grown Sparrow with a swelled face. 
 
 A Summer Citizen of the eastern United States from Kansas 
 and the Carolina mountains to Canada, travelling south of the 
 United States in winter. 
 
 A Tree Trapper, (iround (ileaner, Weed Warrior, and Seed 
 Sower. Itather naughty once in a wdiile about picking tree-buds, 
 but on the whole a good neighbor. 
 
A TRIBE OF WEED WARRIORS 245 
 
 THE INDK.JO BIRD 
 (The Blue Canary) 
 
 " Blue birds and lilue flowers are Ijotli rare ; you can 
 count our really blue birds on the fino'ers of one hand, 
 and a Blue CJanary is even stranger than a green rose 
 or a black tulip. 
 
 " The Indigo Bird lias many of the Canary's gentle 
 ways, and though his music is not so fine or varied as 
 that of the Goldfinch or Song Sparrow, he sings a sweet 
 little tune to his brown mate on her nest in the bushy 
 pasture. 
 
 " She is fortunate in having a. dull dress ; for, if she 
 were as splendidly blue as her husband, nesting would 
 be a very anxious occupation for her. Indeed, her poor 
 mate has anything but an easy time ; his color is so 
 bright that everybody can see him at a glance, and 
 when he picks up grass-seed in the streaming sunlight, 
 his feathers glisten like sapphires." 
 
 "We saw an Indigo ]5ird yesterday ! " cried Nat and 
 Dodo together. " It was in the geraniums by the din- 
 ing-room window, eating the seed I tipped out of my 
 Canary's cage wlien I cleaned it," continued Dodo. 
 " Mammy Bun said it was a Blue Canary, but Nat said 
 it couldn't be, and I forgot to ask about it." 
 
 " Are you going to tell us about many more birds in 
 the Finch family, Uncle Roy ? " 
 
 " Not now. You have heard about those that will 
 be most likely to attract your attention, and when you 
 can name them, they will introduce you to all the rest 
 of their relations." 
 
24G 
 
 CITIZEN JIIRD 
 
 Indigo Bikd. 
 
 It is a great fam- 
 
 " said Rap, who 
 
 i sitting tliiiiking. 
 
 "ISig l)ii'ds 
 
 and litllc, plain 
 
 ray and llro'\^■n, or 
 
 id, blue, and yullow 
 
 some like warm 
 
 itlier and some 
 
 \ '-^r r ^\■ant it cold." 
 
 " Speaking of cold, I won- 
 der what hocame of the ice 
 that Dodo saw IMammy Bnn 
 cracking this morning ? " asked 
 the Doctor, lookhig at <Jlive. "The very word has 
 a pleasant sound, for it seems to me to he growing 
 warmer and warmer." 
 
 " Toot ! toot ! t-o-o-t ! " s(pieaked a tin horn across 
 the lield from the direction of the farmhouse. 
 
 "What's that?" said Nat, jumping up; "it's the 
 dinner horn, and it can't be dinner-time." 
 
 " Not more than eleven o'clock," said liap, looking 
 at the sun aft^n' the fashion of those who spend much 
 time out of doors. 
 
 " I know what the horn means," said Olive. " It 
 means that the cake, that Nat said jNIammy Bun was 
 going to bake with the ice, is done ! " 
 
 "But that was only nonsense, you know," said Nat. 
 " Ice won't l)ake anything ! " 
 
 " Perhaps not, l)ut ice can freeze something, if 3'ou 
 mix salt Avith it, even on this warm day, and the horn 
 means that mammy has a tin pail full of ice cream, 
 
A riilJlE OF WEED WARJIIORS 247 
 
 waiting for some one to eat it ! Ice cream, made with 
 fresh strawberries ! Don't break your neck, Nat ! " 
 For Nat had dashed off so quickly that it was no use 
 for Dodo and Rap to tr^- to Iveep up witli liim. 
 
 " Wliy do you mostly have somethin"' nice for us 
 to eat on bird-days?" asked Dodo, cuddling into the 
 bend of her uncle's arm. 
 
 "For two reasons, girlie. When I was a Ijoy, being 
 out of doors made me so hungry that it alwa^'s seemed 
 a long time between breakfast and dinner. I know 
 that little brains remember best when the stomachs 
 that nourish them are not empty. Neither ISird Chil- 
 dren nor House Children sliould go too long hungry ; 
 it is as l)ad as nib1)liug all day." 
 
 " Fve noticed since 1 came here I haven't needed 
 even to peep in the cooky Ijox between times. Aren't 
 yon one of the seven AV^ise Men of — of — I-forget- 
 where ? " asked Dodo, hugging him. 
 
 "CTreece," answered the Doctor; "no, fortnuali'ly, 
 I am not, for they are all dead." 
 
 "What's that?" whispered Ra[), pointing toward 
 the river, whence a strong, rapid, musical song came, 
 ending before jam could catch the syllables, and then 
 being repeated two or three times. 
 
 "It is the Cardinal," said the Doctor, in some sur- 
 prise — for the l)ird was singing almost at noon. "I 
 can see his red liberty cap near the top of the tallest 
 hemlock ! " 
 
 " Che-o — hoo — hoo," called the Cardinal, and then 
 the ice-cream [lail arrived, escorted ])y Nat. 
 
 " This is a festival for us as well as for the C'ardiual,'' 
 said Rap. 
 
248 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 The Indigo Bird 
 
 Length iive and a half iiiclies. 
 
 Male : bright blue, of a greener tint than the Bluebird ; wings 
 and tail dusky. 
 
 Female : plain brown above and whitey brown below, with a 
 few streaks, including a sharp black one under her beak. 
 
 A pleasant neighbor and good Citizen, belonging to the southern 
 branch of the Finch family. 
 
 A Tree Trapper and a Weed AVarrior. 
 
 A Summer Citizen of the eastern United States, west to Kansas 
 and north to Canada. From Kansas to the Pacific Ocean he is 
 replaced by his brother, the Lazuli Bunting. 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 A MIDSUMMER EXCUltSTON 
 
 It was that wonderful week after tlie middle of 
 June. The week that holds the Ijest of everytliing ; 
 the longest days of the whole fly-away year ; the big- 
 gest strawberries and the sweetest roses. Everything 
 at its height ; birds in full song ; bees in the floAvers ; 
 children in liamniocks under the trees, and a Wise i\Ian 
 humming happily to himself as he breathed it all in. 
 
 " I don't think that anything nicer than this can 
 happen," said Nat, swinging so hard in his hannnock 
 that he rolled out into the long grass. 
 
 " It doesn't seem as if it could,"'' answered Dodo ; 
 " only here at Orchard Earm there is so much niceness 
 you never can tell what is the very nicest." 
 
 Tiie Wise Man laughed to himself, and then whistled 
 an imitation of the White-tliroated Sparrow's call — 
 at which sound Dodo promptly rolled out of her ham- 
 mock and bumped into Nat, who was still lying in the 
 grass ; then both the children sat up and listened. 
 
 "All day — whittling — whittling — whittling," whis- 
 tled the notes. 
 
 " You ought to be further north building your nest," 
 said Nat. "Don't you know that, Mr. Peabody ? " 
 
 " It's Uncle Roy ! " cried Dodo, spying liim back of 
 the apple-tree perch. 
 
 249 
 
250 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " How would you like to go down to the seashore 
 to-morrow, little folks ? " 
 
 " There ! " exclaimed Dodo ; " you see tliere is more 
 iiiceness yet 1 " 
 
 "I suppose by that you mean 'yes,'" laughed tlie 
 Doctor. " Olive and I have planned to take the six- 
 seated surrey, with a hamper of good things to eat, 
 and drive down to the sandy shore wliere the river 
 Ijroadens into salt water. Tliere is a house on tlie 
 l)ay where we can have our dinner, and the meadows 
 and marshes are full of birds — don't quite smotlier 
 me. Dodo ! Then in the cool of the afternoon we can 
 return and have a picnic supper at some j)retty place 
 on the way. for to-morrow night the moon is full ! " 
 
 " Can Rap go with us — for he hardly ever gets down 
 to the shore ? " 
 
 " Certaiidy ! " 
 
 " How far is it ? " asked Nat. 
 
 " About fifteen nules by the road, though not more 
 tlian ten in a straight line." 
 
 "Are tlie birds different down there?" 
 
 " 8(ime of them are ; there is a great colony of Black- 
 birds 1 want you to see, for our next famil}' is a very 
 interesting one. It contains a harlequin, a. tramp, a 
 soldier, a tent-maker, a hammock-maker, and a basket- 
 maker ; and we shall probably see them all, sooner or 
 later, but certainly one or two of them to-morrow. 
 
 "• No, I won't tell you a word about them now. l)ut 
 go down and invite Rap, and tell him we will call for 
 him by half-past six o'clock in tlie morning, l)ecause we 
 must have time to drive slowl}-, stojj where ^A■e please, 
 and use our eyes." 
 
A MIDSUMMER EXCUHSION 251 
 
 Early next morning the party set out. Five liappy 
 cliildren — the youngest eight and the oldest fiftj'-eiglit 
 — started from Orchard Farm behind a pair of com- 
 fortable white horses that never wore blinkers or check- 
 reins. Tliese big meud)ers of the party were liuman 
 enough to look around as the cluldren scrambled into 
 the surrey, and then prick up their ears as if they knew 
 tlie difference between a j)icnic and a plougli, and were 
 happy accordingly. 
 
 They trotted down the turnpike a mile, and then 
 turned into a cross-road bordered by liay-fields almost 
 ready for cutting. Olive was driving, for she loved 
 the old white horses. Hap, Nat, and Dodo sat in the 
 middle seat, and the Doctor beliind. 
 
 " Please, Doctor, wliat is the name of the Bird family 
 we are going to visit?" asked Rap. 
 
 "'i'hc family of the lUackbirds and Orioles; l)ut it 
 has a Latin name, Id er 'nice, when it walks in tlie jiro- 
 cession." 
 
 "Listen ! listen ! " cried Dodo. "( )h, ( )live, do stop ; 
 there's some kind of a l)ir(l on top of those bars tliat is 
 singing as if he had started and couldn't stop, and Fm 
 sure liis voice will fly away from him in a minute ! " 
 
 Olive said "whoa" immediately. 
 
 " It's only a Bobolink ! " said Kap, as the l)ird spread 
 ]iis wings and soared into the air still singing, leaving 
 a little stream of music l)eliind Jiim, as a dancing canoe 
 leaves a train of ripples in the water. 
 
 "It is a Bobolink, surely," said tlie Doctor, "and not 
 ' only a Bobolink,' but the very bird we should be most 
 glad to see — tlie first of the Blacklurd and Oriole 
 family — the harlequin in liis summer liver^'." 
 
CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 THE BOBOLINK 
 (The Ref.d Bird. The Rice Bikd) 
 
 BOBIILINK. 
 
 " Why do ynu call the Boltolink a 'harlequin,' Uncle 
 Roy? AVhat is a harlequin ? " asked Dodo. 
 
 " Don't you remember that Harlequin was the name 
 of the man in the pantomime we saw last winter, who 
 wore clothes of all sorts of colors, changed fronr one 
 thing to another, and was always dancing about as if 
 he could not possibly keep still ? " 
 
A MIDSiniMER EXCURSION 253 
 
 " Y-e-s, I remember," said Dodo, "but I don't think 
 he was a l)it like this Bobolink ; for tliat harlequin 
 didn't say a word, only made signs, and tlie IJoljolink 
 sings faster than any bird I ever heard before." 
 
 "• Yes, he sings now; but it is only for a short time. 
 Next month he will be dumb, and before you know it 
 his beautiful shining black coat, with the white and 
 buff trimmings, will have dropped off. Then he will 
 be changed to dull brown like his wife, and keep as 
 quiet as poor C'inderella sitting in the ashes. 
 
 "■ Do you see any birds in that meadow of long grass? " 
 asked the Doctor. 
 
 " I don't see any in the grass," said Rap ; " but there 
 are some Boljolinks all about in the trees along the 
 edges, and more of them up in the air. Where are 
 their nests. Doctor? I've never found a Bobolink's 
 nest ! " 
 
 " Their nests are hidden in that long grass, and tlieir 
 mates also. Whoever would find them must have the 
 patience of an Indian, the eyes of a bird, and the cun- 
 ning of a fox. 
 
 "JMrs. Bobolink finds a little hollow in the ground 
 where the roots grow, and rounds up a nest from the 
 grass stalks with finer grass tops inside. Then she 
 so arranges the weeds and stems above her home that 
 there is no trace of a break in the meadow ; and when 
 she leaves the nest she never goes boldly out by the 
 front door or bangs it behind her, but steals off through 
 a Ijy-path in the grass. When she flies out of shelter 
 at last, she has already run a good way off, so that, 
 instead of telling the watcher where her home is, she 
 tells him exactly where it is not. 
 
254 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " Bob earns hiw living these days hj singing and 
 going to market for the family, but he does both in 
 a tearing hurry ; for his housekeeping, like his honey- 
 moon, is short. He must lead his children out of tlie 
 grass before the mowers overtake him, or the summer 
 days grow short ; for then he will have to spend some 
 time at his tailor's before he can follow the warm 
 weather down South again. 
 
 " Twice a year Bob has to make the most complete 
 change of plumage that falls to the lot of any bird. 
 His summer toilet is so tiresome and discouraging tliat 
 he retires into the thickest reeds to make it. Out he 
 comes in August, leaving his lovely voice behind with 
 his cast-off clothes, dressed like his wife, with hardly 
 a word to say for himself, as he joins the flock into 
 which various families have united. He even loses his 
 name, and is called Reedbird, after his hiding-place. 
 He grows reckless and says to his brothers, ' What do 
 we care? If we can't sing any more, we can eat — let 
 us eat and be merry still ! ' So they eat all the}' can, 
 and wax exceedingly fat ; the gunners know this, and 
 come after them. 
 
 " Meanwhile, in southern lowlands the rice-helds, that 
 have been hoed'and flooded with water all the season 
 to make tlie grain grow, are covered with tall stalks of 
 rice, wliose grains are not quite ripe, but soft and milk}- 
 like green corn. 
 
 " Some morning there is a great commotion on the 
 plantation. *• The Ricebirds have come ! ' is the cr}- — 
 tills being only another name for tlie Bobolink. 
 
 "Out fly the field-hands, men, women, and cliildren, 
 waving sticks, blowing horns, and firing off guns, to 
 
A MIDSHMMSIi EXCURSION 255 
 
 frighten the invaders away. Fires are ligljleil l)y iiiglit 
 to scare them, for the hirds travel both night and (hiy. 
 The 15obolinks do not stop for all tiiis noise, thongh of 
 course a great many are shot, ending their lives uiside 
 a pot-pie, or being roasted in ro\A's of six on a skewer. 
 But the rest fly on when they are read}-, leaving the 
 United States behind tJiem, and go through Florida to 
 Hrazil and the W^est Indies. 
 
 "In spring, on the northward journey, the rice-fields 
 suffer again. The males are jolly minstrels once more, 
 all l.)lack, wdiite, and buff, hurrying iiome to their nest- 
 ing grounds. They think that rice newly sown and 
 sprouting is good for the voice, and stop to gobble it 
 up in spite of all oljjections. 
 
 "Their song is not easy to express in words. 'IJobo- 
 link,' from which they take their name, is the sound 
 most frequently heard in it; but every bird-lover lias 
 tried to give it words, and some have written it down 
 in rhyming nonsense verses, like poetr}-. I thiidv Mr. 
 Lowell's are tiie best. 
 
 "'Ha! ha! ha! I must have my fun, i\Iiss Silver- 
 tinmble, thimble, thindjle, if I break every heart in the 
 meadow. See ! see ! see ! ' is one translation." 
 
 "That does sound exactly like a ISobolink," laughed 
 Dodo; "and here is one now, right over in that tree, 
 so crazy to sing that lie doesn't mind us a bit." 
 
 "Kick your slipper! Kick your slipper! Temper- 
 ance ! Temperance ! " said I5ob, as the white horses 
 turned into the road again. " Temperance ! take a 
 drink ! go to grass, all of you ! " 
 
256 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 The Bobolink 
 
 Length about seven niches. 
 
 Male in spring and summer ; jet black with ashy-white rump 
 and shoulders; some light edgings on the back, wings, and tail- 
 featliers, and a buff patcli on the back of the neck, like a cream- 
 puff baked just right. 
 
 Female : browni,sh and streaky like a l)ig Sparrow, with sharp- 
 pointed tail-feathers; two dark-brown stripes on the crown. 
 Brown above, with some black and yellowish streaks. Plain yel- 
 lowish below. 
 
 Ill autumn and winter both sexes alike. 
 
 A Suiiniier Citizen of the northern United States and southern 
 Canada. Visits all the Southern States in its journeys, but winters 
 south of them. 
 
 A member of the guilds of Ground Gleaners and Tree Trappers, 
 and a good Citizen in its nesting haunts. But on its travels through 
 the South a mischievous bird, who eats sprouting rice in spring 
 and ripening rice grains in fall. 
 
 THE ORCHARD ORIOLE 
 (The Basket-M/Vkee) 
 
 The sun was now well above the trees. The chil- 
 dren laughed and talked happily, now seeing a bird 
 they knew, then some of the flowers that their dear 
 flower lady, Olive, had shown them about the Farm. 
 
 " When we know some flowers and birds, shan't we 
 learn about the bugs and things the birds eat, and the 
 bees and butterflies that carry the flower messages. 
 Uncle Roy?" 
 
 " Yes, to be sure ; and by that time there will be 
 something else for you to wonder about." 
 
 " Why ! "' cried Dodo gleefully, " if we stay here till 
 we know all we want it will be so long that Uap will 
 
A MWt^UMMKR KXCUllslON 
 
 257 
 
 have a beard liku you, uuclu, and I shall luivr, ]ny hair 
 stuck lip ^'sitli hairpins, and wear the long skirts that 
 tangle people up"' — and at this they all laughed. 
 
 1. Male, 
 
 2. Female. 
 
 Orchard Oriole. 
 
 "What was that?" asked Nat, ss a bird darted l}y, 
 flashing with orange and blaek. 
 
 " That's an Oriole," said Kaji. 
 
 " Yes, an Oriole ; hut do you know what kind ? " said 
 the Doctor. 
 
258 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 "I didn't know there was l.)ut one kind," answered 
 Rap. "Anyway, this one makes a long nest lianging 
 from tlie end of a hrancli ; he is a good figliter if any 
 one touclies it, and can keep away squirrels and chip- 
 munks like a little man." 
 
 " There are seven different species of North American 
 Orioles," said the Doctor ; "hut you are only likely to 
 see two of them — the hammock-maker and the bas- 
 ket-maker. This one, the hammock-maker, who has 
 just flown by, is called the Baltimore (Oriole, l)ecause 
 George Calvert, Jjord Baltimore, on landing in tliis 
 country in 1(328, is said to have admired the colors (if 
 the bird and adopted them for his coat of arms. Some 
 called him Fire-bird, because ho is so flaming (irange 
 on some parts, and (ithers llang-nest, from the way he 
 slings his hannnoek. 
 
 "The plainer black and chestnut liird, \\ho now has 
 a nest in our own Orchard, is the liasket-maker. As 
 these two belong to the JJlackbird and Oriulo faniily, 
 we may as well have them now, though in the regular 
 family procession the 'tramp' walks next to the I>oI)o- 
 link, who is such a vagrant himself. 
 
 "This Oriole takes his name because he was once 
 supposed to hang his nest chielly in the branches of 
 orchard trees ; but he is as likely to be found in the 
 maples by the garden fence as anywhere else. 
 
 " He has a cheerful rolling song, as varied in its 
 different tunes as that of the Song Sparrow. It is not 
 like a Robin's, or a Thrush's, or even like Rrother 
 Baltimore's ; it is perfectly original, and before these 
 birds leave the Orcliard you must listen, to hear it for 
 yourselves. 
 
A MIDSUMMER EXCURSION 259 
 
 " Mrs. (). Oriole is a famous weaver ; lier grass nest, 
 hung from a crotcli, is one of tlie tidiest bits of basket- 
 making in IJirdland, and Avould do credit to liuman 
 liands. Yet slie has only a beak for a shuttle or darn- 
 ing-needle — whichever you please to call it. I think 
 it is most like the needle of a sewing-machine, with 
 the eye at the point, so that it pokes the thread through 
 as it goes into the cloth, instead of pulling it through 
 Avith the other end." 
 
 The Orchard Oriole 
 
 Length seven inches. 
 
 jMale : black ; the rump, lireast, belly, and lesser wing-covevts 
 chestnut. Round black tail with whitish tips, and some whitish 
 on the wings. 
 
 Female: grayish-gTeen on the upper parts, greener on the 
 tail, witli paler bars on the wings; dull yellow on all the under 
 par(s. 
 
 The young male is like the female the first year, but a little 
 browner on the back ; next year he has a black throat; then he 
 patches up his clothes till he looks like his father, all black and 
 chestnut. 
 
 A Summer Citizen of the United States, west to the plains, north 
 to some parts of the Northern States and Canada, travelling entirely 
 .south of the United States to spend the wintei'. 
 
 A pleasant thougli shy neighbor, and very good Citizen, belong- 
 ing to the Ground Gleaners, Tree Trappers, and Seed Sowers. Eats 
 a little cultivated fruit for dessert, and should be welcome to it. 
 
 THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE 
 (The Hammock-maker) 
 
 "The Baltimore Oriole is not so shy as his brother, 
 and rather relies on keeping his nest out of sight tlian 
 himself out of mind. His home is a sort of hempen 
 
260 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 liammock, only deeper and more poeket-sliaped, to keejj 
 the Ijalnes from falling out, as Nat and Dodo both did 
 out of our liammock j'esterday. 
 
 " This nest Mrs. B. (3riole twines herself, from 
 plant libres, adding strings of cotton or worsted when 
 she has a chance to find any. She secures it to the 
 end of a strong supple twig, usually at a good height 
 from the sfround, and she likes an elm tree 
 
 not easy for 
 juse People to 
 ] on the slen- 
 ig branches, 
 the eggs 
 young are 
 ifely rocked 
 jy the wind 
 and shel- 
 tered by 
 leaves. 
 A cat 
 may look 
 at a king, 
 and also at 
 an Oriole's 
 nest, but 
 the look- 
 ing M'ill not do her much good in either case. 
 
 " ]\Iamma Oriole sits on the nest, which is almost 
 closed over her head, and keej^s all safe. Though she 
 does not sing to House People, how do we know but 
 what she whispers a little lullaby like this, on stormy 
 nights, to her nestlings? 
 
 Baltimore Oriole. 
 
A iriDSUMMER EXCUllSION 2G1 
 
 " U:iiiis beat ! Winds blow 1 
 Safe tlie nest in tlie ehn tree. 
 
 Days come ! Niglits go ! 
 
 Birds at rest in the elm tree. 
 To-and-fro, to-a-n-d-fro, 
 Safe are we from every foe — 
 
 Orioles in the elm tree. 
 Cats come ! Cats go ! 
 Lullaby in the el in tree ! 
 
 " i\lean\vhile B. Oriole does a great deal of work, 
 for he is a tireless member of the guilds of Tree Trap- 
 pers and (iround (lleanors, eating hosts of caterjjillurs, 
 wireworms, and beetles. When he is very tliirsty he 
 does, now and then, take a sip of the fruit he has helped 
 to save, and onee in a Mdnle he may eat a few green peas. 
 But would any one refuse a mess of jieas to a neighbor 
 ill the next liouse ? Then why should you begrudge a 
 few to neighbor B. Oriole ? lie doubtless paid you for 
 them before he took them, or will do so before long. 
 
 " 15. Oriole comes north before his mate to Ije, and 
 spends a few days in fretting nntil she arrives. Then 
 he sing.s a gladsome song, to tell her of his j)leaHure, 
 and she answers, I am sorry to say, in rather a com- 
 plaining tone ; but the match is soon made. Thougli 
 they are not the sweetest-tempered birds possible, they 
 are as quick to aid as to quarrel with their neighbors. 
 
 "Their bright colors seem rather out of place in the 
 family which contains also our sombre lilackbirds, Init 
 before the leaves have fallen both kinds of ( )rioles and 
 their families start for Mexico and Central vVmerica, 
 where such tropical hues seem more in kee})ing, and 
 where many members of the family arc (|uite as brill- 
 iant as those we see here." 
 
262 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 "There goes another Oricile !" cried Nat. "Wliat 
 a beaut)', too! I suppose he has a nest high up in one 
 of these elms over the road." 
 
 " Very likely, for in autumn, when tlie trees are bare, 
 I have sometimes counted a dozen Orioles' nests in this 
 very row of elms." 
 
 " Look, Uncle Roy ! Look over in that pasture ! 
 What are all those black and brown birds walking 
 round after the cows, just as chickens do? " said Dodo. 
 
 " Tliose are members of the Blackbird family called 
 
 Cowbirds, because they follow the cows as they feed, 
 
 in order to pick up worms and Ijugs that are shaken 
 
 out of tlie grass. ]>ut I am sorry to say that these 
 
 l)irds arc the vagabonds of Lirdland — the tramps I 
 
 told you of." 
 
 The Baltimore Oriole 
 
 I/eiigth seven and a half inelies. 
 
 Male : orange ttame-color, the head, neck, and upper half of back 
 black ; wings black, edged Avith 'wliite ; tail black and orange, 
 about half and lialf. 
 
 Female : not clear orange and black, but the former color much 
 duller, and the latter mixed up with gray, olive, and brown. 
 
 A Summer Citizen of the United States east of the Rocky ^foun- 
 tains, north to Canada, travelling to Central America for the winter. 
 
 A worthy Citizen, fine musician, and a good neighbor. Belongs 
 to the guilds of Ground Gleaners, Tree Trappers, and Seed Sowers. 
 
 THK COWUIED 
 
 (The Tramp) 
 
 " Cluck-see I cluck- see ! " called a Cowbird, flying 
 over the wall to join the others in the pasture. 
 " Wliat a hoarse ugly cry I " said Nat. 
 "Yes, but not more disagreeal)le tlian the bird's 
 
A MlVHUMMElt EXVUllSION 
 
 263 
 
 lialjits. r \\\\\ tell you wliat ]j;4)[iens every season to 
 some poov \\'a-i'l)lei', Sparrow, or V'ireo, on aceoiint of 
 this strange bird. 
 
 " A Song Sparrow liuilils lier nest in (lie grass; an 
 egg is laid, tlie Ijird loolis proudly at it, and may per- 
 
 Co\yEIED. 
 
 hajris fly off for a few minutes. ^leanwhile, p)eeping 
 and spying, along comes a Cowbird. She wants to lay 
 au egg, too, hut has no home, because she is too lazy 
 and shiftless to Luild one. She sees the Sparrow's nest 
 and thinks, ' Ah, liah ! that bird is smaller than I am, 
 and cannot 2)ush my egg out ; I will leave it there ! ' 
 This she does very (piiekly, and slips away again. 
 
 " When the Sparrow comes home she may wonder at 
 
264 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 the strange egg, and perhaps 1j3 ahle to pnsh it out 
 of the nest; but more likely she takes no notice of 
 it, as it is so much like lier own, and lets it sta}'. If 
 she does this, that egg is only the heginning of trouble. 
 It is larger than her own, so it gets more ^\'armtll and 
 hatches more quickly. Then the 3'oung Cowbird grows 
 so fast that it squeezes the little Sparrows dreadfully, 
 sometimes quite out of the nest, and eats so much that 
 they are half or wholly starved. The poor Sparrow 
 and her mate must sometimes think what a big child it 
 is ; but they feed it kindl}^ until it can fly — sometimes 
 even after it leaves the nest. Then it goes back to 
 join the flock its tramp parents Ijelong to, without so 
 much as saying 'thank you' to its foster parents. 
 
 "A Cowbird lays only one egg in each nest, l)ut 
 sometimes several visit the same nest in succession ; 
 and then the poor Sparrow has a hard time, indeed. 
 
 " The Yelh.iw Warljler is one of the clever birds who 
 will not always Ije imposed upon — you re)neml)er the 
 two-storied nest we found ; and some of the larger birds 
 push ovit the strange egg. But Cowbirds are very 
 crafty, and usually select their victims from among the 
 small, feeble, and helpless." 
 
 " Does this hateful Cowbird ever sing ? "' asked Dodo. 
 
 " Sometimes in spring he tries to ; he squeaks a few 
 notes, and makes faces, struggling, choking, wheezing, 
 as if he had swallowed a l.)eetle with hooks on its legs 
 and Avas in great pain. It is a most startling noise, but 
 it certainly is aiot musical, though perhaps it pleases 
 the Cowbird ladies ; for if they have such bad taste in 
 otlier ways, the}' doul.)tless like such liarsh and inhar- 
 monious sounds. 
 
.4 ilWSUMiMEll EXCURSION 265 
 
 " I don't see wliat makes them art so," said Rap. " 1 
 tlioiiglit liirds liad to build nests, or have a liole or a bit 
 of ground or roek of tlieir own — lliat it was a Uiw." 
 
 "So it is, my boy; l)ut the Cowbird is one of the 
 exceptions I tohl yini about ; and I am ghrd to say 
 there are very few." 
 
 The Cowbird 
 
 Leiigtli about seven and a Ijalf inches. 
 
 Male : very glos.sy black, excepting the head and neck, which 
 are shiny dark brown like burnt cotfee. 
 
 Female ; dusky brown, the lower parts hglitei' than the ujnier. 
 
 A Citizen of the entire United States. 
 
 A Ground Gleaner and a Weed Warrior, to some extent, but a 
 bad neighbor, a worse parent, a homeless vagabond, and an outlaw 
 in Birdland. 
 
 ON AflAIX 
 
 The road crept down liill, jiassed tlirougli a vilhige, 
 and then into the woods once more. The chiklren saw 
 a great many l)ird frien(hs — Swallows, Goldfinches, a 
 beautiful lUue Jay, which was new to them, and some 
 Yellow ^\'arblers. They stopped for half an Inmr in tiie 
 wooded lane, where a Chat whistled to them, a Scarlet 
 Tanager flew hastily overhead, and the Doctor showed 
 them a Towhee rambling among the leaves, wdrile a little 
 brownish Ijird kept flitting into the air and back to his 
 perch, calling "pewee — po-a-r ! " in a sad voice. 
 
 " What's that ? " asked Itap ; " it's a ))ird I often see 
 near the mill, catching flies on the wing." 
 
 "It is called the Wood Pewee," said the Doctor ; 
 "when we come back this afternoon we will stop, and 
 I will try to find its nest to show you. We must go 
 on now." 
 
266 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 As soon as tliey drovt; out of the Avood, the smell of 
 the salt marsh came to thejii, and they saw that the 
 road led hetweeu low meadows, with wooded knolls 
 here and there. liy and hy the trees grew thinner 
 and the grass coarser. 
 
 " Oh, I see the water ! " cried Dodo, " and the little 
 house where we are going ! Oh, look at the Hack 
 hirds fl3'ing over tliose hushes ! Are those Cowhirds 
 too ? And there are more hlack birds, very hig ones 
 too, going over to the water, and more j'et coming out 
 of those stumpy little pines, and there are some yellow 
 pigeons down in the grass ! Do stop quick, Olive ! 
 I think there is going to he a bird clambake or a picnic 
 down here ! " And Dodo nearly fell out of the surrej' 
 in her excitement. 
 
 " Not exactly a picnic," said the Doctor, " but what 
 I have brought you purposely to see. The birds fly- 
 ing over the alders are Ked-winged Blackbirds ; those 
 coming from the pines are Purple Crackles ; the big 
 black ones flying overhead are Crows ; and the yellow- 
 breasted fellows walking in the grass are ]\Ieadowlarks. 
 We must first make the horses comfortable, and then 
 we can spend the day with the birds among these 
 marshes and meadows." 
 
 When they reached the beach the Avagon track led 
 through a hedge of barberry bushes to a shed covered 
 with pine boughs at the back of the fisherman's house. 
 
 The fisherman himself came out to help them with 
 the horses. He was a Finlander, Olaf Neilsen, who 
 kept boats in summer, fished, and tended two buoy 
 lights at the river entrance for a living. Mis hut stood 
 on a point, with the sandy beach of the bay in front of 
 
A MIDSUMMER EXCUR.SION 267 
 
 it, and tlie steeper l)aiik wliere tlie river ran on the 
 left. All the time the water was rusliiiig out, out, out 
 of the liver and creeping- down on tlie sand to make 
 low tide. 
 
 The ehildreii did not know it then, but tliey were to 
 spend luaiiy happy days on this beach, in company with 
 tlieir uncle and (.)laf, during the next two years. 
 
 The Doctor whispered something mysterious to Olaf 
 about clams, hoes, and "dead low water"; then lie 
 told the children to rest awhile nn<ler the pine shelter, 
 and hear about the Blackbirds before they went out to 
 see them in the meadows. 
 
 THE KED-W'IN(;KI> black BUM) 
 (The Hussar) 
 
 " This handsome Ijlackbird comes earl)' and stays 
 late in places where lie does not linger all the year. 
 He loves wet places, and his note is moist and juicy, to 
 match his nesting liaunts. ' Onclier-la-ree ! ' he calls, 
 cither in flying or as he walks along the ground after 
 the fashion of his brethren — for Blackbirds never hop, 
 like most birds, with both feet together, but move one 
 after the other, just as we do. 
 
 " The Kedwings are socialjle birds, nesting in small 
 colonies, and when once settled they never seem to 
 stray far from home. The nest is a thick pocket hung 
 either lietween reeds over the water, or fixed to the 
 upright stems of a bush, quite near the ground, if the 
 place is very marshy. 
 
 " The Redwings place their nests where it would 
 seem very easy to reach them ; Ijut really the bushes 
 
268 
 
 CITIZEN HIRD 
 
 are either surrounded by a little creek, hidden deep in 
 the reeds, or the ground is so marshy that neither man 
 nor l^east can come near. That is the one reason why 
 the males fly about so boldly, showing their glossy uni- 
 forms witli the red and gold epaulets. When we try 
 
 to visit that group of 
 alders, where the col- 
 ^ I y ony lives, you 
 will see for 3'our- 
 selves how nicely 
 it is protected. 
 "We welcome 
 this I'lackbird 
 in the S}>ring, 
 because his is one 
 of the earliest bird- 
 notes. In au- 
 tumn, when he 
 leaves the marsh 
 and brings his flock 
 to the grain-flelds, 
 we do not like him 
 quite so Avell ; but 
 the Wise ^len say 
 that even then he is 
 a good fairy in disguise, eating cutworms, army-worms, 
 and other injurious kinds ; even when stealing a bit of 
 green corn, they think he clears away the worms tbat 
 bore under the husks." 
 
 The Red-winged Blackbird 
 
 Length nine and a Ijalt' inches. 
 
 Male : glossy black, except the scarlet shoulders, edged with buff. 
 
 Ked-winged Blackbird. 
 
A MIDSUMMER EXCUH.SION 
 
 m 
 
 Female : mixed rusty lihick and buff, witli dull reddish-orange 
 shoulders — not conspicuous. 
 
 A Citizen of North America in gcneial. 
 
 A member of the guilds of fJrouml (ileaners and Tree Trappers. 
 
 THE PURPLE (;i!A('KI>E 
 
 (The Ckow BL.vcKBiun 
 
 Rusty Hinge) 
 oirds are makint 
 
 " What a noise those 15hu'k- 
 said Nat. 
 
 " That's nothing to the way 
 they do early in the s[)i-ing, 
 or in autnnui, after tiiey are 
 through nesting," said Kap. 
 " Yon shouhl hear 
 them, 'i'hey C(jnie to 
 a big cliestnnt across 
 the road from onr 
 honse, more tlia.n a 
 liundred of them at 
 once, and they ereak 
 and crackle and 
 squeak till all of a 
 sudden d(j\vn they go 
 on the ground, and 
 walk aljoiit awhile to 
 feed." 
 
 " Yes," said the 
 Doctor, " I call them 
 Rusty Hinges, for their voices sound like the creaking 
 of a door that needs oiling on the hinges. I>ut in 
 sijite of this they try to sing to their mates in spring. 
 
 I'LIKl'LE (iRACKLE. 
 
270 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 and very funny is the sight and sound of their devotio)i. 
 To judge only by their notes, tliey shoukl belong to the 
 Croaking Birds, and not to the Singers at all ; but they 
 have a regular music-box in the throat, only it is out of 
 order, and won't play tunes. Like the Redwings, they 
 also nest in colonies, either in old orchards, cedar thick- 
 ets, or among pines ; the rest of the year, too, they 
 keep in flocks. Except in the most northerly States 
 Crow Blackbirds stay all winter, like Crows themselves. 
 They are not particularly likable birds, though you 
 will find they have very interesting habits, if you take 
 time to watch them." 
 
 " I wonder if you fed them with cod-liver oil and 
 licorice lozenges if their voices would be better?" 
 asked Dodo, who had suffered from a hoarse cold the 
 winter before. 
 
 " I don't know what that treatment might do for 
 them," laughed the Doctor ; "but if you will agree to 
 feed them I will give you tlie oil and licorice I " And 
 then Dodo laughed at herself. 
 
 The Purple Grackle 
 
 Length twelve to thirteen and a half inches. 
 
 Male : glossy black, with soap-bubble tints on the head, back, tail, 
 and wings, and yellow iris. A long tail that does not lie flat and 
 smooth like that of most birds. 
 
 Female: dull blackish and smaller — not over twelve inches. 
 
 A Citizen of the Atlantic States from Florida to Massachu- 
 setts. 
 
 A good Citizen, if there are not too many in one place to eat too 
 much grain. 
 
 A Ground Gleaner and Tree Trapper, clearing grubs and beetles 
 from ploughed land. 
 
A MIDSUMMETl HA'CUnsiON 
 
 271 
 
 THK JlEADOWr.AIMC 
 
 r 
 
 3:3 ' 
 
 Meadowl.vek. 
 
 " 111 early ]\Iarch the Meadowlavk comes to the pLiees 
 that he was ohliged to leave in the winter, and cries, 
 ' Spring o' the year ! Spring o' the y-e-a-r ! ' to the 
 brown fields and icy brooks. They hear the call and 
 inimediately Isegin to stir themselves. 
 
 "Then the jMeadowlark Ijegins to earn his living, and 
 pay his taxes at the same time, by searching the fields 
 and pastures first for weed seeds and then, as the 
 ground softens, fi:)r the various grubs and beetles that 
 
272 ciTiZEy Bin I) 
 
 meant to do mischief as soon as they could get a chance. 
 By the middle of May, when the grass has grown high 
 enough to protect him, this gentle bird thinks he has 
 earned a right to a home in one of the meadows he has 
 freed from their insect enemies, and sets about to make 
 it. A little colony may settle in this same field, or a 
 single pair have a corner all to themselves. 
 
 " A loose grass nest is arranged in a suitable spot, 
 usually wheretlie grass is long enough to be drawn 
 together over the nest like a sort of tent. Here the 
 mother tends the eggs and nestlings, the father always 
 keeping near to help her, and coutinuallj^ singing at his 
 daily toil of providing for his family as charmingly as 
 if he were still a gay bachelor ; for Meadowlarks are 
 very affectionate both toward each other and their 
 3'oung. It is really distressing to liear the sadness of 
 the song of one who has lost his mate. He seems to be 
 crj'ing, ' Where are you, dear ? ' and beseeching her to 
 come. 
 
 " Though we fref[uently hear their song in the marsh 
 meadows in autumn, they are shj-er then, and keep in 
 flocks. At that season they grow fat, and gurniers con- 
 tinually worry them ; but I do not think that sports- 
 men often shoot these song birds. The}^ are chiefly the 
 victims of thoughtless boys or greedy pot-hunters. The 
 true spoi'tsman is one of the first to preserve all song 
 birds, and give even game birds a fair chance for life ; 
 he is thus very different from the cruel man who, simply 
 because he owns a gun, shoots everything, from a Robin 
 to a Quail, and even in the nesting season." 
 
 " Please, what is a pot-hunter ? " asked Dodo. 
 
 " A pot-hunter is one who kills birds and other game 
 
A 1HIDSU3IME11 EXCUU.'^WN 2l-] 
 
 at any time, regardless of the law, merely for the sake 
 of money-making." 
 
 " Is there a law about killing Lirds ? " asked Nat. 
 
 " C'ertainly. All really civilized States have their 
 gamedaws, and I hope tlie time is near when all our 
 States will unite in this matter. Where there is a good 
 law no wild hird or beast, even those which are suitalilc 
 and intended for food, may be killed in its nesting or 
 breeding season, or for some time afterward. Also, 
 these creatures must only be killed l)y fair hunting, not 
 with snares or traps or by any foul means ; and even 
 fishes are thus protected against wanton or excessive 
 destruction." 
 
 "But if there is a law is some places and not in others, 
 why don't the birds that travel get shot when they go 
 about?" asked IJap. 
 
 "They do, mj' boy, and that is the pity of it. Some 
 people seem to think there are so many birds in this 
 great country that they cannot be killed out ; and others 
 are Ijrutal, or do not think at all, but kill fur the sake 
 of killing. The worst of it is that little or no protec- 
 tion is given the poor birds in the warm countries where 
 they spend the winter. Thrushes are shot for pot-pie, 
 all the gayly colored birds are killed for their feathers, 
 and flocks of doves are slain to see how many a man 
 can hit in a day ! 
 
 " Olaf says the Aleadowlarks are raising their second 
 brood now and he can find you some empty nests, if 
 you go with him, so you can see how they are made; 
 he will sliow you the Redwings' nests, too. You boys 
 may take off 3'our shoes and stockings ; and ]\Iiss Dodo, 
 beijig a girl, shall ride on Olaf's shoulder." 
 
 T 
 
274 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " Please, can't I have my shoes off too ? " begged 
 Dodo. " I love to wade like the boys ! " 
 
 " By and by, on the beach ; but what if a frog or 
 an eel should touch your foot, or a sharp straw stick in 
 it — are you enough of a boy not to scream?" 
 
 Dodo was not sure, and thought she would begin 
 by riding. 
 
 The Meadowrlark 
 
 Lengtli ten to eleven inches. 
 
 Upper parts niarkeil with brown, baj', gray, and black; head 
 striped, witli a yellow spot in front of tlie eye; wing-feathers near- 
 est the body, and most of the tail-feathers, scalloped with black and 
 gray, but the outside tail-feathers white. 
 
 Under parts nearly all yellow, with a black crescent on the 
 breast, but further back flaxen-brown, with dark stripes. 
 
 Bill stout where it runs up on tlie forehead, but tapering to the 
 point. 
 
 A Citizen of the United States and Canada. 
 
 A gooil and useful neighlior. A famous memlierof the guild of 
 Ground (ileaners, its chief worli being to kill bad insects whicl) 
 eat tlie grass-roots in pastures and hay-fields. 
 
 A beautiful bird and charming songster. 
 
CHAPTER XVllI 
 CROWS AND THEIR COUSINS 
 
 In half an hour tlie children were back again, all talk- 
 ing eagerly together. 
 
 " The Redwings scolded us like everything ! " said 
 Dodo, "and Rap stepped right into an empty Meadow- 
 lark's nest, without seeing it. A little way back there 
 are lots of Robolinks, too, singing and singing, but we 
 couldn't find a single nest." 
 
 " It was pretty warm out there," said Nat, fanning 
 himself with a wide haymaker's hat, such as both he 
 and Dodo had worn since they came to the Farm. 
 
 " Gome under the shelter and rest until Olaf has 
 dinner ready. Where is Olive ? " 
 
 " She is down by the water looking for seaweeds, 
 for her album." 
 
 " Have we used up all the Blackbird family ?" asked 
 Dodo, as they sat on the sand and began to dig holes 
 with their hands. 
 
 " Oh, no ; there is the higgest of all — the Crow," 
 said Nat. 
 
 " Strange as it is," replied the Doctor, " though the 
 Crow is the blackest of all our birds he does not belong 
 to the Blackbird family, but to a separate one of his 
 own — the family of Crows, Jays, and Magpies." 
 
 " How is that, Uncle Roy ? You said that beautiful 
 
 275 
 
276 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 blue and graj' bird we saw in tlie woods was a Jay," 
 said Nat. 
 
 " Yes, but that is no stranger, as far as looks go, than 
 to find a flaming Oriole in the Blackbird family, is it ? 
 You remember that I told you the relationship of birds 
 depends upon their likeness in the bones and the rest 
 of their inwards, not upon the color of their feathers." 
 
 " See ! there are a great many Crows on that sand- 
 bar ! They are picking up mussels ! Some are bigger 
 than others ! " said liap, who had been taking a look 
 through the field-glass. " Are the small ones the 
 females, or are there two kinds of Crows ? " 
 
 "There are several kinds of Crows in the United 
 States, besides Ravens and Magpies, wlio are cousins to 
 the Crow. ^Vbout here we usually only see two of 
 them — the two that are now down on the bar — the 
 American Crow and the Fish Crow. The Fish Crow 
 is tJie smaller of the two, lives along the coast, and 
 does not often go further north than Connecticut. It 
 takes its name from its habit of catching fish in shallow 
 pools and Ijays. 
 
 " The larger Crow is the bird that every one knows 
 and most people dislike, because it has always been 
 called a corn tliief, though the Wise Men say it is 
 rather a useful bird after all. 
 
 " The Crow is certainly a black, gloomy-looking bird, 
 with a disagreeable voice. If several pairs make up 
 their minds to build in the cedars or tall pines in one's 
 grounds, anywhere near the house, the noise they make 
 early in the morning is very tiresome. ' Ka — Ka — 
 Ka-a-a-ah ! ' they call and quaver, at the first peep of 
 day. Then they begui to look about for breakfast. If 
 
C'liOWS AND THEIR COUSmS 
 
 Til 
 
 there is a Rol)in"s or Dove's iiest ;it luind, llic}' iliiiik it 
 is foolisli io look fiu'tliev, and iielp tlieinsclvcs to fre.sli 
 eggs or squabs. Tliis malces us yci-}^ augry, and mc 
 have the great Crow's nest — a peck or two of sticks, 
 lined Avith tlie hark of cedars and grape vines — pulled 
 from the tree-top where the crafty bird had hidden it. 
 
 " It is perfectly right to do so, from 
 our point of view. I, for one, do 
 not wish Crows in my garden 
 or al)out the Farm, where 
 I see only the bad 
 side of their 
 characters. 
 
 -■'•«%^.*i.,-;, ' 
 
 7.:^ _ _^».'' 
 
 A]\iEi;i('AN Crow, 
 
 So we chase theni away, and put scarecrows in the 
 corn-fields. Do the Crows care? Not a l)it ! The}' 
 laugh and talk al)out us behind our liacks, and before 
 our faces too. They pretend to be afraid, and fly away 
 if a man appears a quarter of a mile off ; but merely 
 to settle down in another part of the field until their 
 watcher tells them to move away again. 
 
 " There is a watcher for every flock, who gives the 
 order to fly, and warns the troop at every approach of 
 dano-er. 
 
278 CITIZEN BIHD 
 
 " Of course we must reniemljer that for many mouths 
 of the year the Crow eats grasslioppers, grubs, and even 
 mice ; but it is easy to forget this wlien one discovers 
 that half a dozen Crows have eaten all the 3'oung 
 Robins in the orchard, in a single morning." 
 
 " Did they ever do that in our Orcliard ? " asked Dodo. 
 
 "Yes — not once, but many times; and that is the 
 reason why I do not allow Crows to nest anywhere on 
 the Farm. In great open farming districts, wliere other 
 birds are few, they may do mucli more good tlian evil; 
 but not in well-settled places or about gardens and 
 pleasure grounds." 
 
 The American Crow 
 
 J>eiigtli fi-oin eighteen to twenty inches. 
 
 Glossy black from the tip of its beak to the end of its toes. 
 
 A Citizen of North America from the Fur Coruitries to Mexico. 
 
 A dismal and noisy neighbor for three months m tlie year, 
 making itself hateful by destroying grain, and the eggs and young 
 of song birds ; but for the other nine a good citizen, working in 
 the guilds of Ground Gleaners and Wise Watchers. 
 
 THE BLUE .JAY 
 
 " This Jay is accused of the same bad tricks as the 
 Crow — pulling up sprouting corn, eating ripe corn, 
 and going birds'-nesting, to suck the eggs and eat the 
 helpless young. But we must not judge the whole 
 tribe by what we have seen a pair or two do in the 
 Orchard or home Avoods in the mating season. 
 
 " The Blue Jay is tlie third of our really familiar 
 blue birds and is certainly very handsome. Do you 
 remember wlio the other two are?" 
 
 " The Bluebird ! " said Dodo quickly. 
 
CliO^VS AND THEIR COUSINS 
 
 279 
 
 " And the Blue Sparrow ! " cried Nat. 
 " You mean the Indiij-o ISird," huiglied Rap. "The 
 Blue Jay is a queer hird, wlio can twist himself into 
 
 Blue Jay. 
 
 all sorts of shapes. He sits one way Avhen he sings, 
 another wlien he is watching out for danger, and when 
 he calls he is too funny for anything — he humps him- 
 self up and drops his tail as if he was falling apart, and 
 then squawks ! " 
 
280 CITIZEN lilRD 
 
 "I see that you know tliis bird very well," said the 
 Doctor. "Have you .seen his nest?" 
 
 "Once. It was in the miller's woods, half-way up 
 in a cliestnut tree, and built just like a Crow's, only 
 much smaller. That season one of the Jays whistled 
 and carried on till I thought there were ever so many 
 birds together, and then laughed at me I They come 
 round the mill for sweepings in winter, but tliey are 
 almost as shy as Crows." 
 
 Wlien Olaf came witli a Ijasket and some short- 
 handled hoes, the Doctor told Dodo siie might take 
 off her shoes and stockings and go down on the sand- 
 bar with Nat and Ulaf, to dig clams for the chowder 
 for diinier. 
 
 "Alore niceness I " screamed Dodo. "Olaf! Olaf I 
 do clams grow in hills like potatoes ? I thought they 
 swam like fish ! Aren't you coming, uncle, and Rap 
 too, to tell us about clams ? " 
 
 " No ; you must talk to Olaf. We are going to help 
 Olive with lier seaweeds." 
 
 The Blue Jay 
 
 Leiig'tli nearly twelve inches. 
 
 A fine blue and black crest on the head, very tall and pointed. 
 
 Upper parts blue, brighter on the wings and tail, which have 
 many black bars and some white tips. 
 
 Under parts grayish-white, with a black collar. 
 
 A Citizen of eastern North America from the Fur Countries to 
 Florida. 
 
 Belonging to the guild of Ground Gleaners, his special work 
 being to kill grasshoppers and caterpillars ; but often eats young 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 A FEATIir>:HEI) FISIIEUMAN 
 
 THE (JSPr.KY 
 
 Before the day was over the cliiUlren were so in 
 love with Olaf — with the beach where enihs wi;re li\'- 
 ing, with the sea (jver whieh water birds were soariiig 
 — and wislied to know so many things, that the Doctor 
 told them the only way to satisfy them would be to 
 camp on the sliore in August, when the water would lie 
 warm enough for batliing ; for to answer all the (jues- 
 tions they asked would take a montJi. 
 
 "And then you can tell us another bmikful aljout 
 water and iisli, and oralis and sky," said Doilo. "So 
 we shall have a bird lj(5ok, and a butterfly liook, and 
 Olive's flower book I " 
 
 "Yes, and a lieast book, too!" said Xat, "aliout 
 coons and bears, and squirrels and foxes, you know I 
 Rap has seen foxes right on (jur Farm ! " 
 
 "I wish I knew something about the stars — and the 
 rocks too," said Rap very earnestly. " Was this earth 
 ever young. Doctor ? " 
 
 " Yes, my Ijoy, everything that Heart of Nature 
 guides had a l)eginning and was once young." 
 
 " What is that? An Eagle?" cried Dodo suddenly, 
 pointing up to a very large bird, with a white breast 
 
 281 
 
282 
 
 CITIZEN BITII) 
 
 and brown-ljari-ed tail, wlio flew over the bay and 
 dived into tlie water. 
 
 " It's the Fisherman Bird," said Ohrf. " Some call 
 it the Fish Hawk and others the Osprey. Tliey say 
 it lives all over North America, Imt it goes far south 
 in Avinter, and when it comes hack in spring we know 
 
 the fish are running again ; 
 for it lives on the fish 
 it catches, and 
 won't come un- 
 til they are 
 ])lenty." 
 
 OSPRET. 
 
 " How does it catch fish ? " asked Dodo. 
 
 " It hovers overhead until it sees, Avith its sharp e3'e, 
 a fish ripple the water ; then it pounces down like a 
 flash, and grabs the fish with its long claws, that are 
 made like grappling-irons. If the fish is small the 
 Osprey carries it home easily ; but if it is a big one 
 there may be a fight. Sometimes, if tlie Osprey's claAvs 
 
A FEATIJEREI) FISItl'JltM AN 283 
 
 get uaug'ht in :i lish too hirge to i\y iiwii}' with, tlie 
 Fisheniuui Bird is dragged uudur water and drowned." 
 
 "Do they still newt on Round Island?" asked the 
 Doctoi-. " There were a dozen pairs of them there 
 when I was a boy." 
 
 " Yes, sir ! But there is only one pair now. It'.s a 
 great rack of sticks, half as big as a haystack ; for lliey 
 mend it everj' season, and so it keeps growing until now 
 it is almost ready to fall out of the old tree that holds 
 it. And, do you kncnv, sir, that Purple (irackles ha\e 
 stuck their own nests into the sides of it, iintil it is as 
 full of l)irds as a great summer hotel is f)f people." 
 
 " Oh, we must see it ! " said (.)li\'e, who had finished 
 putting her seaweeds to press; "for as yet I have only 
 read about such a nest." 
 
 " What does the ( Js^ircy look like near to ? " a.sked Rap. 
 
 " Like a large Hawk," answered the Doctor. " Vou 
 would know him to be a. Hawk by his hooked beak an<l 
 claws. He walks in the procession of bir<l families 
 along with the cannibal birds among whom he belongs, 
 and who come after the Birds that only Croak and 
 Call. Ilut he is not a real cannibal, because he lives 
 on fish, and never eats Ijirds. So I will give 3'ou a 
 description of hina now." 
 
 The Osprey 
 
 Length about two feet. 
 
 Upper parts dark brown with some white on the head and neck. 
 
 Under parts white witli some dark spots. 
 
 Feet very hirge and scaly, with long sharp claws, to hold the 
 slippery fishes he catches. 
 
 A Citizen of North America. 
 
 A very industrious fisherman who minds liis own business and 
 does nobody any liarm. 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 SOME SKY SWEEPERS 
 
 About four o'clock, after a long rest, the party 
 started for home, because they wanted to have plenty 
 of time to stop in the wood lane on the way. 
 
 The first bird that Nat spied after they left the 
 meadows was perching on the topmost wire of a fence 
 bj' the roadside. Every once in a while he darted into 
 the air, snapped up an insect, and returned to the same 
 perch on the wire whence he had started. He was a 
 very smart-looking bird, with a flaming crest that he 
 raised and lowered to suit himself ; and every time he 
 flew into the air he cried " Kyrie — kyrie ! " 
 
 "That is a Kingbird," said the Doctor; "it is very 
 kind of him to show himself, for he is the bird I most 
 wished to see. We have finished with the true song 
 birds now, and the next order is that of the Son^Iess 
 Perching Birds — birds that have call -notes, some of 
 them quite musical, but no true song. So we will name 
 them the Birds that only Croak and Call. 
 
 " The crowing of a Rooster, the screech of a Night 
 Owl, the Hawk's harsh scream, the laughing and ham- 
 mering of a Woodpecker, all ansAver the same good 
 purpose as a song. 
 
 " The first family of Songless Perching Birds is that 
 of the Tyrant Flycatchers, and the first of these birds 
 
 284 
 
SOME SKY SWEEPERS 285 
 
 with wliicli we have to (hi is tlie one you have just 
 seen. He belongs to tlie guild of Sky Sweepers. 
 
 " I)Ut do not try to write anything down while we 
 are driving over this rough road ; the surrey jolts too 
 much. You need only li.sten now, and Olive will help 
 you with your note-books to-morrow." 
 
 THK ICINGinilD 
 
 " How the winged insects must hate a Kingliird, who 
 is a real t3'rant over them, and nnist seem very cruel ! " 
 continued the Doctor. " He sits on a rail or wire, and 
 suddenly — flip, snap! a fly is caught — flip, snap I a 
 wasp dies. All day long he is waging war, and help- 
 ing us in our never-ending battle with the l>ugs. 
 
 " If he happens to fancy a rose-bug or juicy ant, he 
 dashes to the leaf or grass-ljlade on which the insect 
 is crawling, hovers a UKunent in the air to take aim. 
 and then snatches the bug off. So clever is he that 
 when he eats bees, as he sometimes does, he seldom 
 takes the honey-makers, but mainly tlie drones ; ]jer- 
 haps he is afraid of being stung." 
 
 "What is a drone, Uncle Roy? " asked Dodo. 
 
 " A bee which does not work for its living and cannot 
 .sting." 
 
 " The Kingbird is proud of his nest, which he often 
 confides to a maple on the edge of a garden, or to your 
 pet pear tree. But let Hawks and Crows beware even 
 of thinkino' about a Kingljird's nest I For he loves his 
 home, and hates those who would injure it; and what 
 is more, he is not one bit afraid of them. \i they 
 come in sight he attacks them bravely, and drives them 
 
286 
 
 CrnZKN BIRD 
 
 far away, even if iliey are so big 
 
 and fierce tliat lie lias to call 
 
 Lis friends to help him ; so that 
 
 the roljber Crow or cannibal bird 
 
 is lucky if he does iiot lose an eye 
 
 before he esca|jes. 
 
 l>ut the Kingbird is not 
 f[uarrelsonie — sinijjly 
 very lively ; he is 
 the T|'ery picture 
 of dash and dar- 
 ing in defending 
 home, and when he is teaching 
 his youngsters how to fly. 
 
 " Like other insect-eaters, he leaves the northerly 
 States Ijefore cold weather and journej's bej'ond the 
 United .Stales for the winter. We always miss him 
 when he has swooped along the fence rail for the last 
 time and joined Ins brethren in the tree-tops, where 
 the flocks form for their lono' fliyht." 
 
 KiN'C.BIRD, 
 
 The Kingbird 
 
 Leiig'tli eight iiiclies — alunit tlie size of a Wood Thrush. 
 
 Upper parts slate-colored, with black head, wings, and tail ; a 
 white band at the end of the tail, and a flaming- orange spot on 
 tlie crown. 
 
 Under parts jiure white, a little grayish on the breast. 
 
 A Suiiinier Citizen of the United States and Canada, travelling 
 to Central and South America for the winter. 
 
 One of the best neighbors, and a brave soldier. An officer of 
 the guild of Sky Sweepers, also a Gronnd Gleaner and Tree Trap- 
 per, killing robber-flies, ants, beetles, and rose-bngs. A good friend 
 to horses and cattle, because he kills the terrible gadflies. Eats 
 a little fruit, but chiefly wild varieties, and only now and then a bee. 
 
S02IE ShT SWEEPERS 
 
 287 
 
 (ThJ! "WATKR I'l^YEE) 
 
 " Smaller, l)ut not a \\liit less active tliaii tlie Kiiig-- 
 bird is tlio riid'be or Water Towee — tlu; .siaall I'lv- 
 catelier who is almost as familiar about the farm ami 
 roadside as the llobin him- 
 self. Look about the wood- 
 shed or cow-shed. Js there 
 a beam or little uook of 
 any sort that will hold a 
 nest? If so, in earl}- ]\[ay 
 3-011 will see a pair of nervous 
 brown birds, heaping- up a 
 mound of moss and nnid. ^^'hen 
 they have made it large enough 
 to suit them, they line it with 
 siift grass aiul horsehairs ; the 
 nest is then ready for the white 
 eggs, -which once in a while are 
 varied M'ith a few bro-\vn spots. 
 
 " Sometimes Pha'bes build 
 under a bridge, or in a rocky 
 pocket above a stream ; for they love water and are 
 great bathers. Then they make the outside of the 
 nest to match the rock by covering it with lichens. 
 
 " The Phwbe, like all other Flycatchers, sits motion- 
 less upon a dead twig, fence rail, or often the clothes- 
 line, waiting for insects to come by. Then he darts out, 
 seizes one, and returns to the same perch, flipping the 
 tail, raising the little crest, and calling ' Phiebe — 
 p-h-o-e-b-e,' in a very anxi(jus voice. 
 
288 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " Phd'be is a hardy Flycatcher, who journeys north 
 in Marcli to tell iis spring is coming, and it takes a 
 hai'd frost to send him away again. Even then he does 
 not hurry off toward the tropics like the ardent King- 
 liird, but lingers all winter in the Southern States." 
 
 The Phoebe 
 
 Length seven inches. AVings hardly any longer than the tail. 
 
 Upper parts deep olive-brown, darkest on the head ; bill and 
 feet black. 
 
 Under parts dull white, with a grayish or yellowish tinge. 
 
 A Citizen of North America east of the plains and north to Can- 
 ada, nesting from South Carolina northward, and wintering in the 
 Southern States. 
 
 A useful and pleasant neighbor, who likes our society, often 
 nesting in sheds and under porches. 
 
 A niembei' of the guild of Sky Sweepers, wlio also works with 
 the Tree Trappers. 
 
 THK WOOn PEWEE 
 
 "Among all the other Flycatchers, big, little, and 
 least, I can only tell you of one more, and will choose 
 the Wood Fewee as being the one most likely to inter- 
 est you. 
 
 " This morning in the wood lane I saw a pair that 
 were surely nest-building, and I wondered if they were 
 not the great-great-grandchildren of those who lived 
 there when I was a 1)0}'. The Fewee's nest is very 
 pretty — almost as dainty as the Hummingbird's. I 
 will try to find it for j^ou as we go back this after- 
 noon." 
 
 " Then the Wood Fewee l)uilds late, like the Cedar 
 Waxwing and Goldfinch '! " said Rap. 
 
SOME ,SA'r SWEEPERS 
 
 289 
 
 "Yes, rather late; al)out the lirst or second week in 
 June. He is a hizy traveller ; and then, perhaps, he 
 thinks his nest is so frail that he needs it) have the 
 trees in full leaf to protect it. The Wood Pewee takes 
 his name from his liking for the woods and his call- 
 note ; yet he is quite as fond of our Orchard and the 
 lower side of the garden. 
 
 " When you have once met him face to face and 
 heard his sad cry — 'pewee — pewee — pee-eer — weer I ' 
 — you will probably lind half a dozen pairs about home. 
 
 "Wood Pewee. 
 
 " It is usual to call the notes of this bird sad ; Ijut 
 it only seems so from our point of view ; for he is a 
 happy, fussy little bird, and I dare say that when he 
 calls he is only saying 'peek-a-boo ! ' to Iiis mate on the 
 other side of the tree." 
 
 " Wouldn't it be nice if we knew all tliat the animals 
 and birds do, and could see what they see, besides being 
 ourselves? " said Nat. 
 
 " I think we should be too wise and proud," said Rap. 
 u 
 
290 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " No, my lads," said the Doctor, " we should probably 
 be more humble than we are now, and realize how very 
 little House People really know about the wonderful 
 lives of those creatures we commonly call ' dumb 
 animals.' " 
 
 " You haven't given us any table for the Wood 
 Pewee," said Dodo, who always took great pleasure in 
 writing in her little book. " I like to hear it, though I 
 can't write it now." 
 
 The ■Wood Pewee 
 
 Length six and a half inches. Wings much longer than the 
 tail, and feet veiy small. 
 
 Upper parts dark hrown \\ith an olive shade, and light bars on 
 the wings ; top of the head not darker than the back, and under 
 .side of the beak not black. 
 
 Under parts yellowish-white with a tinge of dark gray along the 
 sides and across the breast. 
 
 Looks very much like the Phcebe, but you can tell them apart 
 if you attend carefully to the tables. 
 
 A Citizen of jSIorth America from Florida to Canada and west to 
 the plains. Travels beyond the United States for the winter. 
 
 A good Citizen and shy neighbor. A member of the guild of 
 Sky Sweepers. 
 
CHAPTER XXI 
 
 IimiMERS AND CHIMNEY SWEEPS 
 
 THK RUBY-THROATED HUMMINI JIUllD 
 
 " It won't be dark for a long time yet," said Dodo, 
 after tliey liad driven silently for a couple of miles, 
 watching tlie clouds against the tree-toj)s 
 and the Swallows that were out in full 
 force, sky-sweeping for 
 their evening meal. 
 
 " Are you growing 
 sleepy ? "' asked ( )Iive. 
 
 " Xo, only terrihl[i him- 
 l/rjj" whispere<l Dodo, 
 as if rather ashamed of 
 the fact ; " and do you 
 know, Olive, after din- 
 ner to-day I told ( )laf I 
 never should ]>e hungry 
 again, l.)ecause I ate so 
 much cliowder. After 
 we had driven awhile I 
 thought to myself, ' I 
 shan't want supper to-night anj'wa}'.' Tlien pretty 
 soon I thought, ' I shall want supper,' and now I want 
 it riffJif au'aij ! " 
 
 291 
 
 KUBY-THROATEr> IIlIMMTNfiBIUD. 
 
292 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 The Doctor laughed and hjoked at the cows tliat 
 were pasturing in the roadside lields, for they were 
 passing a farming village. 
 
 " I don't see any Cowbirds this afternoon," said Nat, 
 thinking the Doctor was looking for them. 
 
 " This time I am looking at the cows themselves ! 
 Those over there are beautiful creatures, and there is 
 a clear spring of water in the corner of the pasture. 
 When we come to the farmhouse where tliey belong, 
 we will stop to buy some milk, and Miss Dodo shall 
 have supper ; for even Mammy's buns, when they have 
 been travelling about all day in a basket, Avould be 
 rather dry without milk." 
 
 " But wouldn't the milk be good if the cows were 
 not pretty, and there was no spring in the pasture ? " 
 asked Nat, who must have a reason for everything. 
 
 "• It is not a (juestion of pretty cows ; it is whether 
 they are clean and healthy or not, that makes the milk 
 good or bad. And good pure water to drink, from a 
 spring that is not near any barnyard or outbuilding, is 
 one of the best things for keeping cows in good health." 
 
 Meanwhile they had driven up to a farmhouse, almost 
 as large as their own, and the mistress, who was 
 arranging her pans for the evening milking, said they 
 might have cold milk then, or fresh warm nulk if they 
 would wait a little while until the cows came home. 
 
 Under the back porch was a cage with a little Owl 
 in it, and the woman said it belonged to her boy. Joe, 
 for that was his name, was about llap's age, and soon 
 made friends with them. They told him where they 
 had been spending the day, and about their uncle's 
 wonder room, and the birds at Orchard Farm. 
 
HUMMEBS AND CHIMNEY SWEEPS 293 
 
 "Have you got a Huininingliinr.s nest on your farm, 
 and a Swallew chimney? " Joe asked anxiously. 
 
 "No, not exactl)'," said Nat, hesitating. "There 
 are some birds in Uncle Roy's cliimne}', but we haven't 
 found a Hummingbird's nest yet, though there are lots 
 of the liirds about the garden." 
 
 " Well, there's a Hummingbird's nest in our crab- 
 apple tree, and we own the biggest Swallew chimney 
 there is in the county ! Pa says so, and he knows," 
 said Joe proudly. "If you'll come with me and not 
 grab the nest, I'll show it to you. It's a, widow Hum- 
 mingbird, too. I've never seen her mate since slie 
 began to set, but before that he was always flyin' round 
 the honeysuckles and laylocks, so I'm sure he is dead." 
 
 "J\Iay I come too?" asked the Doctor. 
 
 "Pleased to Jiave you, sir," said Joe, making a stiff 
 little bow. " I'd have asked you, only most men folks 
 don't set much store l)y birds 'nless they are the kind 
 they go gunuin' for. Only pa does. Ho likes any 
 kind o' bird, whether it sings or not, and lie's powerful 
 fond of the Swallews in our chimney. He saj's they 
 eat the flies and things tliat tease the cows down in the 
 pasture, and sence those Swallews came to our chimney 
 we haven't had to put fly-sheets on the oxen when 
 they are in the pasture — not once." 
 
 " Now, children, you see what good the Sky Sweepers 
 do," said the Doctor. 
 
 " Sky Sweepers ! We don't call 'em that ! We call 
 
 ews 
 
 'em Chimney Swall 
 
 Then the children told Joe about the I5ird Brother- 
 hoods. 
 
 " Stand on this box," said Joe to Dodo, "and look liard 
 
294 CITIZEN BIBD 
 
 at that small slant\va3',s branch, with the little bunch 
 on it : " 
 
 " The little round bunch that looks like soft green 
 moss ? " 
 
 " Yes. Well, that's the Hummer's nest ! " 
 
 " Oh ! oh ! " cried Dodo, forgetting to whisper, " I see 
 a mite of a tail and a sharp needle beak sticking over 
 the edge ! " 
 
 This was too much for Mrs. Hummer, wlio flew off 
 with a whirr like an angry little spinning-\vheel — if 
 such a proper I'uritan thing is ever angry ; and there 
 in the nest were two tiny eggs, like white beans. 
 
 " Come back by the fence and watch," said Joe. "She 
 doesn't like to leave the nest much when it is toward 
 night." 
 
 "It's a pity her mate is dead. How lonely she must 
 be ! " said Dodo, wlio had a tender little heart. 
 
 " I do not think her mate is dead," said the Doctor ; 
 "he is merely staying away, after a custom of his fam- 
 ily. The bird whose nest we see there is called the 
 Ruby-throated Hunnningbird, because he has a patch of 
 glittering ruby-red feathers under his chin, at the top 
 of his buttoned-up vest that hardly shows any white 
 shirt-front. He wears a beautiful golden-green dress- 
 coat, with its dark purplish tails deeply forked. His 
 wife looks very much like him, only she has no ruby 
 jewels to wear. 
 
 " Bold as this bird is in darting about and chasing 
 larger ones, he is less than four inches long — only 
 about the size of one of the hawk -moths that come out 
 to feed, just as this valiant pygmy lancer leaves the 
 flowers for the nieht. 
 
UUMMEUS AND CHIMNEY SWEEPS 295 
 
 "These Iluraiuinglnrds live on lioiiey and very .siiiall 
 insects, and dread the eohl so that they spend the win- 
 ter southward from Florida. IJut as soon as real spring 
 warmth comes, they spread over the United States, east 
 of the plains, and n(jrth even to the Fur Countries. 
 They are the only kind found in the eastern half of 
 North America, though there are more than a dozen 
 other species in the West, most of them near the Mexi- 
 can borders of the United States. 
 
 " When the Hummers arrive here, early in May, we 
 see the brilliant males darting about — sometimes, I am 
 sorry to say, (quarrelling with their rivals and giving 
 shrill cries like the squeaking of 3'oung mice. The 
 last of jNIay the daintj' nest is made of plant-down and 
 lichen scales. Then the male goes off by himself and 
 sulks. You may see him feeding, but he keeps away 
 from the nest — selfish bird tliat he is — until the little 
 ones are read}' to fly. 
 
 " Meanwhile the mother takes all the care and trouble 
 herself, feeding her little Hummers in a peculiar way. 
 She swallows tiny insects, and when they have remained 
 a little while in her crop she opens her beak, into which 
 the young bird puts its own and sucks the softened 
 food, as a baby does milk from its Ijottle." 
 
 " I was wondering this very morning," said Joe, 
 "how tlie old bird was going to feed her young ones 
 when those two eggs hatched, without any mate to 
 help her. Fm real glad you came along to explain it, 
 sir. Someliow the reasons lots of folk give for things 
 aren't reasonable at all." 
 
 "Now, children," said the Doctor, "write the Hum- 
 mino'ljird table before the twilight conies on." 
 
296 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 The Ruby-throated Hummingbird 
 
 Length less than four inches. 
 
 Male: shining golden-green above, with dark purplish wings and 
 tail, the latter forked; glittering ruby-red throat; other under 
 parts grayish, with some white on the breast and greenish on the 
 sides. 
 
 Female : lacks the ruby throat, and has the tail not forked, but 
 some of its feathers wliite-tipped. 
 
 A Summer Citizen of the eastern United States from Florida to 
 Canada. 
 
 Though songless, a jewel of a bird, belonging to the guild of 
 Tree Trappers. Nest a tiny i-ound cup of moss and plant-down 
 stuccoed with lichens ; 
 
 THK CHIMNEV WW I FT 
 
 " Now, wouldn't j-ou like to see the big chimney ? " 
 asked Joe. " The birds go in and out a good deal this 
 time o' day. It's across the road there, where the old 
 house used to be. The house is all gone, but the chim- 
 ney is as strong as ever — I can climb up top and look 
 down at the nests inside. See ! there it is now ! " 
 Looking over the fence, they saw a tall stack of worn 
 gray stones, that looked more like a tower than a chim- 
 ney. Small blackish birds kept streaming from the 
 top, circling high in the air and darting down again, 
 all twittering as they dropped one after another out 
 of sight, inside the weather-beaten jiile. 
 
 "Look, children!" said the Doctor. "These are Chim- 
 ney Swifts, usually called Chimney Swallows ; and tlieir 
 color is like soot, to match tlie places they live in." 
 
 " Aren't they any relations of Swallows ? " asked Rap. 
 
 " No, my boy ; they look like Swallows, but as I think 
 
MUMMEliS AND CHIMNEY SWEEPS 
 
 291 
 
 Olive told you once, the Swifts are a family all Ijy them- 
 selves. This one lives in the eastern lialf of the coun- 
 try in summer, and goes far south for the winter. 
 When he lives in a wild region, he chooses a hollow 
 tree for his nesting place, as his ancestors 
 always did before there were any honses 
 or chimneys. 
 
 Chimney Swift. 
 
 " The flight of the Swift is so rapid that 
 at times it is almost impossible for the 
 quickest eye to follow him ; his wings are 
 very strong, and almo.st as long as all the rest of his 
 body. Sliort and blunt as liis tail looks when he flies, 
 each feather ends in a hard sharp point which sticks 
 
298 ■ CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 out Ijej'ond tlie .soft part. They feed, on insects --.vhich 
 they catch as tliey dash through the air, and can also 
 l^reak off dry twigs for nest-huikling without stopping 
 — sometimes seizing tlie little sticks in their bills and 
 sometimes in their claws, wliich are much stronger 
 than those of Swallows." 
 
 " How do they make the sticks stay in the chirane}' ? 
 What do they set them on, and how do they perch 
 while they are building? " asked Nat, all in one breath. 
 
 " Do you rememljer how the little Brown Creeper 
 propped himself against the tree when he looked for 
 insects ? " 
 
 "Yes," said Kap ; "he stuck his sharp tail-feathers 
 into the bark and made a bracket of himself." 
 
 " The Swift does this also when he fastens twigs 
 together for a nest. They are glued together into a 
 little openwork basket, and gummed to the wall of the 
 chimney, with a sticky fluid which comes from his own 
 mouth." 
 
 " I've got a lot of old nests that fell down the 
 chimney after a storm last winter that wet the glue 
 and made them come unstuck," said Joe; "and I'll 
 give you each one. If you look up the hole where 
 the kitchen fire}>laee was, you can see tlie new nests 
 quite plain ; for the birds don't build them very near 
 the top." 
 
 " Be careful of loose stones ! " called the Doctor ; but 
 in a flash four young heads had disappeared in the 
 ruins of the great fireplace, where tliree pairs of trousers 
 and a short brown linen skirt alone were visible. 
 
 In a little Avliile they had some milk and straw- 
 berries ; and before they drove on Joe's father prom- 
 
HUMMERS AND VIUMNEV SWEEPS 299 
 
 i.sed to take liiui up to ( )rcliai'(l Karin to see the Ijirds 
 ill the Doctor's wonder room, as soon as ha3'ing sliould 
 be over. To the children's astonishment tliey found 
 it was half-jjast six o'clock ; they had been at the farm 
 an hour and a half, and could not stop again until they 
 reached the wood lane where their uncle had promised 
 to look for the Pewee's nest. 
 
 " Staj' here, little people, and ask all the (juestions 
 you like of Olive," said the Doctor, when they had 
 reached the lane ; " for I sliall be aljle to find the 
 nest more easily if you do not frighten the birds by 
 talking." 
 
 " Pewee, pewee, pe-e-er ! " cried a little voice. 
 
 "There he is, crying 'peek-a-boo ' again," said Dodo. 
 "Please, Olive, won't you tell us the taljle for the Chim- 
 ney Swift now ? " 
 
 " Certainly ; and there is plenty of light yet if you 
 wish to write it down." 
 
 The Chimney Swift 
 
 Lei]gtU five ami a liaK inches. 
 
 Sooty brown. Sharply pointed tail-feathei'S. 
 
 A Sunnner Citizen of eastern North America from Florida to 
 the Fur Countries. 
 
 An excellent neighbor — a friend of the farmer and Ids cattle. 
 An officer in the guild of Sky Sweepeis, who shoots through the 
 air in the sliupe of a bow and arrow. 
 
 " Come softly," said the Doctor, returning to the 
 roadside ; " I have found the Pewee's nest ; it is quite 
 new, and has no eggs in it as yet. This ^^'ay — up 
 along this ledge of rocks, and you can almost look into 
 it." 
 
300 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 They moved quietly over the rocks until they reached 
 a pepperidge tree, when the Doctor motioned them to 
 stop and pointed to one of its branches which stretched 
 over the rock. There was a flat nest with an evenly 
 rounded edge, all covered with lichen scales outside. 
 
 "It is just like a Hummingbird's nest," whispered 
 Nat. 
 
 " Only flatter, more like a saucer than a cup," said 
 Rap. " Is it made of plant-down too? " 
 
 " No — of fine grasses, rootlets, and bits of bark," said 
 the Doctor ; " and in a few days it will hold three or 
 four creamy-white eggs, prettily wreathed around one 
 end witli dark-brown sjjots." 
 
 " Pewee, pewee, pe-e-er ! " cried the nest owner very 
 sadly. 
 
 " We are going home, so you needn't worry, dear," 
 said Dodo. " Good-niylit." 
 
CHAriER XXII 
 
 TWO AVINGED MYSTERIES 
 THE NIGHTHAWK 
 
 The sun was quite low when tlie party drove out of 
 tlie lane ; tlie Ijirds were singing their very best, and 
 Olive stopped the horses on top of the next hill, that 
 they might all look at the beautiful twilight picture 
 around them. 
 
 " How quickly the sun slides when it once begins to 
 go ' " said Nat. " It looks as if it were going into a 
 cage with the striped clouds for bars." 
 
 "Shirk — shirk — boom!" A large bird that had 
 been sailing about overhead dropped through the air 
 till it was almost over the surrey, then turned sud- 
 denly and darted upward again. 
 
 " What is that? " cried Nat and Dodo. 
 
 " That's a Nighthawk — don't you remember the bird 
 we heard early one morning in the river woods? lie's 
 looking for small birds to eat," answered Kap. 
 
 " He is called the Nighthawk, but never eats au}'- 
 thing except beetles, flies, and other insects," said the 
 Doctor, " for he is not a real Hawk. He takes his name 
 from the fact that he dashes about at twilight and in 
 cloudy weather like a Hawk ; but his broad, sliallow 
 mou.th is only suitable for insect-eating, like his cousin's, 
 
 301 
 
30^ 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 the Cliiinney Swift's, and tlie beak is equally small and 
 feeble, not at all like the strong hooked one of a canni- 
 bal bird. Look overhead ! " 
 
 "There are two light spots like holes through his 
 ^\'ings," said Kap. " Ah yes ! now I remember about 
 him — we can always tell him from a real Hawk." 
 
 " How does he make that queer noise ? " asked Nat. 
 "It sounds like when I hit the telegraph wires with 
 stones, or blow in the buughole of a barrel." 
 
 NiGHTHAWK. 
 
 " Watch him when lie drops," said the Doctor ; " do 
 you not see that he does so with open wings '! The air 
 rushes between tlie long wing-quills and makes the 
 vibrating noise. Now he is up and away again, but 
 you see he keeps circling in the sky." 
 
 "Does lie build in chimneys?" asked Dodo. 
 
 " The Nighthawk does not build any nest ; the eggs 
 are laid on bare ground or rock in an open field — 
 occasionally on a house-top. Strange as this seems, 
 
TWO WINGED MYSTEUIES 303 
 
 the parent Ijirds are so near the color of earth and 
 rock that it is very diflicult to find tliem wlieu they 
 are sitting, tlie young when liatclied are equally invisi- 
 ble, and the eggs themselves look like two little stones 
 — for there are never more than two. I will show 
 you a Nighthawk in my cabinet, and you will see for 
 yourselves how nicely the colors match ground and 
 rocks." 
 
 " lie looks like a prett}' big bird," said Dodo. "How 
 long is he? Is there only one in his family?" 
 
 " He has a brother called the Whip-poor-will, that 
 we should meet very soon." 
 
 The Nighthawk 
 
 Length ten inches. 
 
 IMottled black and rusty above. Barred on the under parts with 
 black and white or buff. A white collar on the throat, a white 
 spot going entirely through the wing, and a white band across the 
 tail. 
 
 A Summer Citizen of eastern North America, from the Gulf of 
 Mexico to Canada, travelling far south for the winter. 
 
 A shy neighbor but a valuable Citizen, belonging to the Ground 
 Gleaners as well as Sky Sweepers. 
 
 THK ■\VHIP-rOOR-WILL 
 
 "This mysterious bird is also a dweller in lonely 
 places, feeding at night in the woods, having no nest, 
 and laying the eggs in a hollow in the groiurd or on a 
 stump or log. He is so nearly of the color of wood, 
 earth, and rock, that you may pass near him a hundred 
 times aird never see him. Then too, when he perches in 
 the day-time, he does not sit across a branch like other 
 
304 CITIZEN BIBD 
 
 birds, but lengthwise, so that House People and cats 
 cannot see him from below or cannibal birds from above. 
 He is an insect-eater and so goes southward before hard 
 frosts." 
 
 " Does this bird make any noise, and wh}' is he called 
 the Whip-poor-will ? " asked Nat ; " that is such a 
 funny name." 
 
 Rap was about to answer when the Doctor signed 
 to him and he stopped. 
 
 "Whip-poor-wills call their own name after dark, 
 and I think you will hear them when we pass the mill- 
 er's woods in a few minutes ; for some reason they 
 seldom come about the Farm." 
 
 "I believe I — am — growing — sleepy," murmured 
 Dodo, trying to be polite and swallow a little yawn, 
 but not wholly succeeding. 
 
 " I am very sure that / am," said Olive. " I don't 
 think any of us will sit up much later than the birds 
 to-night ! " 
 
 " I hear a Veery," said Rap, "and a Pluebe too." 
 
 " Whip-poor-will ! Whip-poor-will ! Churk ! " cried 
 a loud voice close by, and something like a long-winged 
 Owl almost struck Olive with its wing as it flitted 
 past. 
 
 " Oh, my ! " cried Dodo, waking suddenly, " that must 
 be a Whip-poor-will, for he called his own name as plain 
 as the Chickadee does ; and listen ! there are more of 
 them all up the hill." 
 
 Soon they passed Rap's house and left him at the 
 gate. When the good old white horses trotted in the 
 gate at Orchard Farm, Quick ran out, barking joyfully 
 to tell them all that had happened during the day, and 
 
TWO WINGED MYSTERIES 
 
 305 
 
 how he had guarded everything safely ; Ijut Dodo was 
 fast asleep with her head on her uncle's arm. 
 
 " De deah lamb," said Mammy Uun, 
 who came out to help them unload ; 
 " don' you go to wake her 
 up, Massa Nat — ole 
 mammy'll tote her 
 up to bed. Deseam 
 l)0werful healthy 
 days for you chil- 
 lens! And i\Ias- 
 sa Doctor and 
 Miss Olive — 
 
 if they ain' WH.l-l.uuu-^yILL, 
 
 more'n half 
 
 gone, too ! "Scursions am terrible sleepy things — least 
 
 when dere all ober ! " 
 
 The Whip-poor-Tvill 
 
 Length nearly ten inclies. 
 
 A very large nioutli, fringeJ with long bristles, iisetnl as an 
 insect trap. 
 
 Plumage all mottled with gray, buff, and black, but tlie end 
 half of three outside tail-featliers white, and a white breast-band. 
 
 A Summer Citizen of the United States and Canada east of the 
 plains; in winter from Florida southward. 
 
 A member of the guilds of Sky Sweepers and Ground Gleaners. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 A LAUGHING FAMILY 
 
 When tlie chiklreu had tlieii- uncle with them, and 
 could listen to his stories, it seemed very easy to name 
 the birds. 15ut when they were alone it was quite a 
 different matter. The hirds had a \va3r of moving on, 
 at exactl}" tlie -wrong moment. Of course they made 
 some very funny mistakes, and at times grew quite 
 discouraged. 
 
 " I thought we could learu a hundred birds in no 
 time," said Nat to Olive, one morning ; "but Tm only 
 pop sure of ten when they fly in a hurry, and about 
 ten more wlieji they sit still and let me talvo a good 
 look at them." 
 
 "I think that is doing very well, indeed, f(ir watch- 
 ing live birds is not a bit like learnino- rules and iis'- 
 ures by heart. Though your tables give you some 
 facts about birds' colors and habits, every Ijird has 
 some little waj-s and tricks of his very own that are 
 always a surprise ; and then, you see, a bird in the 
 hand looks very different from a bird in the bush ! " 
 
 " I suppose tliat is why uncle wants us to go out 
 to see for ourselves, instead of telling us stories every 
 day. This morning, when I was over in the miller's 
 woods, wliere we heard the Whip-poor-will, I saw the 
 queerest bird, running up a tree ; he let me come close 
 to, without being frightened. 
 
 306 
 
A LAUGHING FAMILY 
 
 307 
 
 " At tivst I tlioug'lit he was a I)luck-a,ii(l-"\\liite Creeper, 
 for lie was all black and white. Then I saw lie was 
 much bigger, and the beak was square at the end, as if 
 it was cut off instead of being sharp-pointed. He had 
 the strangest feet, two toes behind and two in front, 
 and when lie came down near where I stood, I saw a 
 bright-red spot on the head. When 
 I went a step nearer, lie didn't like 
 it, and then laughed out loud at me 
 — 'Quip! C'lier. cher, cher, clier ! 
 Ha ! ha ! ha ! ha ! ' I thouglit 
 he might be some kind of a 
 Woodpecker, but those in 
 uncle's room are a great deal 
 bigger." 
 
 " A very good description 
 of the Downy Woodpecker," 
 said the Doctor, coming up 
 under the porch where they were 
 sitting. " This bird belongs not 
 only to a different family from 
 any you have heard about, but 
 to a different order also. 
 
 " You have seen that Perching 
 Birds all have three toes in front, 
 and one behind on tlie same level, so 
 that they may easily grasp a perch 
 and keep their balance. But Wood- 
 peckers do not perch in the true sense — they rest either 
 against a tree-trunk or on a limb, and even sleep in 
 these positions. They almost all have four toes, two in 
 front and two behind, and the strong pair of hind toes 
 
 DuWNY 
 
 Woodpecker. 
 
308 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 prop them up when they climlj the trunks of trees, or 
 when they stop to bore for their food. They also have 
 stiff, pointed tail-featliers that the}" livea^ against the 
 upriglit trunks of trees to keep themselves in place, the 
 same as Swifts do inside chimneys, or Brown Creepers 
 scrambling about trees. So they make brackets of tliem- 
 selves, as Rap sa3's. Their bills are strong and straight, 
 like chisels, so that the}" may cut and gouge hard wood 
 without breaking them. Besides all this, the}" have 
 curious long fleshy tongues, with horny barbed tips, 
 which they can thrust far out of their mouths, to spear 
 their insect food from holes and crannies." 
 
 " Can any of them sing ? " asked Nat. 
 
 " The\" belong to an entirelj" songless group, 1 lut have 
 several ways of calling and signalling to each other. 
 One of these is to beat rapidly on a tree with the beak, 
 which makes a rolling noise, each different species doing 
 his drumming in his own way. Besides this, they all 
 have jolly laughing notes, in sjiite of the fact that most 
 of them are rather shy birds. Hence they are often 
 called the Laughing Famih" ! " 
 
 " Are there many kinds of Woodpeckers in North 
 America ? " 
 
 " More than twenty, but 3'ou are likely to notice only 
 a few of them. I am sure, however, that you will be 
 good friends with four kinds before snowfall — the 
 Downy Woodpecker that you saw this morning ; the 
 beautiful golden-winged Flicker ; the gay Red-headed 
 Woodpecker, so glossy blue-black and white ; and the 
 mischievous spotted Sapsucker who visits us in autumn. 
 You will find them very different in looks and habits, 
 in spite of their being cousins." 
 
A LAUaniXG FAMILY 309 
 
 " Uncle ! Uncle ll(iy ! " cried Dodo, running through 
 the Orcluird in u great state of excitement. " There is 
 a very handsome, rare, wonderful kind of a IMeadow- 
 lark walking on the lawn hy the front steps. It's 
 lirown speckled with lilai'k and has a hlack patch on the 
 breast and red on the head and when he flies 3'oii can 
 see a white spot over the tail. Do you think he has 
 come out of a cage ? " 
 
 " No, missy, that is not a IMeadowlark, is not rare 
 or wonderful, and lias not been in a cage ; that is an 
 every-day soi't of a Woodpecker, having many names. 
 Some think he is called the Flicker because he has a Avay 
 of flicking his wings, and the Yellow Hammer l)ecause 
 he hammers on trees with the beak and has fine golden 
 wing-linings. The nest of the ojie you saw is in a hole, 
 high up in the old sassafras b}^ the side fence, and some 
 say that this is why another of his names is High-hole. 
 I>ut it received all three of these names for other reasons 
 you need not bother your head about just no\^^ 
 
 "There are young birds in the nest no«-, and if you 
 tap on the trunk with a stick you will hear them mak- 
 ing a noise. This seems tij be Woodpecker day, for 
 Nat has seen the little Do^\•ny in the woods, you have 
 seen the Flicker on the lawn, and I was telling him 
 about two others ; so you are just in time not to be too 
 late. Now write the table for Nat's Downy, first, and 
 then we will have the rest of the Woodpeckers." 
 
 The Downy Woodpecker 
 
 The smallest North American Woodpecker — hardly seven inches 
 long. 
 
 Upper parts black, with a long ^Yhite patch on middle of back ; 
 wings spotted with black and white. Some black and white bars 
 
310 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 on tlie outside tail-feathers. lied band on back of liead of tlie 
 male, but not of the female. 
 
 Under parts all white. 
 
 A Citizen of the eastern half of ISTorth jVmerica, where he staj's 
 all the year round. 
 
 A good and nseftd neighbor — one of the best. Does not bore 
 holes in trees to injure them or eat the sap, but to get at tlie hurt- 
 ful grubs which live under the bark, and the sharp, barbed tongue 
 is especially fitted to pick them out of the holes which are dug with 
 the stout chisel-like beak. 
 
 Eats a little fruit, chiefly wild berries, and is a hard-working 
 member of the guilds of Tree Ti'ajipers and (iround Gleaners, as 
 he eats not (inly gruljs, but ants, beetles, bugs, caterpillars, and 
 spiders. lie is also a Seed Sower, though in being so he and his 
 brothers, without intentional mischief, scatter the seeds from the 
 watery white berries of the poison ivy. He always digs for him- 
 self a nest in some partly decayed tree, and never takes long jour- 
 neys, but moves about only in search of food. 
 
 THE KED-HEADED AVOODPECKEU 
 
 " There, that will do for tlie Downy,'' continued, the 
 Doctor, as the children finished the table ; " oidy I ought 
 to tell you that I have a friend who calls him the Fly- 
 ing Checker-board, because he looks when he flies as if 
 he Avere checkered all over in squares of two colors — 
 black and white. The Red-head is a much gayer bird, 
 with three colors — ha ! there goes one now ! This is 
 Woodpecker day indeed, and we are in luck." 
 
 A very handsome bird, glittering in the sun, had 
 come looping swiftlj^ past, and swung himself up to the 
 broken-off toj) of a tall tree, where he rattled a loud 
 rataplan, as much as to say, " Am I not a fine fellow?" 
 
 " Yes, I know him," said Rap eagerl}- ; " there's a pair 
 that have a nest in our orchard, tlie same I guess that 
 
A LAUGHING FAMILY 
 
 311 
 
 were there last year, wlien tliej' raised a brood, only 
 when the young ones came out they had gray heads 
 instead of red ones, and their wings were not clear 
 white like tJiis one's, nor their 
 Lacks so shin}' lilack — is tliat 
 right. Doctor?" 
 
 " \ es, my l)uy, and it shows yoa 
 know how to use 3- our eyes, for 
 young licd-heads look \Qvy differ- 
 ent from their parents till they 
 get a new suit. You remendjer 
 that we called the Bluebird the 
 Flag Bird, on account of his three 
 colors. Ijut this Woodjjecker has 
 the red of the head much brighter 
 than a Bluebird's Ijreast, and shows 
 purer white as he flies, in large spaces 
 on his back and wings ; though his Ijlue 
 is not so bright — it is what we call bluo 
 black, very dark and glossy, like polished 
 steel." 
 
 "Do the}' stay around all the year?" 
 asked Nat. 
 
 " Some of them do, ))ut not many. They are very 
 common in summer, but not so hardy as the Downies, 
 and most of them go off south for the winter. They 
 are very merry, frolicsome birds, with all sorts of tricks 
 and manners — even Dodo's Flickers are no jollier mem- 
 bers of the Laughing Family." 
 
 " Do they work when they are through playing ? " 
 asked Nat; "and do any good?" 
 
 "Yes, indeed," answered the Doctor; "all kinds of 
 
 Red-headed 
 Woodpecker. 
 
312 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 Woodpeckers are industrious worlvers, and all of them 
 except the Sapsuokers are very useful to us in destroy- 
 ing hurtful insects." 
 
 " What kind of eggs do they lay? " asked Dodo ; " it 
 must be hard to get a look at them in such deep holes 
 so high up." 
 
 "Very pretty ones indeed," replied the Doctor. 
 " They are not very easy to reach, though you can 
 readily see the rounded hole that leads into the nest, for 
 it is almost always bored in a bare, dead part of the tree. 
 I can show j^ou some Woodpecker's eggs in my cabinet. 
 They are all alike, except in size — more round than 
 most birds' eggs are, very smooth and glossy, like porce- 
 lain, and pure white. But now write your table while 
 that Ked-head is stdl in sight. It is a very easy one ; 
 his colors are plain, and you can guess pretty nearly 
 how long he is." 
 
 The Red-headed Woodpecker 
 
 Length about uiLie inches. 
 
 Head and neck crimson-red all around ; back and most of wings 
 and tail glossy blue-black ; all the rest snow-white, except a little 
 red tinge on the belly. 
 
 Young ones gray where the old ones are red, and not so pure 
 black and white in other places. 
 
 A Citizen of the eastern half of the United States and some 
 parts of Canada, but mostly going to the Southern States for the 
 winter. 
 
 A good neighbor and useful member of the guilds of Tree Trap- 
 pers and Ground Gleaners ; he takes some of our fruits now and 
 then, but is welcome to them for the good he does in destroying 
 insects which would injure and perhaps kill our fruit trees if he 
 did not eat his full share of them ; and he has to W'ork very hard to 
 dig them out of the places where they lurk under the bark. 
 
A LAUGHING FAMILY 313 
 
 THE FLICKER 
 
 " The Flicker's Leak i.s more slender and curving 
 than those of his brethren, and he has an extremely 
 long, barbed tongue, which he uses to probe ant-hills. 
 The sticky substance in the bird's mouth covers the 
 little barbs on its tongue, and thus he is able to catch a 
 great manj^ ants at a time. He is one of our best ant- 
 eaters." 
 
 " Are ants verjr bad things if they don't get into the 
 sugar?" asked Dodo. 
 
 " There are a great many kinds of ants ; though all 
 may not be harmful, some of them do great damage by 
 destroying timber or ripe fruit, and helj^ing to spread 
 lice about the roots of all sorts of plants. 
 
 "The Flicker has a jolly laughing call that sounds 
 like ' Wick-wick- wick-wick ! ' repeated very quicklj-, 
 and he also hammers away 0]i a tree in fine style when 
 he wishes to call his mate or let her know his where- 
 abouts. Like other Woodpeckers, he hollows out a soft 
 spot in a tree until he has made quite a deep hole, 
 which, with a few chips in the l)ott()m for bedding, 
 serves as his nest. Most little Woodpeckers climb up 
 to the hole-edge to be fed ; but young Flickei's are fed 
 in the same way as little Hummingbirds, the parent 
 swallowing food and when it is softened bringing it 
 back from the crop by pressing on it with the beak." 
 
 "What is the crop?" asked Dodo. 
 
 " It is an elastic pouch in the gullet of a bird, where 
 food that has been swallowed is kept for a while before 
 it goes further down into the stomach. You have seen 
 this crop in the necks of Chickens and Pigeons." 
 
314 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " Oh, yes, a round swelled-iip place ; but what is the 
 good of it?" persisted Dodo. 
 
 " It is a resting-place for food, where it may swell, 
 soften, and he partly ground up. All birds are fond 
 of eatino- sand and "■ravel." 
 
 My Canary jjicks up lots 
 of little liits every time I put fresli 
 sand in his cage." 
 
 ' This gravel mixes with the 
 ■d and helps to grind it up. 
 ou can understand how 
 necessary this is when 3-ou 
 remember that some birds, 
 like Pigeons, swallow 
 hard grains of corn en- 
 tirely whole." 
 
 " Yes, and I saw 
 j\Iammy Bun clean a 
 Chicken yesterda}-," 
 said Nat ; " there wa:; 
 a lot of sand and corn 
 in a lump in its throat 
 — and so that's called 
 a crop ? " 
 
 " To return to the 
 Flickers : they live in flocks iu 
 autumn, and when a number are 
 feeding on the ground at a little 
 distance they might be taken for Meadowlarks — so 
 you see that you did not make such a dreadful mistake 
 after all, little girl." 
 
 " Won't you come over to the miller's woods with 
 
 Flicker. 
 
A LAUGHING FAMILY 
 
 315 
 
 us, uncle, and perhaps we can find tlie Downy "s nest 
 hole," said Nat. 
 
 " Yes, I will come and tell you ahrmt tlie fonrtli 
 Woodpecker on the way — the one called the Vellow- 
 Ijellied Sapsucker. Tliongh 
 very handsome, this is not a 
 bird that you would care to 
 liave come in great nundje 
 to j'our garden or orcl 
 For this Ijird makes hoi 
 in the tree bark and 
 eats the sap tliat leaks 
 out, from this liabit 
 gaining tlie name 
 of Sapsucker. (3f ' 
 course you see that 
 tliis is a very Ijad 
 thing for the trees ; 
 for when a great 
 many holes liave 
 been bored near 
 together the bark 
 loosens and peels 
 off, so that the tree 
 is likely to die. The 
 sucker also does liar 
 the soft inner 
 
 eating 
 
 whicli is between the roug. 
 
 outside bark and the hard 
 heart-wood of the tree ; for this soft 
 sap flows to nourish the tree. 
 
 "When the bird bores tlie holes and the sap oozes 
 
 Ykllow-eellikd Sapsucker. 
 
 jark is where the 
 
31(J CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 out, a great many insects gather to feed on it — hornets, 
 wasps, spiders, beetles, flies, and other kinds. Tliese 
 tlie Sapsucker also eats, sweeping them up in the sap 
 with his tongue, which is not barbed like that of other 
 Woodpeckers, but has a little brush on the end of it, 
 shaped something like those we use for cleaning lamp 
 chimneys. In this way he can easily lick up great 
 quantities of both sap and insects. You will not prob- 
 ably see him before autumn, for he nests northward 
 from ]\Iassachusetts ; l)ut you can write down his table 
 now, and then be on the watch for him." 
 
 The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 
 
 Length about eight and a half inches. 
 
 Upper parts mixed black, white, and dull yellowish ; wings 
 and tail black, with much white on both ; crown scarlet in the 
 male. 
 
 Uuder parts light yellow on the belly, scarlet on the throat, 
 black on the brea.st, and with black marks on the sides. 
 
 A Citizen of eastern North America, roving further north than 
 most "Woodpeckers and wintering as far south as Central America. 
 A useful bird in wild places, but unwelcome in gardens and or- 
 chards, and not a good neighbor. 
 
 A member only of the guild of Tree Trappers. 
 
 " I wonder if I shall see tlie little Downy," said 
 Dodo, as she skipped down the road to the woods 
 between her uncle and Nat. 
 
 " Don't hop so," said Nat ; " it doesn't do at all 
 when you are bird-hunting. Rap sa^^s you must go 
 quietly, and not swing jowv arms either, for it 
 frightens l)irds more than even a scarecrow." 
 
 " It is very hard to keep still when you are Ijursting 
 with hurry to get somewhere," answered Dodo very 
 
A LAUGHING FAMILY 317 
 
 meekly, but not wholly able to resist an occasional 
 jump. 
 
 " I'll show you the way," said Nat. " Tiie little 
 Do^^'ny's tree was Ijesido the footpath on top of tlie 
 river bank. But the bird has gone! " 
 
 The Flicker 
 
 Length twelve inches. 
 
 Upper parts Vjrown barred with blaclv; the rump snow-white; 
 tlie head gray with a scarlet band on the back of it. 
 
 Under parts crowded with round black spots ; a large black 
 patch on the breast; thi-oat lilac; the male with a pair of black 
 moustaches, which, of course, the female does not have. 
 
 Under side of wings and tail almost all golden-yellow, even the 
 shafts of the feathers being of this rich color. 
 
 A Citizen of eastern North America, west sometimes to the 
 Pacific Ocean. Spends the winter in the southern half of his 
 range. 
 
 This Woodpecker is not only a beautiful, but a useful, Citizen, 
 doing almost as much work in the guild of Ground Gleaners as 
 the ^Meadowlark, besides being a Tree Trapper and Seed Sower. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV 
 TWO ODD FELLOWS 
 
 "KuK — kiik — kuk ! OriK-k — c-r-o-c-k — c-r-o-c-k! " 
 cried a harsh voice from the wood edge. 
 
 " Tr-r-r-at-tat-tat: I " rattled another bird from over 
 tlie river bank. 
 
 " Those must both be Woodpeckers," said the cliil- 
 dren ; "for both noises are like hammering." 
 
 "Yes," continued Nat, "and I see the one who made 
 the rattle. It is a Woodpecker with a very big head 
 and bob tail, and sort of gray with black straps in 
 front. See, uncle! He is on a branch of that dead 
 tree, right over the river — there, he has fallen off 
 into the water I " 
 
 The Doctor smiled as he said: " Here is another case 
 of mistaken identity — very much like Dodo with her 
 rare Meadowlark ! This bird is a Kingfisher, who did 
 not fall into the water, but dived in after the fish for 
 which he sat watclung." 
 
 " So some Avood birds eat fish, as well as the Osprey 
 that we saw at the beach ; but how do they chew them, 
 Uncle Roy ? " 
 
 "They do not chew them. If the fish is not too 
 large, they swallow it whole, and very funny faces 
 they make sometimes in doing so. If it is too large, 
 they beat it against a branch and tear it before eating. 
 
 318 
 
TWO ODD FELLOWS 
 
 319 
 
 As they live ou lisli, the}' iiKike their lioiiie near water, 
 and only travel south when the rivers freeze." 
 " Do tliey build nests in trees?" asked Dodo. 
 " No; thej^ hurrow tunnels in the earth of river banks, 
 and put their nests at the end of them, just as the Bank 
 
 Swallow does ; t)nly the Jving- 
 
 fislier's tuiniel is niueh larger, 
 
 and his nest is not nieely 
 
 lined with feathers — 
 
 the young often ha\'e 
 
 no softer bed. than 
 
 a few iish-bones." 
 
 r-j v-f' - 
 
 Belted Kingfisher. 
 
 The Belted Kingfisher 
 
 Length about thirteen inches. 
 
 A long, bristling crest; bill longer than Ijead, stout, straight, 
 and sharp. 
 
 Leaden-blue above, with many wliite bands and spots on the 
 short, square tail and long, poiuted wings. 
 
320 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 Below wliite, witi] a blue belt across the breast, and the female 
 with a brown belt also. 
 
 A Citizen of North America. 
 
 Belonging to no useful guild, but a rather startling, amusing 
 neighbor, who always minds his own business and is an indus- 
 trions fisherruan. 
 
 "Wliat was tlie 
 other bird, a\1io 
 cried, ' kiik kuk ! ' 
 on tlie outside of 
 the woods? Theie, 
 it is calliijg again ! 
 I'm sure that it is 
 a Woodpecker ! " 
 
 "Wrong again 
 
 — it is a Cuckoo ; 
 
 the Yellow -billed 
 
 one, I think, for 
 
 the voice is louder 
 
 larslier than that of his 
 
 c-hilled brother." 
 
 '^hat ! a little blue and 
 
 white bird like the one that 
 
 lx)bs out of mother's carved 
 
 clock at home? Oh, do let 
 
 us try to find it ! But this bird didn't say 
 
 ' cuckoo ' ; it only cackled something like a 
 
 Hen when she is tired of sitting." 
 
 " The clock Cuckoo is an imitation of the merry, 
 
 heedless English bird, who lays her eggs in the wrong 
 
 nests, as our Cowbird does. The Yellow-billed Cuckoo 
 
 is quite different, being long, slender, and graceful, 
 
 Yellow-billed 
 Cuckoo. 
 
TWO ODD FELLOWS 321 
 
 and a very patient parent — even tliongli the nest ,slie 
 builds is rather a poor thing, made of a few twigs 
 piled so loosely in a bush that the pale-green eggs 
 sometimes drop out. 
 
 " Let us go over to the brush hedge where tlie Ijird 
 seemed to be. Hush ! there he sits upon the limb of 
 a maple. No — look a little higlier up. He is per- 
 fectly still, and acts as if he was half asleep. See 
 what a powerful bill he has ! With tliat he tears 
 away the ugly webs of tent-caterpillars from the fruit 
 trees, and sometimes eats more than forty caterpillars 
 without stopping — he is so fond of them. Look at 
 him through the glass, and see if the following de- 
 scription fits him." 
 
 The Yellow-billed Cuckoo 
 
 Length about twelve inches. 
 
 Uppei' parts olive-gray or Quaker color all over, smooth and 
 shiny; wings tinged with brigiit cinnamon, and mcjst of the tail- 
 feathers black, with large white spots at the ends. 
 
 Under parts pure white. Under half of bill yellow. 
 
 A Summer Citizen of temperate North America west to the 
 plains. Travels south for the winter to the West Indies and 
 South America. 
 
 A very valuable neighbor, and an officer of high rank in the 
 guild of Tree Trappers. 
 
 His brother — the Black-billed Cuckoo — is very much like 
 him, except that the tail is not black, its spots are smaller, and 
 he has no yellow on the bill, but a red ring round the ej'e. 
 
 " Kuk-kuk-kuk — couk — co-uk — co-uk I " cried the 
 bird, as he spread his wings and sailed off, giving the 
 children a fine chance to see his long, rounded, black 
 tail with the white spots. 
 
322 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 "Are there any OwLs in these woods, Uiide Roy?" 
 asked Nat. " You know we haven't seen an Owl yet, 
 though we hear one ahnost every night." 
 
 " Doubtless there are ; but the Ijest place to find 
 Owls is in the old wood, far up by the lake, where 
 the lumbermen have their camp. The Great Horned 
 Owl nests there, and many Hawks besides. I will 
 take you all there some day, and, if you do not find 
 the birds themselves, you can see the Avild places 
 where they like to nest." 
 
 " Couldn't we go very soon, uncle ? Next week, 
 perhaps?" urged Dodo. 
 
 "Fourth of July comes next week," said Nat, "and 
 uncle said we could go down to the shore again, and 
 take our fire-crackers ! It will be such fun to stick 
 them in rows in the sand and make them sizzle — 
 more fun even than Owls ! Don't you think so. 
 Dodo ? " he asked anxiously. 
 
 " Oh, j-es ; and then it Avouldn't Ije polite either 
 not to have fire-crackers on tlie Fourth of July. I 
 think the American Eagle or the President or some- 
 body expects children to have fire-crackers. Mammj^ 
 Bun says the first American Eagle was hatched on 
 the Fourth of July, you know," said Dodo earnestly. 
 " Do you think he was, uncle ? " 
 
 " No ; it was the United States that were hatched 
 on the Fourth of July, seventeen — seventy — six," 
 said Nat, hesitating a little over the date. 
 
 " You are both right in a way," laughed the Doctor ; 
 "but you need not give up the Owls in order to cele- 
 brate the Eagle's birthday. We will have an Eagle's 
 birthday party at the beach on the Fourtli ; and on 
 
TWO ODD FELLOWS 323 
 
 the eiglitli — which its Dodn'.s birthday, it' I am not 
 mistaken — we will have an Owl party up at the 
 lake!" 
 
 " Oh ! oh, how lovely ! " cried Dodo, giving her 
 uncle such a sudden hug and kiss that his hat flew 
 oft'. "And the lake is a long way oft', so hrst we go 
 in the ears, and then in a big hay wagon with straw 
 in the bottom — at least, that is the waj' Olive said 
 she went the last time ! " 
 
CHAPTER XXV 
 
 CANNIBALS IN COURT 
 
 DoDCi's birthday and a disappointment came together 
 on the eighth, and the disappointment took the shape 
 of a rainy day. Not an early morning sliower, with 
 promise of warmth and clear weather ; for it was one 
 of the cold, northeasterly storms that are very trying 
 at any time of the year, hnt doubly so when they 
 come in July, and seem, for the time, to turn summer 
 into autumn. 
 
 Dodo, Nat, Rap, and Olive stood under the shelter 
 of the porch, the children vainly hoping that it might 
 clear up before nine o'clock — the hour the train left 
 — and (Mive racking her brain for something that 
 would soothe their feelings. " We might ask mammy 
 to let us go into the kitchen and make cand}-," she 
 said. " The weather is too damp and sticky for mo- 
 lasses candy, but butter-scotch will harden if we put 
 it in the dairy." Even this did not seem to be very 
 tempting to little ];)eople who had expected to go to 
 the real Owl woods, and Quick barked and yelped as 
 if he, too, felt cheated out of an expected excursion. 
 
 Presently the Doctor came out and saw the forlorn 
 groirp, which, being quite heedless of the sharp slant 
 of the rain, Avas rather wet and limp. 
 
 " Poor little bird-hunters ! " he said — rather too 
 324 
 
CAN^rBALS JN COURT 325 
 
 cheerfully, they thmig-ht — " you look as unhappy as 
 the party of astronomers wlio went all the way to 
 Africa to photograph an echpse of the sun, and when 
 the time came were so excited that they ftn'got to open 
 the camera, and so took no pictures. Come into the 
 hall and I will tell you about a p)lan I have. Catching 
 cold isn't a nice game for a birthday party. 
 
 " You expected to hear something about the caiuii- 
 bal birds to-day, and see the woods where a great 
 many of them live and make their nests, didn't you?" 
 
 " Yes," said Dodo ; " we wanted to know why they 
 are cannibals, and see where the wicked things live 
 that eat little Chickens and song birds." 
 
 " Very well. Now do you know that though all 
 Hawks and Owls sometimes eat other birds and help 
 themselves to poultry from the barnyards, yet at the 
 same time most of them are the farmer's best friends ? " 
 
 " No," said Rap ; " I tlionght they were all bad, 
 evil birds, and that the Government often gave money 
 to people for killing them ; besides, I am sure that 
 a Hawk took eleven of our little Chickens this very 
 spring ! " 
 
 " The Wise INIen have been looking up the records 
 of these cannil:)als — or Birds of Prey, as they are 
 usually called — and find that very few of them — 
 only two or three kinds, perhaps — should be con- 
 demned to death. The others belong to the secret 
 guild of the Wise Watchers who, sitting silently in 
 the shadows of the woods, or perching in the trees 
 around the edges of fields, wait for rats, mice, moles, 
 rabbits, gophers, beetles, cutworms, and inany other 
 creatures which destroy vegetable life. The Wise 
 
326 CITIZEN lilBD 
 
 Watchers kill these hurtful creatures, aud so become 
 the guardians of the fields." 
 
 " Oh, do tell us which ones do this and which took 
 Rap's Chickens," said Dodo, forgetting her disappoint- 
 ment for the time. 
 
 " 1 am going to make a play for j'ou. Some of the 
 Owls and Hawks shall speak for themselves, and tell 
 you about their own habits and customs. In fact, the 
 most familiar of these cannil)als shall have a hearing 
 tliis morning in the wonder room. The American 
 Eagle is to be the judge, and I think that, as you 
 cannot go to the woods, you will like to come into 
 ni)^ room to hear what they have to say." 
 
 " liirds talking about themselves in the wonder 
 room ; " siud Dodo in a puzzled way. 
 
 " What is a hearing? " asked Nat. 
 
 " 1 know what a hearing is," said Rap. " It is 
 where people are accused of doing something wrong 
 and they go down to the courtliouse, and the judge 
 hears what they have to say about it ; and, if he 
 thinks they have done the things, he binds them over 
 for trial. They often have hearings down in the 
 town hall in the East A''illage." 
 
 " You are quite right, my bojr ; and at this hearing 
 of ours, as the birds are stuffed and cannot speak, I 
 shall speak for them. Even if they could talk, we 
 could not understand them, unless we borrowed 
 Tommy-Anne's magic spectacles. Now, if you will 
 come into the study, you will find them all ready." 
 
 The children did not wait to be asked twice ; Nat 
 and Dodo rushed along the hall, followed by Rap. 
 
 In the study two tables were put together, making 
 
CANNIBALS IN COUMT 
 
 m 
 
 a sort of platfoi'in at the unci of tlie room. On this 
 
 phitform a dozen stuffed birds sat in solenni silence. 
 
 Tlie ()\vls were on one side, ^\■il.ll a row of Hawks 
 
 facing them on the other. A big Golden Eagle was 
 
 at the foot, and a White-headed iVmerican Eagle held 
 
 the place of honor at the head, 
 
 on a pile of Ijooks. Each 
 
 bird Ti\'as mounted on a 
 
 W(.)oden peich , and, 
 
 as they weie all set , ,,, 
 
 np nr ver} natu- A /, 'J 
 
 ral positions, /f^^ ^ J 
 
 the effect \\ as / / / 
 
 (luite start- j '^ 
 
 ling to the i .y '^^- 
 
 children. / 
 
 r^>^.5)^i(v:r: 
 
 Golden Eagle. 
 
 "Where did all these big birds come from?" asked 
 Nat. " They were not in the glass cases." 
 
 " No, they were in the attic. Yon mnst excuse 
 them if their featliers look a little shaliln', for it is a 
 
oliS CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 long time since tliey flew abont in tlie woods, and 
 took a bath or plumed themselves." 
 
 " The judge ought to wear si3ectacles ! May I cut 
 him a pair out of paper? " asked Dodo. " See how Avise 
 he looks," she said, as she put the make-believe glasses 
 on the Eagle's nose. 
 
 " Order ! " called the Doctor, rapping on the table 
 with liis knuckles. "The American Eagle makes the 
 first speech, which I will translate to you." 
 
 The Eagle looked very fierce as he sat there. His 
 head, neck, and tail were white, but the rest of his 
 body was dark brown. The upper part of liis great 
 3'ellow beak was liooked ; his yellow feet were Imre 
 and scaly; and his four sharp claws, or talons as they 
 are often called, were black. He was nearly three feet 
 tall, and if he had spread his powerful wings he would 
 have measured seven feet from tip to tip. 
 
 The Golden Eagle, who sat at tlie foot of the table, 
 was about the same size and an equally handsome bird. 
 He held his golden-brown head proudly erect, and his 
 black wings folded tightly. He too had some white 
 feathers in the tail, though none on the head; his hooked 
 beak was black, and he Avore dark leggings almost 
 down to his powerful claws. 
 
 These two Eagles, though not exactly friends, are not 
 enemies; for the liald-headed one ranges over all of -North 
 America, especially in open places near the Avater, Avhile 
 his Golden brother keeps more to the Avestern parts, 
 and loves the loneliness of cold northern mountains. 
 
 "We Ijirds of Prey," said the Eagle, "Avdio bow to no 
 one and CA^en sleep sitting erect — Ave, Avhose females 
 are larger than the males for the better protection of 
 
CANNIBALS IN COUUT 
 
 329 
 
 our nests, are accused of eating not only our smaller 
 brethren, but also four-footed animals which are of 
 service to man. I deny that ^\■e do this as a tribe, 
 except when we are jjrussed for food, and Heart of 
 Nature says to us all, ' Take \\'hat ye need to eat! ' 
 
 "Now, you are all in honor 
 bound to speak the truth at 
 this liearing, and you shall 
 be heard hrst, brothers of the 
 Darkness — you, with strange 
 voices and feathered eye-cir- 
 cles — 3'<>u, who have three 
 ej-elids and whose eggs are 
 whiter even than moonlight. 
 
 " Brother Screech Owd, 
 whose day is my night, tell 
 us about 3'(_iurself — how 
 and where 3-ou live." ^^, 
 
 There were two Screech ^\ 
 Owls perched side by side on 
 one stump. Tliey were not 
 ten inclies long, and had 
 feathery ear - tufts standing 
 up like horns an inch long. 
 One (_)wl was mottled gray 
 and black ; tlie other was 
 rusty-red; and the toes of both peeped out of holes in 
 their thin stockings. The gray one gave a little cj^uaver- 
 ing wail and said: 
 
 " I am everywhere a well-known Owl ; though I say 
 it myself, I am a good, hard-working Citizen, and in 
 this the Wise Men agree. 
 
 Screech Owl. 
 
330 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " All day I stay by 1113' nest hole in some old tree ; 
 Lut when others go to sleep I awake, and steal noise- 
 lessly on my rounds through barn, field, and garden. 
 What for ? For mice, moles, hats, and beetles. Some- 
 times I go a-fishing; sometimes I snatch a frog with 
 my sharp claws — the hunting weapons of my family. 
 Do I catch birds? Sometimes, but they are few com- 
 pared to the mice I kill. When I think of mice, I 
 l)ecome a feathered cat I Do mice run fast ? I fly 
 faster ! Winter or summer I always hear when a 
 mouse squeaks or a chipmunk chatters. When I swal- 
 low bones, fur, and feathers, they never give me any 
 pain — no, never I I luiderstand the science of diges- 
 tion. Instead of making my poor little stomach grind 
 up all the things I swallow, I just roll what I do not 
 care to digest into little pellets, and spit them up. If 
 you look on the ground under my home tree, you will 
 find these little balls, and by them judge of what I eat. 
 
 " My family are also distinguished by two other odd 
 habits. Having two sets of eyelids, an inner and an 
 outer, we can close one or both at will. The inner one 
 is a thin skin that we blink with, and draw across our 
 eyes in the day-time when the light annoys us, just as 
 House People pull down a curtain to shut out the sun. 
 The outer lids we close only in sleep, when we put up 
 the shutters after a night's work, and at last in death — 
 for birds alone among all animals are able to close their 
 own eyes when they die. The other habit is the trick 
 of turning our heads entirely round from front to back, 
 without wringing our necks or choking to death. This 
 we do to enable us to see in every direction, as we can- 
 not roll our eyes about as freely as most birds do. 
 
CAJYNriiALS IN COURT 331 
 
 "Come to think of it, I am very fond of eating one 
 bird that, so tlie Wi.se i\Ien say, is as bad as a mouse for 
 miscliief. I eat Knglisli Sparrows ! 
 
 "(Jne tiling I wisli the AV^ise Men would tell mo. Why 
 am I, without season or reason, sometimes rusty-red 
 and sometimes mottled graj' ? It confuses my brain so 
 tliat I hardly know my own face in the pond." 
 
 " Acquitted ! " said Judge Eagle. " Long-eared Owl, 
 what have you to say?" 
 
 The Long-eared Owl was about fifteen inches high. 
 He had, as his name implied, hing ear-tufts that stood 
 up ^'ery straight over his yellow eyes, and thick tawny 
 stockings on his feet and legs. He was finely mottled 
 above with brown, black, and dark orange, had long 
 brown streaks on his buff l)reast, and dark-lirown bands 
 on liis M'ings and tail. He gave a hoot and spoke very 
 c^uickly. 
 
 " I'm a good Citizen, too. I do not eat many Ijirds, 
 and those I do eat are not the useful ones who kill 
 insects ; moles, mice, rats, and beetles are mj^ daily 
 food. But House People do not know this, and liunt 
 me until I am almost discouraged ; for though I am 
 a Night Owl I do not live in such Avild places as some 
 of my brethren, and so I am more easily caught. I live 
 and nest anj'where I like, from the Atlantic to the 
 Pacific. I rear my young equally well in an old 
 Crow's nest in a high tree, or one I build for myself 
 in a Ijush. I mean well and anr a Wise Watcher. I 
 know my voice frightens PPjuse People, but let them 
 pity me and point their guns at something else." 
 
 " Short and to the point ! Acquitted ! '" said the 
 Eagle. " Sno\\y Owl, it is jdur turn." 
 
332 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 This beautiful white Owl, marked here and there 
 with Ijlack hars and spots, had a smooth round head like 
 
 a snowball, great yel- 
 low eyes, and thick- 
 ly feathered feet ; 
 lis bill and claws were 
 black, but you could 
 hardly see them for the 
 thickness of the feathers 
 in which they were 
 mufHed up. He 
 Aviiiked with each 
 eye, clicked his 
 bill once or 
 twice, and thus 
 began : 
 
 " I'm a very 
 good-looking 
 bird, as you 
 see — fatally 
 beautiful, in 
 fact ; for 
 
 House People 
 shoot me, not 
 on account of 
 my sins, but be- 
 caiise I can be 
 stuffed and sold 
 for an ornament. I do not stay long enougli in the 
 jjarts of the country where they live, to do much harm, 
 even were I a wicked Owl. My liome is in Arctic re- 
 gions, where my feather-lined nest rests on the ground. 
 
 Snowy Owl. 
 
CANNIliALS IN CO TUT 333 
 
 and even in winter I come into tlie United States only 
 when driven by snowstorms from the North. 
 
 "At home 1 live chiefly on lemmings, whicli are a 
 sort of clnmsy, short-tailed field-mice, not good for 
 anytliing hut to 1)6 eaten. Wlien I go visiting ] ma}- 
 take a little feathered game, but oftener I live on my 
 fav(n-ite mice, or go a-fisliing in creeks that are not 
 frozen; for I am a day Owl, and can see quite well in 
 the sunlight. You never see me except in winter, for 
 I am a thing of cold and snow, whose acquaintance j^ou 
 can seldom cultivate ; but if you knew me well you 
 would find me gentle, kind, and willing to be friends 
 with you — if you do not believe me, ask the Wise 
 jMen.-"' 
 
 " Acquitted ! You see we are proving our innocence," 
 said the Eagle proudly. ]5ut ])e hesitated a moment 
 before calling upon the Great Horned Owl, as if he 
 himself doul)ted the honesty of this savage bird. 
 ■ He was large, nearly two feet high, ^\•ith very long 
 ear-tufts and great staring yellow e^'es in the middle 
 of his large flat face. He was mottled on the back and 
 wings with buff and black, had on a Avhite cravat, and 
 his vest was barred with l)laek, white, and buff ; his 
 sharp lihick talons were almost hidden by feathers, but 
 not so much so as tlie Snowj^ Owl's. 
 
 " None of you like me because you are afraid of me, 
 and so you would rather coudenni me than not," began 
 the Horned Owl fiercely. " ISut I am not afraid of 
 anything or anybody. I am a lil^eral parent and heap 
 my nest up with food, like all the Owl and Hawk 
 Brotherhood. If I wish a Hen or a Goose or a Turkey 
 I take it, though I may only care to eat tlie head ; for 
 
384 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 Great Hoened Owl. 
 
 I am very dainty, and any one is welcome to what I 
 leave. I also like wild game — Huffed Grouse particu- 
 larly ; but I eat rabljits and rats enougli too, I warrant 
 you. I could give you a long list of the evil-minded 
 rodents I kill in every one of the States where I live ; 
 hut I won't, for you might think I wished to prove 
 myself no cannibal. I don't care what you think of 
 
CANNIIiAL.S IN COURT SSf) 
 
 me ; for I am able to take cave of myself, and quite 
 imlependent. 
 
 "I do not even liave to l)uild my own nest. In 
 February, when I need a home, there is always an 
 old Crow's or Hawk's nest ready for me ; and as for 
 my young, they are hardy and need no pampering ! 
 Whooo-ooo-hooo — 000 ! Hands off. Bird and House 
 People ! The (ireat Horned Owl knows how to use 
 both beak and elaws ! " 
 
 "Bound over for trial," said the Eagle, "and 30U 
 are luekj^ not to be connnitted for contempt of court." 
 
 " He is a very cross bird to talk no, even if he does 
 some good," whispered Dodo to Rap ; for the Doctor 
 had given the Owl's hoot so cleverly it all seemed real 
 to the children. Then Judge Eagle spoke again : 
 
 "Now for my brothers whose keen eyes can look at 
 the sun himself — ^you who strike -with the elaws and 
 rend with the beak in open daylight — it is your turn 
 to speak. jMarsh Hawk, where and how do you live?" 
 
 The Marsli Hawk was nineteen inches in length, with 
 a long tail, pointed wings, and Owl-like face. At first 
 glance he seemed to be a bluish-gray bird, but on close 
 inspection one could see that his under parts were white, 
 mottled with brown, and there was also a large white 
 patch on his rump. He spoke very clearly and said: 
 
 " I roam all over North America, wherever there is 
 open country and free flying, and make my nest on the 
 ground wherever I find tufted grass or reeds to liide it. 
 Marsh lands please me best, and so T am called the 
 Marsh Hawk. The voices of the Hawk Brotherhood 
 are like the voices of the winds, far-reaching, but not to 
 be put in words. Mine is one of the softest of the cries 
 
336 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 of the Wise Watcliers. Some brothers take their pas- 
 time in the skies, but I keep near the ground, in search 
 of the things I harry — mice and other small gnawing 
 animals, insects, lizards, and frogs. Sometimes I take a 
 
 stray Chicken or some other 
 bird, but A^ery few com- 
 pared to the countless 
 // ' rodents I destroy. 
 
 House People do 
 not realize that 
 tliese gnawers 
 are the greatest 
 enemies that the 
 Wise Watchers 
 keep in check. 
 Day and night 
 these vermin 
 gnaw at the 
 grain, the roots 
 of things, the fruits, the tree bark, even the eggs and 
 young of useful birds. I am their chief Harrier ; by 
 chance only, not choice, am I a cannibal." 
 
 " A very honest statement," said the Eagle. " Ac- 
 quitted ! Sharp-shinned Hawk, it is your turn." 
 
 Tliis little Hawk, only a foot long, was bluish-gray 
 above and had a black tail barred with ashy ; his white 
 breast was banded with reddish-brown, and he had a 
 keen, fierce eye. 
 
 "I have very little to say for myself," he began. 
 "Everywhere in North America I am a cannilial. I 
 know I am small, but I can kill a bird bigger than 
 myself, and I have a big brother wlio is a regular 
 
 Marsh Hawk. 
 
CANNIBALS IN COURT 
 
 337 
 
 Chicken and Hen Hawk. I liide m^' nest in the lengths 
 of thick evergreens, or on a rocky ledge, and all the 
 year round I take my own w]iere\'er I find it. I prefer 
 to pre}' on birds — Dove or Sparrow, Robin or Thi'ush, 
 song bird or Croaker — all are alike to me. I consider 
 mj'self a true sportsman, and 
 I do not like such tame gaiuc 
 as mice or frogs. I pounce 
 or dart according to my 
 pleasure ; I can fly faster 
 than any one of 3"0U, and 
 few small birds escape my 
 clutches. Sometimes in win- 
 ter I make my home near a 
 colonjr of English Sparrows 
 and eat them all for a change, 
 just to see how it feels to be 
 of some use to Hovise People; 
 but in spite of this I am a 
 bold, bad bird, and as every 
 one knows it I may as well 
 say that I take pride in my 
 reputation, and do not in- 
 tend to reform ! " 
 
 " Guilty ! " said the Eagle 
 solemnly. " Red-shouldered 
 Hawk next." 
 
 The Red-shouldered Hawk 
 held up his head proudly and returned the Eagle's gaze 
 without flinching. He was a fine muscular bird, stand- 
 ing a little under two feet high, with deep rusty-red 
 shoulders and reddisli-hrown back, while his head, neck. 
 
 Sharp-shinned Hawk. 
 
338 
 
 CITIZEN JUIW 
 
 and under parts were spotted and cross-barred with 
 rusty and white. He had a bhick tail crossed )jy half 
 a dozen white Ijars. 
 
 '• I am a Hawk of eastern North America, living from 
 the great plains to the Atlantic coast, going northward 
 
 Red-shouldeked Hawk. 
 
 to the British lands and southward to the warm-watered 
 (iulf of Mexico. I am often called Hen Hawk by those 
 who speak without thinking, but in truth I am not 
 much of a bird-thief, for a good reason. I am a thought- 
 ful bird, with the deliberate flight of a Night Owl, rather 
 
CANNIBALS IN COURT 339 
 
 than the clash of my daj'light brethren. I clear the 
 fiehls of mice and other gnawers, Ijesides spiders, grass- 
 hoppers, and snails ; while as a frog-lover, I am a veri- 
 table Frenchman. 
 
 " I am a faithful Hawk Ijesides, and wlien I am jjro- 
 tected will nest fcu' a lifetime iu the same woodland, if 
 there is a marsh or spring near Ijy to furnish my dailj^ 
 frogs. I am faithful also to my mate through life. I 
 help her huihl the nest and rear our young. If House 
 People are kind to me, I can be a gentle friend to them, 
 even in the trials of captivity ; but if I suspect a stran- 
 ger, he must look at me only at long range, heavy tliough 
 my flight appears. 
 
 " So I say boldly that I aur a useful bird and a good 
 Citizen. H you tliink a Hawk has stolen a pet Hen, 
 look well before you slioot ; and if he has rusty-red 
 shoulders count yourself mistaktui — and let him go." 
 
 " A true account," said tlie Jvigie : "you stand ac- 
 quitted. Sparrow Hawk, your turn." 
 
 This charming little Hawk, about the size of a Shrike, 
 had all the beauty of sha}>e and colm- of a song bird, 
 combined with Hawk-like dash. His wings were nar- 
 row and pointed. His back was I'cddish-brown with a 
 few Ijlack bars, and there was a broad one on the end of 
 his tail ; his wings were partly l)luisli. Underneath he 
 was white, shading to cream color and spotted with 
 black. His head was bluisli with black markings on 
 the sides and a red spot on the top. He was not at all 
 embarrassed at being in such grand company, for he 
 was used to the best society, having come of noble an- 
 cestry in the Hawk line. 
 
 " You all know me," he said in a clear voice. " Since 
 
340 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 Sparrow-killing is ordered by the Wise Men, you should 
 think well of me — es})ecially you House People, who 
 love song birds. 1 will tell you a secret — I am tliink- 
 ing of eatii ;■ no birds but English Sparrows in future! " 
 
 " So you have been 
 eating other birds ? " 
 said Dodo. 
 
 "Y-e-s, I have, but 
 not many more 
 than the Shrike 
 takes, and most- 
 ly seed-eaters — 
 hardly ever an in- 
 sect-eating song 
 bird. Do you know 
 how many bad insects 
 I eat ? " The little 
 Hawk rattled off a 
 long list, beginning 
 ■with grasshojjpers and 
 ending with beetles ; 
 but he spoke so fast 
 that the children 
 could not remember 
 half the names he 
 mentioned. 
 
 Sparrow Hawk 
 
 " Where do I live ? All over North America, though 
 I leave the colder parts in winter, for I like to be com- 
 fortable. I make my nest in some snug hole that a 
 A¥oodpecker has kindly left. Sometimes, for a joke, I 
 kill Sparrows and take their nest ! Or make myself a 
 home in a dove-cote — only I never seem to stay there 
 
CANNIBALS IN COURT 3J:1 
 
 long, for the Doves tell tales about me. I can sing a 
 little, too ; I have a high soprano voice and I " 
 
 " That will do," internqited the Eagle. " For a small 
 bird you are a great talker. I>nt you are acquitted ! 
 Wlio comes next '/ Brother Osprey '! " 
 
 The children recognized the Fish Hawk tliey had 
 seen the first da}- they went to the sea-shore. 
 
 " The (_)sprey is a fisherman like myself, so we need 
 not (juestiou him about his haljits," continued the Eagle, 
 who liad his own private reasons for not caring to hear 
 all the Osprey might say, remembering that he had 
 sometimes stolen fisli the Osprey had caught; "but I 
 sliould like to tell the House Children tliat he is one of 
 tlie long-lived l)irds who mate for life after the manner 
 of true Eagles, many of whom have lived a liundred 
 years, and also very industrious. Golden Eagle, wliat 
 is your bill of fare '! " 
 
 " The food of a wild Ijird of the mountains, far from 
 the homes of men. I seize Wild Ducks and cither 
 game birds, hares, rabbits, fawns — yes, and 3'oung 
 calves also, if House People make their dwellings near 
 me and bring cattle into my fortress ; but if they keep 
 away from me, I never molest them." 
 
 "Humph!" said the Bald Eagle; "you and I are 
 somewhat alike, for though I chiefly fish for a living I 
 also kill the young of large animals, and even eat car- 
 rion when game is scarce. But as it is unusual for a 
 judge to condemn himself, I tJiink I must go free ; and 
 as there are not very many of either of us, it realljr 
 doesn't matter much." 
 
 "How many did you condemn as really bad canni- 
 bals? " asked Nat, speaking to tiie Eagle. 
 
342 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " The Sharp-shinned Hawk, and the Great Horned 
 Owl are held over for farther trial ! " answered Judge 
 Eagle. " These two are the only ones who have been 
 brought before this court, though accusations have been 
 made against that liig brother of his whom the Sharp- 
 shin spoke of, and also against a still bigger relative he 
 did not mention. The iiames of these two offenders 
 are Cooper's Hawk and the Goshawk, wlio will both be 
 
 Bald E.viiLE. 
 
 brought to the bar of justice at our next session. This 
 court is now adjourned ! " 
 
 After the children had spent some time in looking at 
 the Hawks and Owls, Nat asked, "What are the 'same 
 birds,' uncle, that these cannibals sometimes eat ? " 
 
 " That is not an easy question to answer, my boy ; 
 but as we are coming to these birds next, you will learn 
 about them separately. Game birds as a Avhole are 
 those chiefly useful as food, and the hunting of them is 
 
CANNIBALS IN COURT 343 
 
 the occupation of sportsmen. These birds may belojig 
 to the working guilds, and all have habits interesting 
 to bird-lovers ; but as regards their value to the world, 
 it is mostly in the shape of food for House People." 
 
 " Then it isn't wrong for people to kill these birds for 
 food?" 
 
 "No, not if it is done fairly, in a true sportsmaidike 
 spirit, and not with traps or snares, or in the nesting 
 season, when no bird should be molested. The true 
 sportsman never shoots a bird out of season, or a song 
 l)ird at au}" time, and it is owing to his care that laws 
 are made to stop the pot-hunters." 
 
 "Are tlie game birds tree Ijirds, or what?" a.sked 
 Dodo. 
 
 " There are many kinds," said the Doctor. " Some of 
 them have cooing notes and build their nests in trees ; 
 these belong to the Pigeon family. Some scratch about 
 and feed on the ground, where they also nest, like our 
 barnyard poultry. ( )tliers run along the Ijanks of riv- 
 ers or on the sea-l)eaclies, where they wade in shallow 
 water to pick up their food, like Snipes and Plovers; 
 Avhile others swim Avith tlieir wel.)l_)ed feet and take 
 their food from deep water, like Geese and ])ucks. 
 Tliere are a few game birds in this glass case — some 
 Pigeons and Grouse ; suppose we finish the morning in 
 their company ? 
 
 " We will call Pigeons the Birds that Coo ; and 
 Grouse are some of the ISirds that Scratch, so called 
 because they all have much the same habit as our do- 
 mestic fowls of scratching the ground for food and to 
 raise a dust in which they take a sort of bath. See, 
 this Cooer is called tlie Passenger Pigeon." 
 
CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 A COOING PAIR 
 
 THE PASSENGER PIGEON AND THE MOUUNING DOVE 
 
 " You all know the Pigeons that are kept ahout 
 stables and harnyards. You have often seen them 
 walking with dainty steps to pick up their food, and 
 have heard the soft crooning ' eoo-oo ' the}' give when 
 talking to each other. They all belong to the Birds 
 that Coo. Their food is taken into the crop, which 
 can he plainly seen when it is quite full. These birds 
 feed their young in the same way Hummingbirds and 
 Flickers do ; for tliej' give the little ones softened food 
 from the crop, mixed with a sort of milky fluid that 
 also comes from the croj). One habit that Pigeons and 
 Doves have, all their own, is that in drinking they do 
 not raise the head to swallow like other birds, but keep 
 the beak in the water until they are through. 
 
 " Our domestic Pigeons have beautiful and varied 
 plumage, but to my mind many wild species surpass 
 them. The two best-knowu wild species are the Pas- 
 senger Pigeon of the Northwest, and tlie Mourning 
 Dove, which may be found nesting everywhere in tem- 
 perate North America. 
 
 " Here are the two birds '" — and the Doctor set them 
 upon the table. " At first glance you may think them 
 
 344 
 
.4 COOING I'Alll 
 
 345 
 
 much alike, and if 3'ou slmuld see llieni on the winy 
 you would surely he confused. 
 
 " Rap, you may describe the Passenger Pigeon, and 
 Nat shall take the Dove ; let me see if you can do it 
 clearly enough for your written taljles. 
 
 Rap looked at the Pigeon for some time 
 "It isn't an easy bird to describe — all 
 the colors run together so. It has bluisli- 
 gray upper parts, and underneath 
 is a sort of pinky brown with 
 white under the tail. The sides 
 of the neck are shiny wit 
 soap-bubble colors. The out- 
 side tail-feathers are 
 bluish and fade off 
 white at the tips, but 
 the middle ones are all 
 dark ; the beak is black, 
 and the feet are red. 
 But see here," he added, 
 as he looked sharplj' at 
 tlie bird's tail again, 
 " there are some chest- 
 nut and black spots at 
 the roots of the side 
 feathers." 
 
 " Very good, my boy. How long do you think it is ? " 
 
 Rap measured with his iinger and said he thought 
 about fourteen inches. 
 
 " You are almost right, though these Pigeons vary 
 in lenofth, because some have longer tails than others. 
 I think tliis one measured aljout sixteen inches when it 
 
346 CITIZKN lUBD 
 
 was stretched out straight; but it looks shorter now, 
 because it is set up in a natural position. 
 
 " The life history of this beautiful Pigeon should 
 teach every one the necessity of protecting birds by 
 law. Up to fifty years ago the Passenger Pigeon was 
 extremely plentiful everywhere east of the great plains 
 — there were many millions in a single flock some- 
 times. It was a most valuable bird, its flesh being par- 
 ticularly well-flavored and tender. It nested in large 
 colonies that often stretched unbroken for many miles 
 in the woods, and was both hardy and prolific. If it 
 had been protected in the breeding season and hunted 
 fairly as an article of food at other times, we should 
 still be enjoying Pigeon pie as freely as we did in my 
 boyhood. But as the population of the countrj^ in- 
 creased, these great flocks were cruelly slaughtered, for 
 the mere greed of killing them ; thousands were often 
 left to decay upon the ground, and now I do not be- 
 lieve that any one of you has ever seen a wild Pigeon 
 before to-day." 
 
 "We have Pigeon jwe at home in the winter," said 
 Dodo. 
 
 "Yes, tame Pigeon pie," said the Doctor. 
 
 "It might have been tame pie and it was very good! 
 But, Uncle Roy, why did people want to kill these 
 good, food birds when they didn't care to eat them ? " 
 
 " It is difficult to say exactly, little girl. People 
 living in what we call a state of nature, like African 
 savages, or as our American Indians once did, seem to 
 follow Heart of Nature's law: 'Kill only what ye need 
 for food.' But many people that are called civilized 
 never think of natural law at all, and having a coarse 
 
A COOING PAIR 
 
 347 
 
 MdURNING DUVE. 
 
 streak in their natures desire to kill wild 
 tilings merely for the sake of killing. 
 It is against such people that 
 laws must be made by those 
 who have more intelli- 
 
 gence. 
 
 " Now for your Dove, 
 Nat — called the Mourn- 
 ing Dove from his 
 mournful 'coo-o-coo-o ! "' 
 
 "At lirst." said Nat, 
 " when I saw it in the 
 glass case it looked sort 
 of hluish-brown. J>ut 
 near b}' it is greenish-brown and gray oji top, and its 
 head and neck have bright colors, like what you see on 
 silver that has not been cleaned for some time or the 
 spoon with which you have been eating boiled eggs." 
 
 "We call those colors metallic tints," interrupted 
 the Doctor, to help Nat out. 
 
 " Thank 3'ou ; that is what I was trying to say. It is 
 just like Avhat Rap called soap-bubble colors on the 
 Pigeon's neck, but this Dove has got black specks like 
 velvet on the neck too, and a l>l<'ick band on the tail 
 with white tips to the feathers ; underneath it is dull 
 purple and soi't of buff, and its feet are red, and it's 
 aljout a foot long." 
 
 " That is a fairly good descri})tion of a bird whose 
 colors it is ahnost impossible to put into words. Do 
 you know anything about this Dove, Rap ? " 
 
 " I only know it builds such a poor nest that you 
 would think the eggs would drop through the bottom. 
 
348 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 only they don't seem to. There was a nest in the 
 miller's woods last year, with two white eggs like tame 
 Pigeons', only smaller, and when they hatched I took 
 one of the squabs home for a pet. It became very 
 tame, but I had to let it fly because it grew too big and 
 dirty, — it was like keeping a Chicken in the house. 
 
 "The miller said they were mischievous birds, and 
 ate so many oats that lie had to sow his field twice 
 over. Is that true. Doctor, or do the}^ belong to some 
 good guild ? " 
 
 " They do not eat insects, though they may do a 
 little work as Weed Warriors, and as they are fond of 
 grain they may have helped themselves to some of the 
 miller's oats ; but usually when they feed on the 
 ground they are Gleaners, and they never disturb 
 grain in the ear. They have many pretty ways, and 
 even though their love-song is sad they are cheerful 
 and happy. Their ' coo-oo ' sounds very gentle in the 
 morning chorus, and though the Dove often nests in 
 open woods and gardens, it seems most at home in a 
 quiet place near water ; for it is very fond of drink- 
 ing and bathing." 
 
CHAPTER XXVII 
 THREE FAMOUS GAME BIRDS 
 
 "If any one should ask you which are the most fa- 
 mous American game birds, you may answer without 
 hesitation, ' Bob White, Ruffed Grouse, and Woodcock ' 
 — the whistler, the drummer, and tlie sky dancer — 
 all three good Citizens and handsome, interestinsf birds. 
 
 " Rob White is the most familiar, because in spring, 
 when he feels quite sure tliat the law will protect his 
 pretty liead, he comes out of the thick bushes to the 
 rail fence by the roadside and calls his own name — 
 'Bob — white, bob — white!' — so that the shy mate 
 he desires shall know where to find him. Then if she 
 is hard-hearted and a long time coming he will say — 
 ' Bob-white, j)oor bob-wliitel ' as if craving for pity. 
 
 " The last of May the nesting begins, and from then 
 until autumn Bol) Wliite tells his name and whereabouts 
 to no one; for it is a very busy season with him. The 
 nest of leaves on the ground may yield during the sum- 
 mer twenty or thirty little Bobs, whom he must help 
 supply Avith food and teach to walk about and care for 
 themselves. 
 
 " In autumn each one of these Quail families — for 
 j\Ir. Rob White is a kind of Quail — is called a 'cove3^' 
 They take to thick brush for winter food and shelter, 
 
 349 
 
550 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 Bob White. 
 
 being very dever at hiding from the sportsman, and 
 only flying from slielter wlien nosed out hy his dog. 
 
 "The Uutfed (irouse is also a l)ird of woods and 
 l)rushy places, but at all seasons is more fond of trees 
 than Bob White. It is much larger than Bob, and 
 if seen among tlie underbrush looks like a small, lirown, 
 speckled Hen. Watch one in the spring-time, when he 
 is roaming the woods in search of a mate, and j^ou will 
 see that he is every inch a game bird — a king of game 
 birds too. In early May this Grouse mounts a fallen 
 
THREE FAMOUS GAME BIRDS 351 
 
 tree, or the rail of an old fence, ami swells liis breast 
 proudly till the long feathers on each side of his neck 
 rise into a beautiful shining Ijlack ruffle or tippet, such 
 as you can see in some old-fashioned portraits of the 
 times when Elizabeth was queen of England. He 
 droops his wings and spreads his tail to a brown and 
 gray banded fan, which he holds straigljt up as a Tur- 
 key does his when he is strutting and gobbling. Next 
 he raises his wings and begins to beat tlie air — slowly 
 at first, and tlien faster and faster. ' Boom — Ijooni — 
 boom' — the hollow sound comes rolling with a noise 
 like beating a bass drum. 
 
 "Thus does the liuffed Grouse drum up his mate, as 
 the Woodpecker lianuuers or the Thrush sings. You 
 remember the booming sound made by tlie wings of 
 tlie Nightliawk, wlien the air wliizzed through them ? 
 WMien Bob White and his Grouse brother fly, tlieir 
 wings make a whirring noise that is equally startling."' 
 
 " And does his mate understand tliat the drnnnuing 
 is meant to call her ? " 
 
 " Yes, surely ; and soon there is a nest of dry leaves 
 somewhere about the roots of a tree, or under a fallen 
 log. Father Grouse tlien l)ecomes selfish and takes 
 himself off with some men friends, leaving mamma 
 alone to hatcli the eggs and feed the baljies. But tliis 
 is not so dreadful as it seems, because tlie young ones 
 are fully covered with down like Chickens when they 
 first leave the egg, and able to follow their mother ; 
 besides, they are the most obedient little things im- 
 aginalile. 
 
 " If she but gives one cluck of alarm, they vanish, 
 under the leaves or twigs, and do not stir again until 
 
3.52 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 they hear her say the danger is over. And that patient 
 ■watchful JNlotlier (ilrouse has as many wa}'s of leading 
 an enemy away from her nest as any House Mother 
 could devise if her children were in danger. 
 
 "This Grouse is a Ground Gleaner, a Seed Sower, 
 and a Weed Warrior also in autumn. When snow 
 covers all other food, lie nips buds from low plants. 
 
 KuFFED Grouse. 
 
 Sometimes he liurrows in deep snow for shelter from 
 the cold, and then is liable to be caught liy a sleet 
 storm and frozen in his hiding-place. So you see his 
 life is not altogether an easy one. 
 
 "The young Grouse stay with their parents until 
 they are old enough to choose mates for themselves ; 
 but the flocks are never as large as the covey Bob 
 White musters about him. 
 
 " The American Woodcock, the last of the trio, and 
 
THREE FAHIOUS GAME BIRDS 35?) 
 
 the most warj^ of all, belongs to a family of shore Ijirds 
 who patter about tlie water's edge ; but he does nc)t 
 often go in wading, and prefers seclusion in the woods 
 that border swamps. He is a worm and grub eater 
 who, by tlie aid of his long straight bill, whicli has a 
 sensitive tip like your finger, can feel his food when 
 it is out of sight, and is able to probe the soft mud 
 for things to eat that other birds cannot find. Tlie 
 strangest thing about his l^ill is, that tiie upper half of 
 it can be bent at the end, almost as mucli as you can 
 crook the last joint of your fingers. Sucli a bill is of 
 the greatest assistance to him, as his eyes are set so far 
 in the liack of liis head that he cannot see wliat lie 
 eats." 
 
 "How queer!" said Nat; " wliat is tlie reason for 
 that? I suppose there nuist be a reason ! 
 
 " This is it. By being placed far back iu his head 
 his eyes become like two watch-towers, from wliich lie 
 can scan the country behind as well as in front, and be 
 on the alert for enemies. Woodcocks are very cautious 
 birds, keejjing well hidden by da)' and feeding only 
 during the twilight hours or at night. 
 
 " They do not pass the winter in tlie colder parts of 
 the country, and so escape the suffering that often 
 overtakes Bob White and the Huffed Grouse. They 
 must be able to brave snowstorms, however, at the 
 latter end of the cold season ; for sometimes, when 
 they begin to lay in early April, winter changes its 
 mind and comes back to give them a snow blanket." 
 
 " You said that they are dancing birds," said Dodo. 
 " When do they dance ? " 
 
 " They dance in the sky in spring and summer ! " 
 
 2a 
 
354 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 cried Rap, unable to keep still any' longer. "I saw 
 a pair of them doing it this year, when I was out with 
 the miller, looking for his colt that had strayed into 
 the big woods beyond the pond. He said he knew 
 there must be a Woodcock about, because he saw the 
 little round holes in the mud, where they had been 
 boring for earthworms, and that is the way he knows 
 where to find them in the fall when he wants to go 
 
 hunting." 
 
 but how did they 
 anee ? " persisted 
 Dodo. 
 
 " Oh ! like 
 crazy things 
 with wings ! 
 First one ran 
 around a little 
 and ■\^•llistled ; 
 then one juni[)ed 
 riglit off into the 
 air, making a 
 Avhirring witli 
 his wings until he was way up out of sight, and then 
 after a little wliile he came pitching down zig-zag, like 
 a kite that has lost its tail, whistling something 
 like the way a Swallow twitters, and making a queer 
 twanging noise. The other one stayed on tlie ground 
 and jigged about all the time. I would have liked 
 to watch longer, but we had to find the colt, you 
 know. 
 
 " Now write your tables," said the Doctor, " for it is 
 nearly dinner-time." 
 
 American Woodcckk. 
 
THREE FAMOUS GAME miWS 6bij 
 
 Bob ■White 
 
 Length ten inches. 
 
 Upper parts mixed reddish-) irown, buff, gray, and black, with 
 a wliite line over the eye and a row of buff streaks on the inside 
 wing-featliers. 
 
 Under parts white, blacic, and chestnut, tlje l>ieast quite Vjlack 
 and the tliroat pnre wliite in tlie male, but buff in the female, and 
 other markings mncli mixed up. 
 
 A Citizen of the greater part of temperate North America, and 
 a very valuable one, the prince of the game birds of its family. 
 The bill is stout for crushing seeds, the head has a slight ci'est, and 
 the feet have no feathers on the .scaly part that goes from the 
 drumstick down to the roots of the toes. 
 
 The Ruffed Grouse 
 
 Length about seventeen inches. 
 
 Upper parts mottled with reddish-brown, black, gray, buff, and 
 whitish, in different blended patterns; on each side of the neck 
 a tuft of long glossy greenish-black feathers in the male, much 
 shorter and not so dark in the female ; the tail in both sexes gray 
 or brownish with black bars or mottling, especially one broad bar 
 ne.ar the end, and gray tip of the feathers. 
 
 Lower parts light buff or whitish with many dark-brown or 
 blackish bars, best marked on the sides. 
 
 A Citizen of eastern North America, and a valuable game bird. 
 It lives on the ground and looks like a small lien, but has a longer 
 and handsomer tail that spreads round like a fan. The bill is 
 stout and the head crested, like the Bob White's; but the feet have 
 little feathei's part way down from the drumstick to the toes. 
 
 The Ruffed (jrouse, like the Bob White, belongs to the Birds 
 that Scratch. 
 
 The American Woodcock 
 
 Length ten to twelve inches — female larger than male. 
 
 Upper parts variegated with brown, tawny, and black. 
 
 Under parts plain warm brown. 
 
 A Summer Citizen of eastern North America, wintering in south- 
 ern parts of its range, and a famous game bird. A ground bird 
 of nurisliy woods and near-by fields, though he belongs to the same 
 
356 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 family as the Snipe, and is therefore classed among the Birds that 
 "Wade. Pie has a plump body, with short legs, neck, tail, and wings, 
 a big head with the eyes set in its back upper corners, a very long 
 bill which is soft, sensitive, and can be bent a little ; and the three 
 outside feathers in each wing are very much narrower than the rest. 
 
 The dinner Lell rang as tlie children wrote the hast 
 words. 
 
 " You see," said the Doctor, " tliat though it is still 
 raining and blowing, the morning has gone in a twin- 
 kling, and I now sitspect the birthday cake is waiting to 
 he cut." 
 
 "Yes," said Dodo, "I've been smelling the flowers 
 and candles that go with a birthday cake for ever so 
 long ! And after dinner we can accept Olive's invita- 
 tion and make candy — can't we, Uncle Roy?" 
 
 " I suppose so; and as nothing is too good for a rainy 
 birthday, I will add something more to the feast. I 
 will tell you a 1 lirthday secret ■ — or, rather, what has 
 been a secret until now. 
 
 "Next month we are all going to the sea-shore to 
 spend a few weeks in Olaf's little cabin, to bathe in the 
 salt water, and sail in his sharpie. Then you can ask 
 all the questions you please about the marsh and water 
 birds. You will learn how the tides ebb and flow, and 
 see the moon come up out of the water. 
 
 " There ! Don't all talk at once ! Yes, Rap is com- 
 ing with us — and his mother also, to help take care of 
 you children, for ]\Iammy Bun must stay here. She 
 does not like to camp out — says she is afraid of get- 
 ting break-bone fever. 
 
 " Come, dinner first, and then talking, or the candles 
 will burn ottt all alone! " 
 
CHAPTER XXVI I r 
 
 ON THE SHORE 
 
 Hv tlie first of August, Ijird liousekeeping was over 
 at Orchard Farm. Tlie Barn Swallow had g'uided her 
 last brood through the hayloft window, without having 
 it closed upon her as she had feared. The friendly 
 Robins had left the Orchard and lawji, to moult in tlie 
 quiet of the woods. The Tlirashers, and Catbirds too, 
 were quite silent and invisible ; of all the voices that 
 had made the last three mouths so musical, the Red- 
 eyed Vireo and the Song Sparrow alone persisted in 
 singing, aided by a few Wood Thrushes. 
 
 "Rap says that August is a poor month for birds 
 about here," said Xat to his uncle ; " do you thiidv 
 there will be more of them down at the shore? " 
 
 " That we cannot tell until we go there, but we are 
 likely to meet some of the Wading and Swimming JSirds 
 who have nested in the far North, and are on their 
 southward journey. If the weather is ])leasant, they 
 often pass by far out at sea; but if it is foggy or 
 stormy, they may stoj) awhile to rest and feed." 
 
 " Do many of these birds nest near our beach? " 
 
 "A few, but the greater nund)er breed further north. 
 Olaf will .show us Herons in the island woods, and 
 where the Rails nest in the reeds, near the j\Iar,sh 
 ^Vrens, a mile or two up the river. Some day when it 
 
 .S57 
 
358 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 is calm, we will sail over to Great Gull Island, where 
 many water birds lay their eggs on tlie bare sand. 
 There will be enough for you to see and do, I jaromise 
 you." 
 
 The next day they all went to the shore. Mr. Wolf 
 looked after them very sadly from the door of his 
 kennel, where he was chained, and barked a gruff good- 
 bye ; but Quick informed them that he intended going 
 also, took matters into his own hands, and started to 
 run down the road ahead of the wagon. 
 
 After much arranging, talking, and laughing, two 
 wagon-loads of people, rubljer Ijoots, fishing tackle, and 
 other things, started toward the shore, a farm hand 
 going with each team to drive the horses back. 
 
 " Miss Olive, honey ! " called Mammj^ Bun as they 
 were starting, " don' you let de chillen eat too many 
 o' dem clanis what has do long necks ; dey is powerful 
 full o' cramps." And Olive promised that she would 
 be very careful. 
 
 When they reached the shore, they found everything 
 ready for them. Olaf's little home, which contained 
 four tiny rooms, was as clean and compact as a shiji's 
 cabin. There was a kitchen, one room for Olive and 
 Dodo, one for the Doctor, and another for Rap's mother ; 
 while Olaf, Nat, and Rap were to sleep close by in a 
 tent made of poles, canvas, and pine boughs. Several 
 boats were drawn up on the beach, by a creel of nets 
 and some lobster pots, while Olaf's sharpie was anchored 
 in deep water a little waj^ offshore. 
 
 It was late when the horses turned homeward after 
 leaving their loads ; it had been a beautiful afternoon, 
 neither too warm nor too cool. 
 
ON THE SHORE 359 
 
 "Oil! " excliiimed Dodo, "now tliat tlie horses have 
 gone, the good time will begin ; for we can't go back 
 even if we want to." 
 
 The children amused themselves for some time in 
 looking at their new quarters, anil then in watching 
 (_)laf row out to light the beacon Limps. When it grew 
 dusk they had supper, wondering at the strange stillness 
 of the evening ; for, though it was usually very quiet at 
 the Farm, they had never before known the silence that 
 falls with the twilight on a shore where the water does 
 not rush and beat as on the ocean beaches, but simply 
 laps lazily to and fro, like the swinging of a hammock. 
 
 Presently the stars began to give good-evening winks 
 at the beacons — first one, then another and another, 
 until the whole sky twinkled ; while one evening star, the 
 brightest of them all, hurried along the west as if it were 
 trying to overtake the sun, and knew that it was fully 
 half an hour behind the jolly god of day. 
 
 "See how the tide is coming in," said Rap, when 
 tliey returned to the beach. " When (_)laf went out, he 
 had to push his boat ever so far, and now the Avater is 
 almost up to the line of seaAveeds and shells." 
 
 " I Avonder what makes the water go in and out ? " 
 questioned Dodo, half to herself. 
 
 " I don't exactly knoAv," said Rap ; " but I think it is 
 because the earth goes round every day, making the 
 water tip from one side to the other and then back 
 again." 
 
 " Then Avliy doesn't it all tip off into the sky ? " per- 
 sisted Dodo. 
 
 "I guess — because — that is, I don't know," stam- 
 mered Rap. 
 
360 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " I must ask rucle Roy to tell us, and wliy the earth 
 down here on the shore stays sharji and gritty when 
 it is wet ; for when the earth up at the Farm is wet, it 
 makes sticky mud," said Dodo. 
 
 " Yes," said Nat, " and why the stars are of such 
 different sizes, and seem to stay quite still, except some 
 that go along like that hig bright one over there." 
 
 " Quok ! Quok ! " cried a strange voice from the 
 marshes back of the beach. " Quok, quok, quok, 
 quok ! " answered other voices. 
 
 "What can that be?" said Nat; "it isn't a Whip- 
 poor-will, or a Nighthawk — it must be one of the 
 cannibal Ijirds. Uncle Koy, what kind of birds are 
 those calling away over in the marshes?" But the 
 Doctor was not within hearing, and it was some time 
 before they found him, sitting by the cabin door smok- 
 ing his pet outdoor pipe, which was made of a corn-cob. 
 
 " Did you hear the Night Herons calling as you came 
 up? " lie asked. 
 
 "We heard a very queer squawky sound, and came 
 to ask you what it was, for we couldn't guess," said 
 Nat. "What is a Night Heron — a cousin of the 
 Nighthawk, who lives near the water?" 
 
 " I don't thiidv it's a water bird," said Kap, "because 
 I have heard that same squawking up bj' the mill." 
 
 "But is not the mill close to the pond?" said the 
 Doctor, smiling. 
 
 " Wh)', yes, to be sure — but I was tbinking of salt 
 water." 
 
 " That is a distinction that applies to few of our 
 water birds ; when we speak of the birds that wade, 
 paddle, swim, and di\'e, Ave must remember that the}' 
 
ON THE SHORE 
 
 361 
 
 may do so in lakes, rivers, bays, or the ocean, according 
 to tlieir individual habits. In fact, some mend.)ers of 
 a single family prefer fresh '\\'ater, while their Ijrotliers 
 are more fond of the salt sea. This is the case in the 
 familjr of the Night Heron." 
 
 "Where does he belong?" asked Itap, ''with the 
 paddling birds or the swimming ones? " 
 
 " With the paddlers and waders." 
 
 " See, here comes the moon up out of the water and 
 it makes a shindy path up to our feet and (Jlaf is rowing 
 back right down it and the stars have stopped winking 
 and are getting dim," said eager little Dodo, with an 
 "and" wherever she ought to have stopped to breathe, 
 as usual. "Hark ! the Herons are squawking again — 
 won't you tell us about them now. Uncle Roy ? " 
 
 A LONG-NECKED FAJFILY 
 
 "The long-necked, long-legged, ^w^ 
 long - Ijilled Heron family, to 
 which these squawkers belong, 
 contains many marsh - loving- 
 birds. They are not exactly what 
 we call shore birds, but live con- 
 tentedly near any water, wliere 
 they can wade and splash about 
 pools and shallows for their food. 
 For they eat meat, though they 
 never kill Inrds, like the canni- 
 bals. Their taste is for frogs, 
 lizards, snakes, snails, crabs, iish, and other small fry; 
 they very seldom eat any warm-Jjlooded animals. 
 
 Black-crowned Night 
 Heron. 
 
362 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 Herons are all rather large birds, the smallest of them 
 being over a foot in length, Avhile the largest stand 
 fully four feet high." 
 
 " Quok ! Quok ! " came the cry again, this time just 
 over the cabin. Looking up, the children saw a dark 
 body flying toward the wood belt ; something like a 
 long beak stuck out from its breast in front, and its 
 long legs were stretched out stiff behind, but these 
 were the only details that they could distinguish. 
 
 "I thought Herons had long necks," said Nat ; "but 
 this one doesn't seem to have any neck at all." 
 
 " Ah, but when it flies it folds its long neck, and 
 thus draws its head down between its shoulders, while 
 some of the Stork and Crane cousins poke out their 
 heads in flying." 
 
 " Are Storks and Cranes cousins of the Herons ? " 
 asked Dodo. "I know about Storks — tfiej^ are in my 
 fairy book. They live in the north country where 
 little Tuk came from, and build their nests on roofs 
 between chimneys, and stand a great deal on one leg in 
 the water looking for frogs. Do Herons nest on roofs 
 and stand on one leg. Uncle Ro)- ? " 
 
 " They do not nest on roofs, but thej^ often stand on 
 one leg wdien watching for food, and when sleejiing — 
 in fact, they stand so much in this way that one leg is 
 often stronger than the other, and they most certainly 
 belono- to the guild of Wise Watchers. The l-Slack- 
 crowned Night Heron who has just flown over is the 
 most familiar member of his family hereabouts, and 
 quite a sociable bird. He prefers to live the hotel life 
 of a colony, instead of having a quiet home of his own, 
 and so do almost all other members of the Heron 
 
ON THE SHORE 6\)6 
 
 family. Tliese Night Ilenuis flock Ijack froni "warm 
 countries in A])i'il, and by early May liave built their 
 rough nests of sticks in trees near the water, or over 
 a marshy place. There is a colonj^ of twenty or tlurty 
 nests on Marsh Island, Olaf tells me ; in my boyhood 
 days there used to Ije lumdreds of them. 
 
 " In nesting-time a heronry, as such a colony is 
 called, is a very noisy, dirty place ; for they do not 
 kee}) their homes neat and nice, like the tidy land 
 Ijirds. ^Ir. and ]Mrs. Night Heron call hoarsely enough 
 to eacli other, but imagine three or four Ijaby Herons 
 crying from every nest — trnh' the parents can have 
 but little rest, for day and night the}' must go frogging 
 or fishing, to fill the stomachs of their red-eyed awkward 
 children. 
 
 " When the nesting season is over, however, this 
 Heron again becomes the night watchman of the 
 marshes. The tinkling of the bell on the home-going 
 cow is his breakfast bell, and sunset the signal for him 
 to leave his roost. Then beware ! little fislies and 
 lizards — those red eyes are glowing for you I That 
 long spear-shaped beak is ready to stab you to death ! 
 Froggy ' Avho would a-wooing go,' return quickly to 
 your mother, without making any impertinent remarks 
 about ' gammon and spinach ' on the way, or something 
 much more savage than the 'lily-white duck' will 
 surely gobble 3'ou up ! Stay in doors patiently, until 
 sunrise sends the rough-clawed prowler back to his 
 heronry again." 
 
 " INIay we go to see the Herons some day ? It would 
 be so funny to go to a bird hotel and find everybody 
 asleep, like the beauty in the wood," said Dodo. 
 
364 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " You sball certainly pay them a visit, but I douljt 
 that you will find them as sound asleep as you im- 
 agine." 
 
 The very next morning Olaf piloted the ]}s.Tty across 
 the meadows to the wood that was made an island bj- a 
 little creek that threaded in and out among the reeds. 
 
 " I know somebody whose feet are wet already ! " 
 said Nat, pointing to Olive, who was slipping about 
 uncertainly. 
 
 " I know it was very foolish to come without my 
 rubber boots, but they are so uncomfortable to wear 
 in summer. (.)h ! please give nie your hand — quick, 
 father ! " The Doctor caught her as she was sinking 
 in what looked like a bit of good ground, but was 
 really a bog tuft. 
 
 It took some time to work their way to the centre of 
 the island. There the ground was drier in spots, be- 
 tween the little pools, and there were some high trees. 
 
 "Stop here," said (Jlaf cautiously, "and look well 
 before." 
 
 They did so just as the crackling twigs startled some 
 dusky shapes that flapped among the trees. 
 
 " The Herons ! " exclaimed Eap, settling his crutch 
 more firmly and preparing to watch closelj'. 
 
 As soon as their eyes became accustomed to the dim 
 light, the party saw many large birds, some in the trees, 
 some in the decaying underbrush, and others on the 
 ground. Here and there among the trees were nests, 
 looking like flat heaps of sticks. They were empty ; 
 but their sides, the trees, and the ground were all 
 spattered and befouled witli the chalky-white droppings 
 of the careless colony. 
 
ON THE SIIOh'E o65 
 
 " Ugh ! " shivered Dothi, who had a very keen nose, 
 " what an ngiy })hice to live in, and such a horrid smell ! 
 Please, uncle, don't these Ijirds have dreadful Iieudaches 
 very often ? " 
 
 "I think House People \\'oul(l liave wretched head- 
 aches if they lived here — in fact, we must not stay 
 very long ; hut it agrees with Herons, who are huilt to 
 he the wardens of just such places." 
 
 "There are two kinds of Hei'ons here," said Rap. 
 "•Some hlack and white, with a top-knot, and some 
 striped hrown ones. Aren't the hrown ones Bitterns? 
 They look like one I saw in the miller's W(jods, and he 
 called it a Bittern." 
 
 " The striped ones are the young l.)irds, now wearing 
 their first plumage. Bitterns prefer to Vive in fresh- 
 water meadows, or near })on(ls. They are solitary hirds, 
 keeping house in single pairs, and after nesting-time 
 wander ahout entirely alone." 
 
 "Isn't it very hard to tell young Night Herons from 
 Bitterns?" asked Nat. 
 
 " It would he easy for you to mistake them, hut the 
 hahits of the two species are quite different. The Bit- 
 tern nests on the ground, in a reedy hog, not in the 
 woods, and may l)e seen flj'ing in hroad daylight, with 
 his lung legs trailing l)ehind him. But in spite of this, 
 he is a difficult hird to find ; for if anything is ' remote, 
 unfriendly, solitary, slow,' it is the American Bittern, 
 who often stands motionless among the reeds for hours." 
 
 " That is just what the Bittern did that tlie miller 
 and I saw," said Rap. "We were hunting for a calf — 
 the miller's things are alwa3's straying away, hecause he 
 never mends his fences — and this ISittern was among 
 
366 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 some very tall grasses and dry flags ; for it was along 
 in the fall, wlieu things were turning brown. I don't 
 know how I ever came to see him ; but when I did, he 
 looked so queer that he almost scared me, and I said to 
 the miller, ' Whatever is that ? ' 
 " For a minute he couldn't 
 see anything, and then he said, 
 \ ' ^ C^^W' / ' Pshaw ! that's only a 
 
 ■f 
 
 / 
 
 Bittern ; but I do wish 
 I liad my gun.' 
 
 " ' Why doesn't he 
 move ? ' said I. ' Look 
 / at the way he holds 
 his head straight up, 
 like a stick. I'm going 
 round behind him to 
 see what his back 
 looks like.' 
 
 " ' He's a stupid thing, 
 and thinks we don't see 
 him,' said the miller. I 
 walked round and round 
 until I began to get dizzy, 
 but that bird was all front, and all I could see was his 
 striped breast and neck. Then I saw the miller Avas 
 laughing. 
 
 " ' That bird isn't as stupid as he looks,' said he. 
 ' He turns around just as fast as j'ou walk, so you won't 
 have a chance to get Ijehind him.' Then we heard tlie 
 calf low, and we went away." 
 
 " That was a sight worth seeing, ni)' boy," said the 
 Doctor ; " for it is one of the best proofs that birds un- 
 
 American Bittern. 
 
ON THE SHORE 367 
 
 derstaiul the value of pi-dtectiou of color. The liittern 
 and the old reeds blended tlieir colors toj^ether, and by 
 stretching np its neck the bird adapted his sha[)e as 
 much as possible to the straight, stiff lines of the reeds, 
 while by keeping his front parts toward yon, the curves 
 of his back were concealed. You might have passed 
 his hiding-place a hundred times without seeing him. 
 But come — let us leave this Heron hotel, and lind a 
 way to the lane road." 
 
 The open air seemed doubly sweet and fresh, after 
 the fishy smell of the Heronry. Dodo stopped under 
 the first shade tree, and begged for her taljles. 
 
 The Black-crowrned Night Heron 
 
 (The Nh;ht Watchbian) 
 
 Length about two feet. 
 
 Upper parts glossy greenish black in front, but ashy-gray behind 
 and on the neck, wings, and tail ; the forehead white, and two slen- 
 der white plumes sticking out six or eight inches behind the head. 
 
 Under parts whitish, including the long throat or front of the 
 whole neck. 
 
 Bill black, with greenish bare skin between it and the red eyes; 
 legs yellow. 
 
 Sexes alike, but young very different, lieing grayish-brown above 
 with many white or buff spots, and white below with l>lack streaks. 
 
 A Summer Citizen of North America, useful in keeping down 
 frogs and small reptiles, but too untidy to be a pleasant neighbor. 
 
 A member of the guild of Wise Watchers. 
 
 The American Bittern 
 
 (The Stake-driver or Thunder-piuipkr) 
 
 Length from twenty-three to thirty-four inches, which is a very 
 unusual difference in birds of the same species. 
 
368 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 Upper parts all freckled with brown, black, and tan color of 
 various shades, as if sun-burnt, with a velvety black patch on each 
 side of the neck, and the longest wing-feathers plain blackish with 
 brown tips; top of head plain brown. 
 
 Under parts tawny whitish or pale buff, every feather with a 
 dark streak, and the middle line of feathers along the whole throat 
 white with brown streaks. 
 
 Bill blackish and yellowish ; legs greenish ; claws brown ; eyes 
 yellow. 
 
 A Citizen of temperate North America, but a very sh}' and soli- 
 tary bird, who will not be neighborly and is ofteuer heard than 
 seen in the bogs where he likes to live alone. He makes a loud noise 
 that sounds like chopping wood with an axe or driving a stake in 
 the ground with a mallet ; so he is called the .Stake-driver by some 
 people, while others name him Thunder-pumper and Bog-bull. 
 His body is aliout as big as a Hen's, and he i.s sometimes known as 
 Indian Hen, tliougli his ver}' long beak, neck, and legs are not at 
 all like those of a Hen. 
 
 A member of the guild of Wise Watchers, wdio keeps a sharp 
 lookout for the reptiles and little fishes he spears witli his strong 
 pointed bill, and places liis nest on the ground; the eggs are drab- 
 colored, not pale green like those of most members of the Heron 
 familj'. 
 
 A BONNET MAHTYK AND A BLUE GIANT 
 
 " You promised to tell us about four Herons — please, 
 wlio are the other two?" asked Dodo, when she had fin- 
 ished writing tliese tables, and had l)uttoued her book 
 into the pocket of the long gray linen apron which 
 the Doctor had taught both Olive and herself to wear 
 on these excursions, whether they hunted birds, flowers, 
 or butterflies. 
 
 "Boys have pockets — -how I wish 1 was a boy!" 
 Dodo liad said, after she had been at Orchard Farm a 
 couple of days. 
 
ON THE SHORE 
 
 309 
 
 "So do I," had 
 echoed Olive ; 
 " tliere is always 
 something to 
 can-}', and every- 
 thing seems 
 either to fall out 
 of girls' pockets, 
 or to be smashed 
 flat." 
 
 "If you will 
 only promise not 
 to turn inti ) 
 boys, I will fur- 
 nish you with 
 pockets," the 
 Doctor had said, 
 and he had kept 
 Ids word as 
 usual. 
 
 "Did I say 
 four Herons?" 
 he now asked. 
 " Yes, to be 
 sure ; tliere are 
 two more that 
 
 will interest you — the Snowy Egret or ISonnet Martyr, 
 and the Great Blue Heron or Blue Giant." 
 
 " Bonnet jMartyr ? What a strange name for a bird ! 
 
 Why do you call him that ? Do they live about 
 
 here?" asked Nat. 
 
 " They do not live so far north as this, though they 
 2b 
 
 Snowy Egret or Bon.\kt Martyr. 
 
370 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 sometimes stray through tlie iNIiddle and Northern States. 
 But in the Southern States, and Florida in particular, 
 they used to live in vast colonies. Now they are being 
 surely and quickly put out of the world l)y the cruelty 
 and thoughtlessness of House People — the particular 
 kind of House People who wear women's hats and 
 bonnets. 
 
 " Once these Egrets covered the southern lowlands 
 like drifting snow — for they are beautifully white. 
 In the nesting season, wlien many l)irds are allowed 
 some special attraction in the way of plumage, bunches 
 of long, slender, graceful plumes grow on their backs 
 between the shoulders and curl i;p over the tail. 
 
 " In an evil moment some woman, imitating tlie sav- 
 ages, used a bunch of these feathers to make a tuft upon 
 her headgear. From that day the spotless Ijird was 
 doomed to martyrdom. Egrets, as the plumes are called 
 like the birds themselves, became a fashionable trim- 
 ming for bonnets and have continued so to this day, in 
 spite of law and argument ; for many women seem to 
 be savages still, notwithstanding their fine clothes and 
 other signs of civilization. 
 
 " These Herons oidy wear their beautiful plumes in 
 the nesting season, when it is the height of cruelty to 
 kill birds of any kind, and this is what happens: Wlien 
 the nests, which are built of sticks in bushes and trees 
 above the lagoons, are filled with young, as yet too fee- 
 ble to take care of themselves, and the beautiful parents 
 are busy flying to and fro, attending to the wants of 
 their helpless nestlings, the plume-hunters glide among 
 them noiselessly, threading the watercourses in an 
 Indian dug-out or canoe, and when once within the 
 
ON THE SlIOUE 371 
 
 peaceful colony, show tliciusclve.s with hold hnitality. 
 For well they know that the devoted parents will sntt'er 
 death rather than leave their young in such danger. 
 
 " Shot upon shot rings out in repeated volleys, each 
 followed in turn l)y tiie piteous cries of wounded hirds, 
 till the ground is strewn with hundreds of the dead and 
 dying. Then tlie cruel hunters tear off the plume-tuft 
 from the back of each victim, as the savage does a 
 human scalp, and move on in search of another heronrj-, 
 to repeat this inhuman slaughter of the innocents. 
 
 " IJut this is not all — what becomes of the young 
 birtls? They must either perish slowly of liunger, 
 or be swallowed by the snakes that infest such jjlaces 
 and are attracted to tlie nests Ijy the clamoring of the 
 starving orphans. Now do you wonder that 1 call this 
 beautiful Snowy Egret the lionnet Martyr?" 
 
 " I never, never will wear any kind of bird's feathers 
 again," said Dod(j ; "and when I go Ijack to school I 
 am going to make a guild for people who will promise 
 not to either. Are Ostriches killed for their feathers, 
 Uncle Roy ? I5ecause my best winter liat has a curly 
 row all round the crown." 
 
 " No. Ostrich plumes are a perfectly harmless deco- 
 ration, for the bird earns his own and his master's liv- 
 ing by growing them, without losing his life. They 
 are the only kind of feathers that should ever be worn 
 for ornament." 
 
 " Has the Great Blue Heron pretty feathers like a 
 Bluebird?" asked Nat, who felt sorry for the fate of 
 the Egrets, but did not like to show it and so tried to 
 turn the subject. 
 
 "He is of a slate-gray color, which you might not 
 
r> i ; 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 think blue at all, and he too wears fine plumes, on his 
 head, breast, and back. He is the largest bird of our 
 hundred, being quite as tall as 3^ou are, Miss Dodo. If 
 you ever see one of these birds standing on the edge of 
 the mill pond, you will never forget it ; for it does not 
 seem like an American bird, but rather like a visitor from 
 strange lands. You may imagine it to be an Egyp- 
 tian princess in disguise, waiting for a barge to come 
 down the river, rowed by black slaves and conveying a 
 prince all glittering with jewels, who is bringing a ring 
 cut witli mystic letters to break the spell — as such 
 things are managed in fairy tales. 
 
 V :^^f 
 
OJS! THE SHORE 373 
 
 " This Blue Heron, yon will find, has no sweeter 
 voice than his night-flying consin, and, like the latter, 
 nests in colonies in the trees ; but afterward he travels 
 about alone, as the Bittern does. " 
 
 The Snowy Egret 
 
 (The Bonnet Martyr) 
 
 Length about two feet. 
 
 Pure white all over, with a bunch of nianj- long slender plumes 
 growing between the shoulders, and shorter ones on the head and 
 neck, in the nesting season. Feet and legs black. Toes yellow. 
 Bill black and yellow. 
 
 A Citizen of temperate and tropical America. 
 
 A member of the guild of Wise Watchers, whose food and habits 
 are the satne as those of most other Herons, and who, if he does us 
 no special good service, is perfectly innocent, and should never be 
 butchered to make a woman's Easter holiday bonnet. 
 
 He has a larger brother called the American White Egret, as 
 pure white as himself, but three feet or more instead of only two 
 feet long, with the plumes hanging down over his tail instead of 
 curled up, and none growing on his head. 
 
 The Great Blue Heron 
 
 (Or Blue Gcant) 
 
 Length about four feet. 
 
 Plumage mostly slate-gray or bluish-ash, but black and white on 
 the head and each side of the breast, and chestnut on the bend of 
 the wing. A crest on the back of the head, a fringe of long feath- 
 ers at the root of the neck in front, and another on the back in the 
 breeding season. Feathers on upper part of the legs reddish-brown, 
 the bare scaly part black; bill yellow and greenish, with black on 
 top; bare skin between it and the eyes blue. 
 
 A Citizen of North America. 
 
 A member of the guild of Wise Watchers who is wise enough 
 to mind his own business and do nobody any harm, though he is 
 not inclined to be sociable with House People. 
 
■ it -I CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " I think we had best be going toward the house," 
 said Ohxf, glancing at tlie sls:y ; " there's thunder-heads 
 racing up." So the cliildren, always read}' for some- 
 thing new, started eagerly, and bewildered Olaf with 
 c|uestions about clouds and weather signs all the way 
 lionie. 
 
CHAPTER XXIX 
 UP THE RIVER 
 
 The tliundei'-cloiuls tliickened until the whole sky 
 was IJack ; the tide rose in q-feat waves, and the chil- 
 dren were glad to be in tlie house. But the storm 
 played so many strange pranks that they could not 
 keep away from the windo\\'s, asking a hundred ques- 
 tions al)Out things that cannot be put in a bird I)ook. 
 
 " If the water keeps up on end, as it is doing now," 
 said Olaf, " it will be a week before I dare take you over 
 to Gull Island ; but I was talking to a man from up the 
 river yesterday, and he says the reed shallows are full 
 of Rails — maybe you'd like to see them." 
 
 " Rails, what are they? " asked Nat. " I thought 
 rails were the steel things that cars run on, or else 
 some kind of fence bars." 
 
 " The Rails that Olaf speaks of are marsh birds," 
 said the Doctor. " Some are about as big as Robins, 
 and some are bigger still, shajted like long-legged, long- 
 necked, bob-tailed Hens, with long curved l)eaks. In 
 fact, some members of the family are called Marsh Hens 
 from this resemblance. Olaf often guides gunners 
 through the waterways to find these l)irds ; he shall 
 take you also, and perhaps you may find some old Marsh 
 Wrens' nests at the same time." 
 
 The next morning was clear and warm, and the 
 
 375 
 
376 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 children tumbled out in their flannel batliing-suits to 
 have a dip before breakfast. Raj), by rolling over and 
 over on the sand, was in the water as soon as Nat ; but 
 they did not venture out far, even though 
 the tide was low, contenting them- 
 selves by splashing about in 
 shallow places. 
 
 Presently Nat spied 
 something on the 
 stoii}- end of 
 the bar that 
 stretched out 
 at the right of the 
 beach, and pointed 
 it out to Rap, who 
 said : "• They are 
 some sort of birds : 
 you had better get 
 the glass, for even if we could go nearer to them, they 
 would be sure to see us and skip." Then Nat brought 
 the glass and they each took a pjeep. 
 
 " The bodies are like sjieckled Pullets', but the heads 
 are like Pigeons' and the legs are very thin," said 
 Rap. "See! tliere is a different one, ever so much 
 nearer over on this side, but I can't make him out very 
 well. Here comes the Doctor, all ready to go in swim- 
 ming ; of course he can tell us." 
 
 " Those mottled birds with red legs are Turnstones," 
 said the Doctor, after looking a moment. " They are 
 wading shore birds, who run about the rock bars and 
 sandy beaches, turning over small stones for the food 
 that is hidden underneath. They very seldom come 
 
 TUKNSTUNE. 
 
UP THE RIVER 
 
 into baj's like this, bat keep more on the outer beaches. 
 Tlie other one, with black under parts and dark back 
 finely speckled with yellow, is the Oolden Plover, who 
 often visits our beaches and marshy meadows." 
 
 " Do either of them ever nest up the river? " asked 
 Dodo. 
 
 "No, indeed — you would have to travel many hun- 
 dreds of miles to find the lonely Arctic beaches they 
 both call home. They only come this way before they 
 take the long fall journey to South America, wliere 
 they winter ; and in the spring-time they are 
 usually in too great a . 
 
 " What do they look 
 near by ? " asked Dodo, 
 always wanted de- 
 tails, while the boys 
 took a more gen- 
 eral sportsman- r'^'A^ 
 like interest. \ 
 
 " The Turnstone "^ 
 is very trim and 
 pretty when seen 
 close at hand, and 
 from the pattern of the featliers is often called Calico- 
 bird. The Golden Plover is darker and not so con- 
 spicuously marked, especially at this season." 
 
 The Turnstone 
 
 Length nine and a half inches. 
 
 In suniuiei- : Upper parts boldly variegated with black, white, 
 and reddish-brown ; tail blaclf, with white base and tip. Under 
 parts white, with large lilack marks on the breast. Bill and eyes 
 black; feet orange, with a very small hind toe. 
 
 American Golden Plover. 
 
378 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 III winter: Without the blight reddisli-brown markings, which 
 are gray; and witli not so inucli blacl;, wliioh is also duller. 
 
 A Citizen of North America, making its summer home only in 
 the Arctic regions, but at other seasons travelling almost all over 
 the world; we see it mostly Vi'hen it is migrating, in spring and 
 fall, along the sea-coast. 
 
 A member of the guild of Ground Gleaners, who gleans its 
 food industriously on beaches, and is very fond of the eggs of 
 horseshoe-crabs. 
 
 The American Golden Plover 
 
 Length ten and a half inches. 
 
 In suinmei-: Upper parts blackish, all spangled with yellow of 
 the tint of old gold, white forehead and a line over the eye. Under 
 parts nearly all jet black, but sides of the breast pure white, 
 and lining of the wings gray. Tail barred with white and gray. 
 Bill and feet black. Only three toes, there being no sign of a hind 
 toe, wdiich almost all Plovers also lack. Bill shaped like a Pigeon's. 
 
 In winter: Without any pure black on the under parts, which 
 are muddy whitish mixed and marbled with gray. 
 
 A Citizen of North America, whose summer home is with the 
 Turnstone in the far North, and who travels to South America 
 every fall and back again in the spring. We mostly see it in 
 flocks on these journeys. 
 
 A member of the guild of Ground Gleaners, and a fine game 
 bird, whose delicately flavored meat is a great luxury for invalids; 
 it is therefore right for .sportsmen to shoot Golden Plovers in the 
 fall. 
 
 " Do tell us some more about jifiddling and wading 
 birds," said Dodo, forgetting tbat she was in lier sop- 
 ping-wet batliing-dress. 
 
 "Break — fast! Break — fast! Come in — come in — 
 come in ! " called the big bell that Rap's mother was ring- 
 ing at tlie cabin door. And tiie morning itself was 
 hardly brighter than the smile on her face at the sigiit 
 of her lame lioy's happiness. 
 
UP THE niVEll 379 
 
 " Hurry along and dress, you little Sandpipers, for 
 by and by we are going up the river," said tlie Doctor. 
 
 "Why do you call us Sandpipers, Uncle Roy?" 
 asked Nat. 
 
 "Because Sandpipers are longdegged little birds 
 that run along the water's edge, where they patter 
 about and whistle, but can't swim." And they all raced 
 laughing up to the cabin, Rap sa3dng cheerfully, " Then 
 I'm not a Sandpiper, for 1 hop like a Robin instead of 
 running," 
 
 In the afternoon, Olaf had the sharpie (which is a 
 flat sharp-nosed boat with two masts) ready with a 
 little dingey tied on behind, and when the tide rose the 
 party went aboard. First he headed well out into the 
 Ijaj', and then tacked to enter the river where the chan- 
 nel was deepest. The river, which was the same that 
 ran throua'h the woods above the Farm, was cautrht in 
 a corner to make the mill-pond , and finall}' escaping, 
 ran along for many miles until the bay opened its wide 
 arms to receive it. 
 
 " What are those birds over there ? " cried Nat, point- 
 ing toward the outer beacon. " Some look like white 
 Crows, and the others go zigzag like big Barn Swal- 
 lows. Are there any such things as water Swallows, 
 IJncle Roy?" 
 
 " Not exactl}' — both the birds you see belong to the 
 Swimmers. The larger ones are Herring Gulls, and 
 the smaller ones are Terns. But your guess is not a 
 bad one, for all Terns are also called Sea Swallows, 
 because of their dashing flight. Both Gulls and Terns 
 nest on Gull Island, where Olaf is going to take us 
 some day when the water is smootli. The storm lias 
 
380 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 driven some of them into tlie ba}', where the}- do not 
 usually come until later in the year ; hut in winter 
 great flocks of Gulls live about our beach, clamming 
 on the bar at every low tide." 
 
 " I guess we had better tie up yonder," said Olaf, 
 wlien they had gone a couple of miles up the river. 
 " And then I can put the children in the little boat and 
 pole them in among the reeds." 
 
 So the Doctor and Olive went ashore, where the 
 sharpie was tied to the end of what had once been a 
 small wliarf, while Dodo, Nat, and Rap crouched down 
 in the dingey, ol)eying Olaf's order to keep ver}- still 
 and not jnake the boat tip. 
 
 The little reed-bordered creek that they entered was 
 quite n;irr()w, and soon grew to be only a thread of 
 water, where they could touch the reeds on both sides. 
 Tliey heard many rustling sounds, but for some time 
 could see nothing. (_)laf, wiio was watching, suddenly 
 laid down his pole, and seizing an oar gave the water 
 two or three sliarp slaps. Instantly half a dozen 
 strange-looking l>irds st^irted out, flapping and sprawl- 
 ing, with their legs dangling, one or two seeming to slide 
 across the water, till they all disappeared among the 
 flags again. 
 
 " Oh ! how funny they are ! " cried Nat. " They have 
 such foolish-looking faces, little perky tails like a 
 Wren's, and such long, loose feet ! Why didn't they 
 fly instead of dodging about so — are their nests in the 
 reeds ? " 
 
 " They do nest here ; but now that the season is over, 
 they stay about picking up food from the mud until 
 they shift southward a piece for the winter. These 
 
UP THE II IV El! 
 
 3S1 
 
 Rails fly well enouq-Ji when tliuy once get started, and 
 go a long way without stopping. JUit they are lazy 
 about it in their sununei' homes, where they onl}' flap 
 up and then dodge down again tu hide ; so they are 
 
 Virginia Raio, 
 
 easy shooting — too easy to be any sport. It's «'hat I 
 call killing, not lauding."' 
 
 " What a strange note they have," said Hap. "Some- 
 thing like a Woodpecker's call." 
 
 "Yes, but you should hear tlie noise they make in 
 spring, when there are crowds of birds along the river 
 and back in the meadows. The Redwings and Meadow- 
 
382 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 larks sing all day long, the Marsh Wrens come along 
 to join in, the Snipe begin to call, the Spotted Sand- 
 pipers whistle up, and we get a visit from the Wild 
 Geese as they fly north. I tell you it is fine to be down 
 here then. But in fall I'd rather be up at the lake by 
 the lumber camp when the snow brings the foxes and 
 other wild animals out." 
 
 " Do stop a minute, please, Olaf, and don't tell quite 
 so fast," pleaded Dodo. " Uncle Roy never does. 
 You have said the names of ever so many birds that 
 we don't know, and when he does that he always stops 
 and explains. Snipe and Spotted Sandpipers — please 
 begin with those." 
 
 Olaf thought for a minute. He knew all the game 
 and water birds — in fact, they were intimate friends 
 of his ; but it was not so easy for him to describe them. 
 
 " Did you ever see a Woodcock? " he began. 
 
 " Yes, oh yes ! " cried Nat. "Uncle Roy showed us 
 a stuffed one in the wonder room, and told us all about 
 its long beak with a point like a finger to feel for its 
 food in the mud because its eyes are too far back to see 
 well in front, and all about its sky dance , and Rap 
 has seen one sitting on its nest in a spring snow- 
 storm." 
 
 " Well, the Snipe that comes about here belongs to 
 the same family, and also pokes in the mud for its 
 food ; that is why it likes to live near fresh water like 
 the Woodcock, where the mud is soft, rather than on 
 the sea-shore, where the sand is gritty. It's a mighty 
 shy bird and doesn't tell any one what it means to do. 
 I've heard them come calling over the beach at night 
 sometimes though, and I suspect the}' go to tlie muddy 
 
UP THE RIVER 
 
 383 
 
 side of tlie bar to feed, but 
 I've never Been them /f"'- 
 there. They mostly -^r^.v 
 do their coming 
 anil going at 
 niglit — and tl}" 
 liigh too, even 
 then. 
 
 " Sandpi[)ers ihui't 
 bore ill the ground 
 for their food, but just 
 pick it up ; so tliey keep 
 ahmg tlie shore of either Wilson's Snipe. 
 
 fresli or salt water, some kinds choosing one place and 
 some another. The Spotted Sandpiper is another of 
 the little fellows who sometimes nests back in those 
 meadows. He is not a bit shy, but runs about as tame 
 as a Robin, and he isn't as l>ig as a Kobiu either. 
 Sometimes they lay their eggs in the meadow and 
 sometimes among the tuft-grass back of the beach. 
 They lay four eggs, very big at one end and peaked at 
 the other, and put them in the nest with the jjointed 
 ends together in the middle, to take up less mom ; and 
 they're sandy-colored, spotted all over. They hang 
 about here all summer. We call tlieni 'teeters' because 
 they always tip up their tails and bob so when they 
 run. They whistle like this, ' tweet- weet — tweet- 
 weet ! ' 
 
 " There's another mite of a Sandpiper that comes 
 around here late everj^ summer, though it nests way up 
 north. It is the very littlest of all, not bigger than a 
 Sparrow, so pretty and innocent-looking that it ought to 
 
384 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 S'O with Sino'ino- Ijiixls and never be sliot for food. I've 
 often had them run along in front of me on the lieach, 
 pijiing as sad as if they were telling me how little and 
 helpless they Avere, and begging me to ask folks not to 
 shoot them." 
 
 Then Olaf jjushed wp the creek a little further, hop- 
 ing to be able to land or else reach some ^larsh Wrens' 
 nests from the boat. But one nest was all they could 
 find — a ball of grasses fastened between two cat-tail 
 flags. Olaf cut the stalks carefully and presented it to 
 Dodo, much to her delight. 'Jlien he paddled back 
 to the river, where they found Olive waiting with some 
 beautiful pitcher-plants in her hands, while their uncle 
 said that he had in his handkerchief a strange plant, 
 that ate insects. ISut Dodo thought that he was jok- 
 ing, and as soon as they were in the sharpie she whis- 
 pered : "Uncle Roy, you must tell me four tables — 
 Olaf knows tlie birds by sight, but he doesn't make 
 them sound as distinct as you do in the telling." 
 
 "• So missy is 
 flattering her old 
 bird man ! Well, 
 tell me the names, 
 for I suppose you 
 can remember 
 them." 
 
 " Oh j-es — but 
 come to think of 
 it, I don't think 
 Olaf said Avhat 
 the Wise Men call 
 Lkast Sandpiper. these birds. One 
 
UP THE RIVER 
 
 385 
 
 was a bob-tailed Rail — uiie was a Snipe witli far-bauk 
 eyes and a liiiger-beak like a Wuodcouk's — one was a 
 Spotted Sandpiper that teeters and whistles ' tweet- 
 weet ' — and the other was a tiny little Sandpiper with 
 a very sad cry. Now do you know them? " 
 
 "Famous! '" laughed the Doctor ; "of course I know 
 them after that."' 
 
 " Do they all belong to the same family ? " persisted 
 Dodo, whose little head was beginning to swim with 
 all this new knowledge it had to hold. 
 
 " Not all of them. The Snipe and both tlie Sand- 
 pipers belong to one family, the same as that of the 
 Woodcock ; but the liail belongs to a different family. 
 So also does the Plover you learned this morning. 
 The three families of Snipes, Plovers, and Kails are the 
 larsjest ones of all ^ the tribe of Birds that Paddle 
 and Wade by the \ ^ ,..->i sea-shore. The Rails 
 from their size 
 and shape are 
 sometimes called 
 Marsh Hens. 
 The Turnstone 
 belongs to a 
 fourth family, 
 but it is a very 
 small one. Now 
 I will give you 
 the tables of the 
 four kinds of 
 birds you have 
 learned this af- 
 ternoon.' 
 
 Sl'UTTED SANDPIFKK. 
 
 2c 
 
386 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 Wilson's Snipe 
 
 Length about eleven inches, ot whicli the very long and straight 
 bill makes more than two inches. 
 
 Upper parts all mixed with black, brown, gray, buff, and white 
 in very intricate patterns; long wing-feathers plain dusky with a 
 white edge on the outside one ; tail-feathers beautifully barred with 
 black, white, and reddish. 
 
 Under parts white, but mottled with dusky on the breast, wdieie 
 it also tinged with buff, and barred very distinctly on each side 
 further back; under tail-coverts barred with buff and black. 
 
 Eyes brown ; feet and bill greenish-gray, the latter very soft and 
 sensitive, the former with a very small hind toe. 
 
 A Citizen of temperate North America, found at different seasons 
 in marshy and l>oggy places throughout the United States. 
 
 A member of the guild of (iround Gleaners, and, like the Wood- 
 cock and (Jolden Plover, a line game bird, which it is right to 
 shoot for food at the proper season. 
 
 The Spotted Sandpiper 
 
 Length seven and a lialf inches. 
 
 Upper parts a pretty Quaker color, like the Cuckoo's, but with 
 many tine curved black lines; tail regularly barred with black and 
 white. 
 
 Under parts pure white, with manj' round black spots all over 
 them; but j'oung birds do not have any spots. 
 
 Bill and feet flesh-colored, the former with a black tip, the latter 
 with a very small hind toe, and a little web at the roots of the front 
 toes. 
 
 A Summer Citizen of most parts of the United States and Canada, 
 also found in winter in some of the Southern States and far beyond. 
 
 A member of the guild of Ground Gleaners, and a very gentle, 
 confiding little bird who likes to be neighborly, and should never 
 be shot, but encouraged to nest in our fields. 
 
 The Least Sandpiper 
 
 Length only five and a half to six inches — the very least in size 
 of all the Snipe family. 
 
UP THE RIVER 387 
 
 Upper parts black or Maclusli, in simiiner witli rusty-red edg- 
 ings and wliite ti])S of many feathers, in winter these edgings gray; 
 a light line over tlie eye and a dark line from the bill to the eye. 
 
 Under parts white, tinged in summer witli bnff on tlie breast 
 and at all seasons mottled there with dusky. 
 
 j\Iiddle tail-feathers blackish, the other ones plain gray with 
 white edgings, but without any black cross-bai's. liiU black; feet 
 greenish-gray, with a small hind toe like other Sand|iijiers', but no 
 sign of any web at the roots of the front toes. 
 
 A Citizen of Xorth America, nesting tar north, lieyond the 
 United States, and travelling in large flocks in the fall to the West 
 Indies and South America. 
 
 A member of the guild of Grouiul (ileaners. It belongs to a 
 family of game birds, but it is a shanu^ to shoot such a mite of a 
 bird for the morsel of meat its tiny body affords — hardly one 
 mouthful. 
 
 There is a lirother of the Ijcast Sandpiper, hardly any bigger, 
 and so ninoh like it that yon can hardly tell them apart, unless you 
 notice that this one has two little welis between the loots of the 
 front toes. This is the Seiuipalinated Sandpiper, for semipnl- 
 iiiiileil means " half-welibed," as its toes are. Both kinds are called 
 "Peeps" l>y people who do not know the difference between them. 
 
 The Virginia Rail 
 
 Lengtli nine and half inches, of which the long, slender, curved 
 bill makes an inch and a half. 
 
 Upper parts mixed blackish and brown, growing brighter red- 
 dish-brown on the wings ; a light line over the eye and a dark one 
 through the eye. 
 
 Under parts mostly cinnamon color, but distinctly bari-ed with 
 black and white on the sides behind and under the tail and wings; 
 the chin whitish. 
 
 Feet big and clumsy, with very long toes in front — about as 
 long as the bill. 
 
 A Citizen of temperate North Ameiica, nesting in the Northern 
 States and wintering in some of the Southern States. 
 
 A mendier of the guild of Ground Gleaners, who iloes us no 
 harm and not much good, though it is a sort of game bird whose 
 
388 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 flesh is palatalile, ami it may he shot in the fall. It is not neigh- 
 borly and is seldom seen, as it lives only in the thickest reeds or 
 lierliage of marshy places, where it can run over the softest mud, or 
 even floating plants, by means of its long spreading toes, which 
 keep it from slumping in. 
 
 " Tu-mori'ow, when the tide begins to come in, we are 
 going to tisli for bluetisli! " interrupted Nat joyfullj-. 
 " ( )laf saj's they are beginning to run, and there are lots 
 of crabs to catch up in tlie creek too — only I'm afraid 
 that there won't be lialf time enough for everything." 
 
 "How can fish run when they have no legs?" ob- 
 jected Dodo, who had not quite finished Avriting her 
 tables and did not like to be liurried. And then, too, she 
 was a little lady who took things literally, and liked to 
 have them exactly right. 
 
CHAPTER XXX 
 
 DUCKS AND DRAKES 
 
 It 
 
 the last- 
 
 week of tlie cliil- 
 sliore l)el'ore every- 
 U> make possible 
 Iwlaiitl. They had 
 rioUH weeks, and 
 brown as any of the 
 little Indians mIio 
 ad once gathered 
 m[)um shells from 
 same Ijeaeli in the 
 ago. They were 
 also in man)^ ways, 
 for they had 
 found out 
 many things 
 for them- 
 selves — 
 which is tlie 
 very best 
 sort of wis- 
 dom. Now 
 even Dodo 
 
 could tell by the footprints on the sand whether a 
 three-toed Plover or a four-toed Sandpiper had been 
 pattering there. 
 
 389 
 
 Hooded Merganser. 
 
390 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 When the right day came, without a sign of ugly 
 squalls or of an equally unfortunate calm, Olaf bor- 
 rowed a large cat-boat, and after stowing away the 
 lunch hamper, that was always a 'must be ' for an all- 
 day trip, the boat almost flew out of the little bay and 
 up the sound before the breeze that came Avith the 
 morning tide. 
 
 " There are some more of your wliite Crows, Nat," 
 said the Doctor, as they headed straight out after get- 
 ting on the right tack. " The island where we are 
 going is one of their famous nesting places." 
 
 " Their wings are very different from Crows' wings," 
 said Ivap, as he watched them overhead, now winnow- 
 ing the air with steady wing-beats, or circling on 
 motionless pinions — now poising in one spot for a 
 minute by merely flapping the Avings, and then drop- 
 ping gracefully to float on the water. " GuUij' wings 
 bend out more at the tip and are smooth-edged ; Crows' 
 look flatter and are saw-edged." 
 
 " Are there any other birds besides Gulls that nest 
 on the island. Uncle Roy? " asked Nat. 
 
 " Yes, the Terns or Sea Swallows that you have seen 
 about the reef nest there also ; and this island, as well 
 as the mainland near by, is a favorite stopping-place 
 for all the shore and water birds in their journeys, — 
 from Sandpipers to great flocks of Sea Ducks." 
 
 "I should think it would be a long swim for Ducks," 
 said Nat ; "it is as much as fifteen miles from shore." 
 
 " They don't swim — they fly there," said Olaf. 
 
 "Can Ducks fly?" exclaimed Dodo in amazement. 
 " I'm sure the white Ducks at the Farm can only waddle 
 on the ground, or swim and spatter along the water 
 
DUCKS AND DRAKES ?>\'i\ 
 
 when Wolf or Quiok eliases tlieiii for fun. And any- 
 way their legs are very stiff and queer and grow very 
 far back, as if their bodies were too heavy and going to 
 fall down front, and they had to hold up their heads 
 very high to keep going." 
 
 " Our tame Ducks are ver}' fat and laz)', for they have 
 lived in captivity for many generations ; yet they could 
 fly very well with a little practice. The Mallard, which 
 is a wild River Duck and a swift enduring flyer, is the 
 one which has been domesticated and for liundrcds c)f 
 years kept as a barnyard Duck." 
 
 "River Ducks?" questioned Rap; "then are there 
 different kinds of Ducks for rivers and lakes, and for 
 salt water ? " 
 
 " There are indeed many kinds of Ducks," said the 
 Doctor, "all of which have easy marks oi identification 
 in the beauty-spot on the wings, and many other points 
 about the plumage, as well as the different shapes of 
 their heads, bills, and feet. Though all Wild Ducks, 
 and Geese too, belong to one general family, tliey are 
 divided into separate groups like cousins, instead of liv- 
 ing in one household like brothers. 
 
 "Almost all Wild Ducks nest in the northern tier of 
 States, or altogether north of them; the hardier species 
 stay with us as winter visitors, but the others only stop 
 to feed, as they follow tlie rivers and coasts in their 
 migrations. 
 
 " There was a beautiful Duck that had a nest last 
 year in a tree up near the logging camp ; its feathers 
 were as bright as if they had been painted. That is 
 the Wood Duck — one of the exceptions to the rule 
 that Wild Ducks nest on the ground like tame ones. 
 
392 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 Another kind, the Black Duck, nests as usual on tlie 
 ground, on a wooded island not far from the one to 
 which we are sailing." 
 
 " Will you please tell us Avhy Ducks have such wad- 
 dling legs?" begged Nat. 
 
 " Because the best legs to swim with are not the easi- 
 est to walk with." 
 
 At that moment the wind died down. The sails 
 flapped once or twice, and then hung loose ; and the 
 boat, instead of dashing along, began to drift lazily, 
 with an uncomfortable rolling motion, as the swell, 
 borne in from the ocean many miles away, crept under 
 it. 
 
 " If the water does that much more, I shall soon be 
 hungry," said Dodo, looking a trifle sad and pressing 
 her hands together over her waist. 
 
 " I quite agree with you," said Olive ; " I know from 
 having had the same feeling before, that unless we eat 
 some of these little salt biscuits, and talk about some- 
 thing interesting, in a very few minutes you and I will 
 be sea-sick — which is the hungriest, emptiest sickness 
 possible." 
 
 " I thought the feeling was a little more puffer than 
 real hungriness," said Dodo, chewing her biscuit in 
 great haste and having some trouble in swallowing it. 
 
 "May not we men have some too?" asked the Doc- 
 tor, looking drolly at the boys, who were glancing long- 
 ingly at the biscuits, but were too proud to confess 
 their feelings. " Not that we feel ill — oh, no! Merely 
 for company, you know. 
 
 " Now while you munch away, I will talk Duck to 
 amuse you ; eating and Duck talk go very well to- 
 
DVCKS AND DRAKES 393 
 
 getliei', for tlio Duck is chiefly to Ijl' conwidered as food. 
 You all know what a woll-rouiided, compart Ijod^' a 
 Duck has ; do you remember having seen one carved, 
 and how very hard it was to cut off its legs ? " 
 
 " Yes, I do," said Nat. " Sometimes tlie Duck almost 
 bounces off the dish, and then father says things — at 
 least, I mean, he says he wishes that people who go 
 shooting and send him presents of Wild Ducks would 
 send a carving map and a good sharp knife with them ; 
 but I never understood what he wanted the map for.'' 
 
 " To find the joints, my boy," laughed the Doctor, as 
 if he had a s^'mpathetic feeling for carvers who find 
 themselves in front of a tough Duck or Goose, no mat- 
 ter how well they know where the joints ought to be 
 found. "A Duck's legs are very short, and not onl\- 
 set far back on the body, but sunk into the skin quite 
 up to the knees; so that the joints are ver\' hard to 
 find. This is planned to give the Duck more strength 
 and ease in swimming, when the legs act like paddles. 
 All Ducks' feet have three long toes in front and a 
 short one behind, the front toes l)eing loosely joined b}- 
 two skin flaps which stretch between them when spread 
 apart, making what we call web-feet." 
 
 "Something the way frogs' feet are? " asked Nat. 
 
 " Very nuich upon the same plan. Then Ducks have 
 wide flat beaks of various shapes, with a sort of nail 
 bent o\'er like a hook at the end, and all along each 
 side is a. double vow of little teeth, to help them take 
 their food. Their stiff, pointed wings are quite strong 
 enough to lift their heavy bodies off the ground or 
 water into the air, and keep up an even flight, often 
 more rapid than the swiftest express train." 
 
394 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " What do Wild Ducks eat ? '" asked Dodo, " seeds 
 or bugs or fish? " 
 
 " They eat all those tliiugs and many others too, ac- 
 cording- to their various liabits, which are as different 
 as the expression of their faces or the color of their 
 features. If you look at a case full of Wild Ducks in a 
 museum, you will find that no two liave the same-shaped 
 head, or expression. Some look silly, some si)-, while 
 others seem either proud or inquisitive." 
 
 "How strange! " said Rap. "I never thought about 
 Ducks' faces, except that they all looked foolisli, with 
 little pig- eyes and big beaks like shovels. And please, do 
 they chew their food with the teeth you said they had? " 
 
 " Those are not true teeth, like ours, to chew with. 
 You know a good many ver}' different things are called 
 teeth — ^ those on a rake, for example, or a comb, or a 
 cog-wheel. A Duck's teeth are horny like the skin 
 that covers its whole beak, and act like strainers. 
 When a Duck dabbles in the water, as you have all 
 seen tame ones do, the water that gets into its mouth 
 runs out at the sides between tlie teetli, but whatever 
 food there is in the mouthful of water gets caught in 
 the teeth, and can then be swallowed." 
 
 "Please tell us," continued Rap, " how man)' differ- 
 ent kinds of Ducks there are in our country? " 
 
 " About forty," answered the Doctor; "but I shall 
 not trouble you to learn more than a few of the common 
 ones. They all belong to one family, Avhich also con- 
 tains the Geese and Swans. 'I'hey are divided into 
 three groups — P^ishing Ducks, River or Fresh-water 
 Ducks, and Sea Ducks. 
 
 " The Fishing Ducks are great swimmers and divers, 
 
DUCKS AND DJiAKES 3!l5 
 
 living chiefly on tlie fish tliey eiitcli ]>y cliasiiig tlieni 
 under water. Their beaks are narrow, hooked, and 
 sharjjl}' toothed, which nialces it easy for them to hold 
 their slippery prey. But this oily food makes their 
 flesh so rank that none of them is lit food for House 
 People. They are all called Mergansers, and we have 
 in this country four different species. 
 
 "The River Ducks are tiiose that we see mostly in 
 tlie spring and fall migrations ; they have the hand- 
 siunest plumage and the most delicate flesii. They 
 feed along shallow rivers, ponds, and lakes, after the 
 maimer of barnyard Ducks — for the Mallard is one of 
 them, and tame Ducks are domesticated Mallards, as I 
 told you. In feeding, they bob head downward in tlie 
 water with their tails straight up in the air, to find the 
 roots, seeds, insects, small shell-fish, and otiier things 
 the}' like to eat. They build very good nests, usually 
 on the ground, and warmly lined with their own down, 
 which the parent plucks from her breast to cover the 
 eggs. Tlie color of the eggs is always greenish, gray, 
 drab, or buff, never with any sjiots. Most River Ducks 
 nest in the far North, but there are some exceptions. 
 Tlie Wood Duck that Rap saw by the lake is one of 
 these exceptions, and has tlie most beautiful plumage 
 of all our Ducks. It does not build its nest on the 
 ground, like most others of its family, but in a tree hole, 
 like an Owl or a Woodpecker." 
 
 " How can the little Ducks get down to the ground 
 — do their wings grow strong very soon?" asked Nat. 
 
 " You have seen that most birds come from the eg'sr 
 quite naked, and stay in the nest till their feathers 
 grow, like Canaries and all other song birds, while 
 
396 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 others are liatched all covered with down, the same as 
 Chickens are. The young of those living in open ex- 
 posed places, such as sea and shore Ijirds, are thickly 
 clothed with down when hatclied. Such downy plu- 
 mage is not exactly like the feathers that sprout after a 
 while, but it answers the same purpose ; for the little 
 things could not run about or swim if they were naked, 
 you know." 
 
 "• Yes, Ducklings are all downy; for I remember those 
 that came out in June up at the Farm were, and their 
 tin}' little \\iugs were as cunning and cute as could be," 
 said Dodo. 
 
 " When little Wood Ducks are hatched and become 
 quite dry, their motlier takes them in her beak, b}' the 
 
 Wood Duck. 
 
DUCKS AND DRAKES 397 
 
 wing, one by one, and flies down to the ground with 
 them. As soon as her brood of ten or a dozen is thus 
 collected, she leads them off to the nearest water, and 
 the whole lot of Ducklings go in swimming, bobbing 
 for food as if they were a year old instead of only a few 
 hours. Then mamma begins to drill them in danger-sig- 
 nalling, so that at the slightest hint from her they dive 
 and swim out of harm's way. 
 
 " Sea Ducks do not always live on the ocean, as the 
 name would lead you to exjDect, but prefer large open 
 waters, either fresh like those of lakes, or salt, as in 
 bays and sounds. They eat l)oth animal and vegetable 
 food, oftentimes diving deeply, and swimming far under 
 water to find it. Of course they, in common with all 
 other Ducks, must take a vast amount of mud and water 
 into their mouths with their food ; but instead of having 
 to swallow this, it drains off through the little grooves 
 on the inside edges of the bill, as a ship's deck is 
 drained of water by means of the scuppers. But that 
 I have explained to you alread}-. Some Sea Ducks are 
 more plentiful than their river brethren ; and as they 
 spend both their days and nigiits offshore, they run 
 less danger of extermination. jMost of them nest also 
 in the far North, in much the same fashion as River 
 Ducks do. 
 
 " Two celebrated members of this group are the Red- 
 head and the Canvasljack, who are always welcome 
 guests at dinner, and are so much alike in the crisp 
 brown company dress they wear on the table, with 
 plenty of stuffing and gravy, that ver}^ few persons can 
 tell them apart. But the most famous one of all is the 
 Eider Duck — the one which yields such an abundance 
 
398 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 of exquisitely soft warm clown that we use it for mak- 
 ing tlie best sort of Ledquilts." 
 
 "Can you always tell a Sea Duck from a River Duck 
 by the feathers — or how ? " asked Rajj. 
 
 " You can always tell them by their feet," answered 
 the Doctor ; " for every Sea Duck has a little flap of 
 skin hanging like an apron from the hind toe, while 
 the hind toe of every River Duck is round and slim, 
 like a Hen's." 
 
 " I should think there would always be plenty of 
 Sea Ducks," said Rap ; "for if they live so far out they 
 ought to be able to take care of themselves and swim 
 or fly away from everybody." 
 
 "You would think so, my boy, but when man with 
 his many inventions sets out to kill, there is little 
 chance of escape for bird or beast. Sea Ducks are 
 hunted in their nesting homes, not only for their flesh 
 and eggs, but for the downy feathers with which the 
 nest is lined. In their migrations overland, every hand 
 is set against them if they pause to rest or feed." 
 
 " But when they reach deep water, they must be safe ; 
 for they can fly faster than any boat can sail after 
 them," said Rap. 
 
 "Sail — yes; but men go in gunning-punts, sneak- 
 boats, and even steam-launches, to surround the flocks 
 of Wild Ducks that are lying low, trusting perhaps to 
 a covering of fog, and when it lifts these water pot- 
 hunters commit slaughter which it M^ould be slander 
 to call sport." 
 
 "Oh, look ! " cried Rap, "there are hundreds of Gulls 
 over there, and Sea Swallows too. There is the island, 
 for the breeze has come up and we have sailed ever 
 
DUCKS AND BRAKES 399 
 
 SO far without noticing it. There is a great flock of 
 Gulls going off togetlier — are they beginning tlieir fall 
 journey ? " 
 
 " No, they are only going to some harbor to feed. 
 They belong to a guild of water l)irds that I think we 
 might call Sea Sweepers; for they clear from the sur- 
 face of the water the refuse that the tide would other- 
 wise throw upon the beaches. They also follow in the 
 wake of ships for the same purpose. Neither (iulls 
 nor Terns can dive far luider water like Ducks, for 
 their bodies are too light ; but tiicy all pounce down 
 on wing and contrive to catch small iish swimming just 
 below the surface. 
 
 " Look at the difference between the fliglit of the 
 two ! The Teru half folds his long pointed wings, and 
 darts down like lightning; in a second he is up iu the 
 air again dasliing (iff with capricious flight, holding liis 
 beak to his l)reast as the Woodcock does. Hut the (iull 
 sails more slowly, settles dclilierately, and often floats 
 quietly on the surface ; then when he rises on wing, with 
 some ceremou}', he flaps off' with his beak held straight 
 before him, like a Duck. Terns are the better flyers, 
 but Gulls are decidedly the more expert swimmers." 
 
 "Are Gulls and Terns related?" asked Dodo. 
 
 " They both belong to one family of many members. 
 These two that you have been watching are among the 
 best known of all — the American Herring Gull, who 
 lives on both lake and ocean ; and the Common Tern, 
 who mostly follows the sea-coast." 
 
 " Heads down ! " called Olaf. The boom swung 
 round, the sail dropped, and the boat ran into the 
 shallow water of the beach at Great Gull Island. 
 
400 CITIZEN BIKD 
 
 " You haven't given us any Duck tables, Uncle 
 Roy," said Dodo. 
 
 " You cannot stop on this hot sand to write them 
 out; but I will rememljer to give them to you as soon 
 as we get back to the cabin." 
 
 " When shall we ever see these Ducks ? " sighed Dodo, 
 thinking of the long list there would be to write ; " be- 
 cause I can remember better when I see things than if 
 I only hear about them." 
 
 "Do you realize that when you go back to the Farm, 
 it will be time for birds to begin their autumn journeys, 
 and that they will be passing by until the snow is on 
 the ground? Why may you not meet some of these 
 Ducks by the river, or see them swimming on the pond? 
 Or, if you are not so lucky, j'ou must look for them in 
 markets and museums. Some of them are sitting in 
 ni)' wonder room at this very minute." 
 
 (These are the Duck tables that Dodo afterward wrote 
 in her book.) 
 
 The Wood Duck 
 
 Length eighteen or twenty inches. 
 
 Male (the Drake, as the male of all Ducks is called) : upper 
 parts velvety black, shining with bronzy, purplish, greenish, and 
 violet tints. 
 
 Under parts rich purplish-chestnut on the breast, which is 
 marked with chains of white .spots like polka-dots; belly white; a 
 white band on each side of the breast in front of the wing; the 
 sides further back tan color with fine wavy black lines, and still 
 further back distinctly banded crosswise with black and white. 
 
 Head beautifully crested and banded with white and the shining 
 dark colors of the back ; bill prettily tinted with pink, lake-red, and 
 black ; eyes red ; feet orange. 
 
 Female and young: much more plainly dressed than tlie male, 
 but enough like him not to be mistaken. 
 
DirCKS AND BUAKES 
 
 401 
 
 A Citizen of Xovtli America, wlio lives in tlie woods, unlilce 
 most otlier Ducks, and nests in a liole in a tree, lilve a Woodpecker 
 — Imt it has to be a much larger, natural hollow. This lieautiful 
 Duck is not very plentiful now, and should not be shot for tlie 
 table, though its meat is excellent. It is by far the liandsoniest of 
 its tribe, and is sometimes kept in cages for its beauty. 
 
 The Black Duck 
 
 Length twenty or twenty-two inches. 
 
 jMale and female (Dralce and Duck) alike, -nliich is the exception 
 to the rule in this family. 
 
 Plumage all over mottled and streaky with dusky shades and 
 buff or tan colors, except the beauty-spot or mirror on (he wing. 
 
 Black Duck. 
 
 wdiich is shining purple with a black border — almost all Ducks 
 have such a spot, which is called a mirror because it reflects many 
 glittering hues in different lights. There is no ^^ hite on the out- 
 side of the wings of this Duck, and you can tell it from the female 
 Mallard by this character; but the lining of the wings is mostly 
 white. 
 
 A Citizen of eastern North America, common along the Atlantic 
 coast from Florida to Labrador. It nests on the ground, like most 
 Ducks, and is one of the best for the table. 
 2d 
 
402 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 The Mallard 
 
 Length twenty-two to twenty-four inches. 
 
 Male : head and part of neck shining dark green, with a white 
 ring ; back gray and black ; tail light gray, with two curly black 
 feathers on top; mirror rich purple with a black and white border. 
 
 Under parts rich chestnut 
 wavy black lines on the belly. 
 
 on the breast, gray with 
 and black under the tail. 
 Bill greenish ; eyes 
 brown; feet orange. 
 Female : like the Black 
 Duck, but not so dark- 
 colored, with more buff 
 and tan niai'kings, and 
 the beauty-spot just the 
 same as the Drake's. 
 
 Bill blotched 
 with black and 
 orange. 
 
 A Citizen of 
 North America and 
 man}' other parts 
 of the world. This 
 is the Wild Duck that has been domesticated and produced all 
 kinds of tame ducks except the one called the Muscovy. Most 
 of the domestic varieties yon see in the barnyard look like the wild 
 ones, but some are pure white. They can all sleep standing on one 
 leg, with the head turned around so far that the bill points back- 
 ward as it I'ests on the bird's back. 
 
 Mallard. 
 
 The Pintail 
 
 Length up to tliirty inches, though the body is not larger than 
 a Mallard's ; but the neck is longer, and the two middle feathers of 
 the tail are from five to nine inches long; these are slender and 
 sharp, whence the name Pintail. 
 
 Male : head and neck dark-colored, with a long white stripe 
 lengthwise on each side. Back and sides finely waved with black 
 and gray. Breast and belly pure white. Feathers imder the tail 
 
DUCKS AND DRAKES 
 
 403 
 
 is not over two 
 iiiiil slenderer 
 
 jet-black. Long inner feathers of the wing sti'ipeil lengtliwise witli 
 velvet-lilack and silver-gray. iMirror on the wing glittering purple 
 or violet, framed with black, white, and biilf. 
 
 Female: not so handsome as Ihe Drake, and the middle tail- 
 feathers so mnch shorter that 
 feet long ; luit the neck is 
 than usual in (his family 
 in propoition to her size. 
 
 A Citizen of North 
 America and 
 many other 
 conntries, more 
 conuuon in the 
 interior of the 
 I'uited States 
 than on the Atlan- 
 tic coast; nesting 
 from the middle dis- 
 tricts far northward, 
 wintering in the South 
 ern States and far beyond 
 A fine ])uck for the talile 
 
 Pintail 
 
 The Green-winged Teal 
 
 Length less than fifteen inches — all kinds of Teals are very- 
 small Ducks. 
 
 Male : head chestnut with black chin and a sliining green patch 
 on each side, and a little crest behind. Back and sides with fine 
 wavy marks of black and gray\ A curved white bar in front of 
 the wing; mirror half purple and half green, bordered with black, 
 white, and buff. 
 
 Under parts white, tinged with buff, with many round black 
 jpots ; the feathers at the root of the tail black with a buff patch 
 on eacli side. 
 
 Female : different from the male on the liead and body', but the 
 wings like his ; besides, she is so small you cannot mistake her for 
 any other kind of Duck. 
 
 A Citizen of North America, who nests from the Northern States 
 
404 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 
 Green-winged Teal. 
 
 northwai'd and winters mostly in tlie Southern States or beyouil. 
 The flesh is delicious, and this Teal is so small it can be split and 
 broiled like a spring Chicken. 
 
 The Blue-TO^inged Teal 
 
 Length fifteen or sixteen inches — a little nioi'e than the Green- 
 winged Teal, but not nmch. 
 
 Male : head dark-colored with a very large \\hite bar on each 
 side in front of the eye. Body much variegated A\'itli black, brown, 
 and gray. Most of the outside of the wing sky-blue, not bright, 
 but as the sky looks on a dull day ; the beauty-spot shining green, 
 bordered with black, white, and buff. 
 
 Under parts gray spotted and mottled with black, and quite 
 black under the tail, where there is a white spot on each side ; the 
 lining of the wings nrostly white. 
 
 Female : differs from the male on the head and body, but the 
 markings of tVie wings are much the same as his. 
 
 A Citizen of North America, chiefly its eastern half, with a very 
 extensive breeding range, but mostly seen in the United States 
 durinij the mi"rations and in winter. The flesh is excellent. ■ 
 
DUCKS ANT) DRAKES 
 
 405 
 
 Blue-winged Te.vl. 
 
 Tliis Teal has a brother in the ^Vest, called tlie Ciniiamou Teal 
 from the color of his uiidei- parts. 
 
 The Redhead 
 
 Length twenty to twenly-three inches. 
 
 !Male : head and upper part of neck lich chestnut with a brt 
 lustre. Rest of neck, 
 fore hack, and fore 
 breast, black. J\J id- 
 die of back and 
 side.s of body finely 
 waved with zigzag 
 lines of black and 
 white, liunip and 
 tail-coverts black. 
 Ko shining mirror 
 on the wings, which 
 are mostly ashy 
 with white lining 
 underneath. 
 
 Bill very broad and fial, dull blue with a lilack belt at the 
 Feet grayish-blue, with dusky webs and claws. Eyes orange. 
 
 end. 
 
406 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 Female : differs a good deal from the male, and it would make 
 the table too long to tell all the difference ; but she has the same 
 markings on the wings, and the same shaped bill. 
 
 A Citizen of North America who goes far north to find his sum- 
 mer home, and is cliiefiy seen in the United States in winter or 
 during the migrations. He is a twin brother of the Canvasback, 
 and quite as good to eat. Very few persons can tell a Redhead 
 from a Canvasback at the dinner table, though many think they 
 can, because if the Redhead is in good order and well roasted, they 
 say it is Canvasback, and if the Canvasback is tough and done too 
 much, they say it is only a Redhead. Before the bird.s are plucked 
 you can easily tell them apart; for the Canvasback has the head 
 and beak differently shaped and much darker-colored; while the 
 back is nuich whiter, because the black wavy lines are narrower 
 than tlie white spaces between them, or even broken np in fine dots. 
 
 Old Squaw 
 
 Length fronj cighlcen to twenty-three inches, the difference being 
 due to the tail of the male, which in s\imnier lias the middle feathers 
 eight or nine inches long. 
 
 This Duck differs more in summer and winter plumages than 
 any other. In winter, the only season it is .seen in the United 
 
DUCKS AND DRAKES 407 
 
 {States, the male varied with black, white, and silvery-gray, the bill 
 orange and black. In snmnier he has much more black than white 
 or silver, with some bright-reddish feathers on the wings. Tlie bill 
 is black and orange ; the eyes are red. 
 
 A Citizen of North America and other parts of the northern 
 hemisphere, never going very far south, and making his summer 
 home in the Arctic regions. lie is a noisy, lively, sociable Duck, 
 who has in spring some pleasing notes, so mellow and musical that 
 he may almost be said to sing; but he is not choice or dainty in 
 his food, and the flesh is too rank for House People to eat. He has 
 many absurd names besides "Old Squaw." 
 
 The Hooded Merganser 
 
 Length sixteen and a half to eighteen inches. 
 
 Male : a beautiful black and white crest rising up high in a 
 rounded form, but very thin from side to side, like a hood ironed 
 flat. Head, neck, and back black; belly and breast white; sides 
 cinnamon-brown with fine black bars; a white niiri'or witli black 
 edges on the wing. 15111 black, round like a lead-]ieiicil, with a 
 hook at the end, and strong saw-like teeth along the sides ; eyes 
 yellow. 
 
 Female: without any such crest as her mate has, and brown 
 where he is black. 
 
 A Citizen of North America, very handsome and stylish when 
 he is in full dress; but he is a Fishirjg Duck, and therefore not very 
 good to eat, though not as raidi as other Mergansers. Like the 
 AVood Duck, but unlike nearly all other members of the Duck 
 tribe, this Merganser builds his downj' nest in a hollow tree or 
 stump. 
 
CHAPTER XXXI 
 
 GULLS AND TERNS AT HOME 
 
 Herring Gull. 
 
 Gull Island was onl}- a g-reat sand heap, ancliored by 
 roc.ks and covered with coarse grass ; but the chihlren 
 liad hardly taken a few steps along the beach when they 
 began to exclaim at the nundjer of strange birds. Some 
 were flying, others walking al)out on the sand, wliere 
 there were many tnfts of grass and mats of seaweeds 
 that looked as if they had been used for nests. Dodo 
 near'ly stepped upon a couple of greenish, dark-spotted 
 eggs, that were nearly as large as a Hen's. 
 
 408 
 
GULLS AND TKUNS AT HOME 409 
 
 "Are the (Julls wtill iie.stiiiy-. Uncle Roy? And what 
 are those chirk .streaky birds over there ? " 
 
 "These are lert-u\'er eggs that did not hateli, for 
 nesting is over in July at latest, and the dark 1)irds are 
 young (iulLs in tlieir tirst plumage. They are jjrown- 
 ish gray, streaked and sjjotted as yon see, wliile tlie 
 old Ijirds are snow-wliite -with pearl-gray backs, and 
 black and white wing-markings in the summer, though 
 their winter dress is not quite so pure, being streaked 
 with gray on the neck." 
 
 " Then the very dark (iuUs I have seen off our beach 
 in winter are the young ones ? " said Rap ; " I never 
 knew that before. I don't lielieve many people remem- 
 ber how birds change their colors, and a great many 
 never heard about it at all, I guess." 
 
 "(iulls walk \'ery nicely," said Nat. "iMucli better 
 than Ducl-cs ; and liow they bob up and down like little 
 boats when they float ! " 
 
 "Wake! wake! wake! wake!" screamed half a dozen, 
 flying up as if to tell the Brotherhood of the coming 
 of strangers. 
 
 "What can be the matter with all those Sea Swal- 
 lows on the other side of the island ? " asked Nat as 
 they walked across, and a flock of a hundred or more 
 Terns angled by, crying mournfully. " What a very 
 sad noise they are making — do 3-ou think they are 
 afraid of us ? " 
 
 " U'hey have reason enough to cry and Ije sad," 
 answered Olaf, who was walking on, a little way ahead. 
 "They have l)een driven from almost all these islands 
 — shot for their pretty feathers, and had tlieir nests 
 robbed. There wouldn't be any here now, only that 
 
410 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 some people pay the light-keeper at the little island 
 yonder to see tliat the law is kept and that no one 
 hunts them liere. See ! He is coming over now to 
 find out wliat we are doing here ! " 
 
 "Wlio are the people that pay him, Uncle Roy?" 
 asked Dodo; "the Wise Men?" 
 
 Common Tern. 
 
 " Yes, the Wise J\len, and some Wise Women too. 
 You can give a part of the money in your tin hank to 
 help the poor Ijirds if you wish." 
 
 "Oh yes — that is — I forgot," and Dodo whispered 
 in her uncle's ear that she, as well as Nat, was saving 
 monej' to buy Rap a whole bird book for Christmas. 
 
 "It seems to be a very open place for nests, out here 
 on the sand," said Rap. " I suppose the little Gulls 
 and Terns must be liatched with down-feathers on." 
 
GULLS ANV TERNS AT HOME 411 
 
 " Yes — though they are not able to take care of 
 themselves as quickly as young Ducks. But as soon 
 as they can leave the nest, they walk down to the 
 water's edge and eat a sort of gluey stuff that floats in 
 on the water. So you see that unless the law protected 
 them they might be very easily stolen or destroyed 
 l)efore their wings were strong enough to fly." 
 
 " It must be very cold for them here in the winter." 
 
 " It would be if they were obliged to stay ; but b(jth 
 Gulls and Terns scatter all over the country to winter, 
 though the Terns travel much further south." 
 
 By this time the lighthouse keeper had made his 
 way over to them. Finding who they were, he invited 
 them to bring their luncheon and row over to Little 
 (ilull Island with him, to see the lighthouse. 
 
 There was a dancing breeze when they turned home- 
 ward that afternoon ; the boat canted saucily, and little 
 feathers of spray kept tickling Dodo's nose. 
 
 " Are there any more water birds that we are likely 
 to see this fall? " asked Nat, as the (tuU Islands disap- 
 peared behind them. 
 
 " Tliere will be great flocks of Wild (ieese coming 
 down from the North, and they often rest on the mill 
 pond ; or a Loon may chance down the river, and a 
 (Irebe or two." 
 
 "Are Geese Ducks? " asked Dodo, and then laughed 
 with the others at the question. 
 
 "Not precisely — no more than rats are mice," said 
 the Doctor ; " Ijut Ijoth Ducks and Geese bel(.)ng to the 
 same family." 
 
 " And what are the others — the Loons and Grubs 
 — are they wading or swimming birds? " 
 
412 
 
 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " Grrehes, not gruljs," laughed the Doctor. "Loons 
 and Grebes are swimming birds, like Ducks or Gulls, 
 but both belong to quite a different order from any 
 of the others and each of them belongs to a family of 
 its own. They can barely move at all on land, and 
 spend all their lives on the water, excepting in the 
 nesting season, when they make curious floating nests 
 of dead herbage in reedy marshes. Their legs are 
 placed in such a backward position that they can sit 
 upright in the water and swim as if they were walking, 
 only keeping the tip of the bill above the surface." 
 
 " How can they get away if any one hunts them ? " 
 asked Rap. 
 
 " Tliey can dive at the flash of a gun and swim long 
 distances under water. Our familiar Pied-billed Grebe 
 or Dabchick disappears so suddenly, that ' Water Witch' 
 is one of its common names." 
 
 " What a lot of birds there are to watch for tliis fall ! " 
 said Nat very anxiously. " I only 
 wish I knew how much more 
 time we shall have before father 
 and mother come for us." 
 
 J^OON. 
 
GULLS AND TERNS AT HOME 413 
 
 " Wli)', tliere is o)ie of the men from the F.irm with a 
 team," said Hap, as they tacked chise to the Ijeach half 
 an hour hiter. " He is waving a letter or something, 
 I think." 
 
 It did not take the party long to land, or the 
 Doctor to read his letter, which said that Nat's and 
 Dodo's parents were coming to the Farm in a couple of 
 days. 
 
 " So we must go home to-morrow," said tlie Doctor. 
 
 " I want to see mother awfully much," said Dodo, 
 "and father too ; hut don't you tljink if you told them 
 liird stories, Uncle Koy, 3'ou might he aljle to coax 
 them to make you a long visit hefore they take us 
 home? " 
 
 "/ think father would rather go up to the logging 
 camp, and see the coons that liap saj's they catch there 
 in the fall ; there are red foxes, too, he says, and little 
 fur beasts." 
 
 'J'he Doctor did not give them a very satisfactory 
 answer ; hut if they had hjoked they would have seen 
 a merry twinkle in his eye. And Dodo, who had 
 learned not to tease during her happy summer, nestled 
 up to Olive and said, "I smell a secret somewhere, but 
 I can wait ; for I know that hereabouts secrets are al- 
 ways nice surprises." 
 
 AVlien five more tables had been written — the last 
 ones Uncle Koy gave the children, this summer — they 
 were like this : 
 
 The Canada Goose 
 
 Length tliree feet or more. 
 
 Body lirown above, gray below, with black head, neck, tail, and 
 long feathei'S of the wings, the tail white at the roots abo\'e and 
 
414 
 
 CITIZEN BIliD 
 
 below, the head ^Yitl^ a large white patch like a nap- 
 kin folded under the chin. 
 
 Bill and feet black, the toes webljed like a 
 Duck's or tame Goose's ; but the wild Canada 
 Goose is not the kind that our tame Geese came 
 from. 
 
 A Citizen of ISTortii America, and a 
 great traveller in spring and fall, 
 fly high overhead in 
 diaped figure or in a 
 le, with one old Gan- 
 ?ading, and all crying 
 )nk, honk, honk ! " 
 The nest is placed on 
 the ground, some- 
 times on a tree 
 or cliff, in va- 
 rious parts of 
 the United 
 States and 
 Canada. The 
 flesh is excel- 
 lent foi- the ta- 
 ble, if tlie roast 
 Goose is a young 
 tender one, but be- 
 ware of an elderly ^\'ild Goose ! 
 
 --'^..,^- 
 
 Canada Goose. 
 
 The American Herring Gull 
 
 Length two feet. 
 
 Plumage |)ure white, with a peaily-blue mantle on tlie back and 
 wing's, the long featliers of the wings nuirked with black. 
 
 Bill yellow, with a red spot, stout and hooked at the end. Feet 
 flesh-colored, the front toes webbed like a Duck's or Goose's, but 
 the hind toe very short indeed. 
 
 In winter the head and neck streaked with gray. Young birds 
 all patched with gray and lilack, the bill black. 
 
 A Citizen of North America, and a member of the guild of Sea 
 
GULLS AND TERNS AT HOME 415 
 
 Sweepers. He nests in summer in tlie Northern States, and in ttie 
 fall travels south. He can sleep standing on one leg or floating 
 on tlie water. His nest is usually built on the ground, luit some- 
 times in a tree. He goes fisliing and clamming i'oi' a living. 
 
 The Common Tern or Sea Swallo-w 
 
 Length thirteen to sixteen iuclie.s, according to the length o£ 
 tlie tail, which is deeply I'orked with slender outside feathers, like 
 a Barn Swallow's. 
 
 riumage pure white, with a black ca|) on the head, a pearl- 
 blue numtle, and silver-black shades on the long wing-feathers, 
 which look as if they had hoar frost on theui. 
 
 Bill coral-red with a black tip, slender and very sharp, without 
 any hook at the end. Feet coral-red, very small and weak, the 
 front toes webbed like a Gull's. 
 
 Young ones are patched with various colors before they grow 
 their pearly, snowy, and jet-black feathers. 
 
 A Citizen of North America, chiefly its eastern portions, who 
 travels far north in spring and far south in fall. He nests in 
 large colonies on the sand or shingle of beaches, and cries very 
 sadly when House People come to steal the eggs or kill the young 
 ones. He belongs to the guild of Sea Sweepers, and eats little 
 fishes. 
 
 The Loon or Great Northern Diver 
 
 Length two and a half to three feet, with a long neck like a 
 Goose's, and a stout straight black bill, very sharp-pointed. 
 
 Plumage glossy black above, with a necklace of white streaks 
 and many square white spots on the back; under parts wdiite from 
 the root of the neck backwards, but the sides of the bi-east streaky. 
 
 Young ones are. speckled gray and wdiite, without any glossj' 
 black, and the bill is not black. 
 
 A Citizen of North America, who nests in the far North and 
 migrates into the United States for the winter. 
 
 A famous Sea .Sweeper, wdio can catch fish ))y chasing them 
 under water. He can dive like a flash and fly more than a hun- 
 dred yards under water before coming up to breathe, but is veiy 
 awkward and top-heavy on land because his legs are so far back 
 
416 
 
 CITIZEN BIBB 
 
 that he has to stand up on end. His nest is on the ground and his 
 flesh is not fit to eat, ))eing too rank and fishy. You can hear his 
 mournful cry a mile otf. 
 
 The Pied-billed Grebe, Dabchick, or ^A7■ater Witch 
 
 Length tldrteen inches. 
 
 Upper parts brownish-black. Breast and belly \A'hite, very 
 smooth like satin. A black mark on the throat, and a black band 
 on the Ijill, which is shaped like a Hen's. Feathers on top of the 
 head bristly. 
 
 Feet very strange: they slick out far behind, because Grebes 
 have no tail to be seen, and the toes are different from those of 
 any other bird you have in your tables, being scalloped with flaps 
 of skin instead of webbed like those of most Swimming Birds. 
 
 A Citizen of jSTorth America, whose nest is a wet I>ed of broken- 
 down reeds, sometimes floating on the water of the marsli. He 
 can dive and swim under water as well as a Loon. If you could 
 catch one alive, he would make his flappei'-like feet go so fast you 
 could not see anything of them but a hazy film, as the Humming- 
 bird does his wings when he poises in front of a flower. 
 
 PlELI-UILLED CIltEEE. 
 
CHAPTP]R XXXII 
 CHOPJ'S BY THE BIHUS 
 
 Swallows were percliing on the same telegraph 
 wires where they had met in May. Now it was Septem- 
 ber. There were Swallows of all kinds, both old and 
 yountr, with whom a great many other liirds stopped 
 for a little chat. 
 
 "In a tew weeks we must be off — how have you 
 enjoyed the summer?" asked the Hank Swallow of his 
 sharp-tailed brother from the barn. 
 
 " Excellently well ! Times have changed for the 
 better ; not a single cat or rat has been seen in my 
 hayloft all the season, and the window has been always 
 open." 
 
 " So you have changed your mind aboirt House 
 People?" said the Bank Swallow slyly. 
 
 " Yes — that is, about .'iome House People." 
 
 "I wish so many of the liird Brotherhood did ]iot 
 leave in the -winter ; it makes me (^uite sad," murmured 
 the Bluebird. 
 
 "Yes. Stay-at-homes, like yourself and Robins and 
 Finches, must feel very lonely without us," said Barney 
 kindly; "liut I think likely these House People will 
 scatter food about, so that at least you will not be 
 hungry — that is, indess they migrate too, as the Cat- 
 bird says tliey sometimes do." 
 2e 417 
 
418 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 " Dear, dear 1 Think of it, tliink of it ! " warbled 
 the Bluebird. 
 
 " Zeay I zeay I " screamed the Catbird, fl3'ing up. 
 "N-e-w-sl N-e-w-s! The House People are to stay 
 at our farm all winter ! The man who owns this farm, 
 the big girl, and the little girl and boy — and the 
 motlier and father bird they Ijelong to — they are all 
 down in the oreliard, talking about it now — how they 
 are going to something the}' call 'school,' over in the 
 village, and how that boy who hops along on one leg 
 with a stick under his wing is going with them."' 
 
 " Did they say anything about the Bird Brother- 
 hood? " 
 
 " No, l)ut I heard them say that when the snow falls 
 they are going up to those horrid dark (_)wl woods 
 to see the foxes and little fur beasts — 'Four-footed 
 Americans' our House iMan calls them." 
 
 " He gave me a better name than that," .said the 
 Barn Swallow, "one day when he was telling the chil- 
 dren about the Brotherhood, over in the old barn. He 
 looked straight at me and said a whole tree full of nice 
 things." 
 
 " \\'hat did he call you? What did he say about the 
 Ijrotherhood? " asked all the others, crowding around 
 Barney. 
 
 " He said tliat I swept the sky free of evil insects, 
 that I was patriotic in coming back to my birthplace 
 to nest, and that I worked to pay my rent and taxes, 
 and — " 
 
 " And what? " cried the others in excitement. 
 
 " He called me ' Citizen Bird ' ! He said all well- 
 behaved birds, wdio have their own nests, and belong 
 
CHORUS Br THE BIRDS 410 
 
 to tlie guilds of tlie Brotherlioiiil, are ^Vniei-R'au Citi- 
 zens ami should Ije protected ! " 
 
 " How badly the Cowbirds must feel ! " said the 
 chorus. 
 
 " llip, hip, hurrah! for Citizen liird and friendly 
 House People ! " drummed the Downy Woodpecker, 
 Ijeating away for clear life on a telegraph pole. 
 
 Then all the Swallows and Flycatchers began to dash 
 about the air, whispering "Citizen ISird ! Citizen 
 Bird I " And the lUuebird flew down to the garden 
 bushes to tell liis Avinter companion, the Song Sparrow, 
 all about it. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIII 
 
 THE rROCESSION OF BIRD FAMILIES 
 
 In Avliicli all tlie birds the children have learned in 
 this little book are made to pass in orderly review, each 
 bearing its scientific name, which the Wise Men write 
 in Latin. 
 
 1. ORDER OF PERCHING BIRDS ORDER PAS'SERES 
 
 AVhich luive their feet best fitted for perching, with 
 three toes in front and one belund, all on the same level. 
 
 Suborder of Singing Perching Birds Suborder Os'cines 
 
 A\niich have mnsic-boxes in their throats, tliougli not 
 all of them can sing. 
 
 1. Family or 'PHKUSIIKS Family TIIR'DID.E 
 
 1. Bluebird Sia'lia sia'lis. 
 
 '1. American Robin Mer'ula migrato'ria. 
 
 ■',. Wood Thrush Tur'dus musteli'nus. 
 
 4. Wilson's Thrush Tur'dus fusces'cens. 
 
 fi. Hermit Thrush Tur'dus aonalasch'kcB pal'lasi, 
 
 (i, Olive-backed Thrush . . Tur'dus ustula'tus swain'soni. 
 
 2. Family oi- OLD-WORLD WARBLKK.S Family SYLVI'ID^E 
 
 7. Golden-crowned Kinglet . . Reg'ulus sat'rapa. 
 
 3. Family of NUTIIATCIIKS Family SIT'PID.F 
 
 8. White-breasted Nuthatch . . Sit'ta carolinen'sls. 
 
 420 
 
THE PROCESSION OF JilRD FAMILIES 421 
 
 4. Family or TITMICE Family PAR'IDyE 
 
 9. Chickadee Par'us atricapil'lus. 
 
 5. Family op CREEPERS Family CERTHI'ID.E 
 
 10. Brown Creeper Cer'thia familia'ris america'na. 
 
 6. Family of THRASHERS Family TROGLODY'TID^. 
 
 and wrens 
 
 11. Sage Thrasher Oreoscop'tes monta'nus. 
 
 12. Mockingbird Mi'mus polyglot'ius. 
 
 1:5. Catbird Galeoscop'tes carolinen'sis. 
 
 14. Brown Thrasher Harporhyn'chus ru'fus. 
 
 15. Rock Wren Salpinc'tes obsole'tus. 
 
 10. House Wren Trog/od'ytes ae'don. 
 
 17. Long-billed Marsh Wren . . Cistotho'rus palus'tris. 
 
 7. Family of AMERICAN WAR- Family MNIOTIL'TID.E 
 
 BLERS 
 
 18. Black-and-white Warbler 
 10. Yellow Warbler . . . 
 
 20. Yellow-rumped Warbler 
 
 21. Ovenbird 
 
 22. Maryland Yellow-throat 
 2.'j. Yellow-breasted Chat . 
 24. American Redstart . . 
 
 Mniotil'ta va'ria. 
 Dendroe'ca wsti'va. 
 Dendrce'ca corona'ta. 
 Siu'rus auricapil'lus. 
 Geoth'lypis tri'chas. 
 later' ia y/'rens. 
 Sefoph'aga rutici/'la. 
 
 8. Family of GREENLETS Family VIREON'D^F 
 
 25. Red-eyed Vireo I^i'reo oliva'ceus. 
 
 9. Family of SHRIKES Family LANI'in.F 
 
 20. Great Northern Shrike . . . La'nius borea'lis. 
 
 10. Family of WAXWINGS Family AMPE'LIDvE 
 
 27. Cedar Waxwing Am pelis cedro'rum. 
 
■122 CITIZEN BIIID 
 
 11. Family of SWALLOWS I'^amilv HlRUNDIN'IDiE 
 
 28. Purple Martin Prog'ne su'bi's. 
 
 20. Barn Swallow Cheli'don erythrogas'ter. 
 
 30. Tree Swallow Tachycine'ta bi'color. 
 
 31. Bank Swallow Clivi'cola ripa'ria. 
 
 12. Familv of TANAGEKS Family TANAG'RID.E 
 
 32. Scarlet Tanager Piran'ga erytho'melas. 
 
 33. Louisiana Tanager .... Piran'ga ludovicia'na. 
 
 13. Family of FINCHES, BTNT- Family FKINGIL'LID^'E 
 
 INGS, Axii SPARROWS 
 
 34. Pine Grosbeak Pinic'ola enu'cleator. 
 
 3o. American Crossbill .... Lox'ia curviros'tra mi'nor. 
 
 30. American Goldfinch .... Spi'nus iris'tis. 
 
 37. Snowflake Plectrophe'nax niva'lis. 
 
 38. Vesper Sparrow Poos'cetes gramin'eus. 
 
 39. White-throated Sparrov/ . Zonotrich'ia albicol'lis. 
 
 40. Chipping Sparrow .... Spizel'la socia'/is. 
 
 41. Slate-colored Junco .... Jun'co hiema'lis. 
 
 42. Song Sparrow Melospi'za fascia' fa. 
 
 43. Towhee Bunting Pip'ilo erythrophthai'mus. 
 
 44. Cardinal Cardina'lis cardina'lis. 
 
 45. Rose-breasted Grosbeak . . Zamelo'dia ludovicia'na. 
 40. Indigo Bird Passeri'na cyan'ea. 
 
 14. Family of BLACKBIRDS and Family ICTEU'IFI.F 
 
 ORIOLES 
 
 47. Bobolink Dolicho'nyx oryziv'orus. 
 
 48. Cowbird Mol'othrus a'ter. 
 
 40. Orchard Oriole Ic'ferus spu'rius. 
 
 50. Baltimore Oriole Ic'ferus gal'bula. 
 
 51. Meadowlark Sfurnel'la mag'na. 
 
 52. Red-winged Blackbird . . . Ageloe'us phcsni'ceus. 
 
 53. Purple Grackle Quis'calus quis'cula. 
 
 15. Family of CROWS and JAYS Fajiily COR'VID^E 
 
 54. American Crow Cor'vus america'nus. 
 
 55. Blue Jay Cyanocit'ta crisfa'fa. 
 
THE PllOCES.SION OF lilKD FAMILIES 423 
 
 Suborder of Songless Perching Birds Suborder Clamato'res 
 
 A\^hicli liave no music-boxes in their throats, and 
 tlierefore cannot sing, tlioug-h some of tliem can twitter. 
 
 16. Family of FLYCATCHERS Family TYliAN'NID^E 
 
 50. Kingbird Tyran'nus tyran'nus. 
 
 57. Phcebe Sayor'nis phoB'be. 
 
 58. Wood Pewee Con'topus vi'rens. 
 
 II. ORDER OF PICARIAN BIRDS ORDER PICA'RI^ 
 
 Which have tlieir feet fixed in various ways, hut 
 never quite like tliose of Perching Uirds ; tliough all 
 of them can perch, none of them can sing. 
 
 Suborder of Hummingbirds Suborder Troch'ili 
 
 Which make a Immniiug sound with their wings 
 when they fly. 
 
 17. Family of HUMMINGBIRDS Family TROCHIL'ID.E 
 
 59. Ruby-throated Hummingbird . Troch'ilus col'ubris. 
 
 Suborder of Long-handed Birds Suborder Cjrp'seli 
 
 Which can fly witli great rajjiditj'. 
 
 18. Family of SWIFTS Family MICRORi »1)'ID^E 
 
 60. Chimney Swift ChcBtu'ra pelag'ica. 
 
 Suborder of Coracian Birds Suborder Cora'ciffi 
 
 Which are peculiar in many respects tiiat cannot be 
 understood by childi'cu. 
 
 19. Family of GOATSUCKERS Family CAPRIMUL'GID.E 
 
 01. Nighthawk Chordei'les virginia'nus. 
 
 02. Whip-poor-will Antros'tomus vocif'erus. 
 
424 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 Suborder of Picine Birds Suborder Pi'ci 
 
 Which have two toes in front and two behind, and 
 most of whicli can climlj. 
 
 20. Family or WOODrKCKEriS Famim' PIC'ID^E 
 
 03. Downy Woodpecker . . . . Dryob'ates pubes'cens. 
 
 04. Red-headed Woodpecker Melaner'pes erythroceph'alus. 
 
 05. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker . Sphyrap'icus va'rius. 
 
 06. Flicker Colap'tes aura'tus. 
 
 Suborder of Halcyon Birds Suborder Halcy'ones 
 
 Which have their front toes grown together so that 
 tliey cannot walk on them. 
 
 21. Family of KINGFISHERS Family ALCEDIN'ID.F 
 
 67. Belted Kingfisher .... Ceryle al'cyon. 
 
 Suborder of Cuculine Birds Suborder Cu'culi 
 
 Wliicli liave two toes in front and two behind, but 
 which cannot climb like Woodpeckers. 
 
 22. Family of CUCKOOS Family Cl'CU'LlD.F 
 
 08. Yellow-billed Cuckoo . . . Coccy'zus america'nus. 
 
 III. ORDER OF PARROTS ORDER PSIT'TACI 
 
 Which liave two toes in front and two behind, and 
 beaks hooked like those of birds of prey. But this 
 place is vacant in the procession, because cruel men 
 have almost exterminated the only kind of Parrot that 
 lives in North America — so he was afraid to fall in 
 line Avith the rest. 
 
THE PHOVESSION OF Bllil) FAMILIES 425 
 
 IV. ORDER OF BIRDS OF PREY ORDER RAPTO'RES 
 
 Wliiuli have .striiiiy hooked beiiks and claws, to catcli 
 and kill their li\ing prey, and some of wliieli are can- 
 nibal birds. 
 
 Suborder of Diurnal Birds of Prey Suborder Accip'itres 
 
 Wliich can see well to take tlieir prey by da}'. 
 
 23. Fajhi.v of IIAWIvS ani. Family FALCON'Il)^; 
 
 EAGLES 
 
 l!0. Osprey Pandi'on haliae'tus carolinen'sis. 
 
 7<l. Bald Eagle Haliae'tus leucoceph'alus. 
 
 71. Golden Eagle Aq'uila chrysa'e'lus. 
 
 72. Red-shouldered Hawk . . . Bu'teo linea'tus. 
 
 7.J. Marsh Hawk Cir'cus hudson'ius. 
 
 74. Sharp-shinned Hawk . Accip'iter ve'lox. 
 
 7.5. Sparrow Hawk Fal'co sparve'rius. 
 
 Suborder of Nocturnal Birds of Prey Suborder Stri'ges 
 
 Which cannot see well in daylight, and niosll}- take 
 their prej' by niglit. 
 
 24. Fahhi.y OK ()\yLS Fajiu.v STRIG'ID.E 
 
 70. Screech Owl Meg'ascops a'sio. 
 
 11. Long-eared Owl A'sio wilsonia'nus. 
 
 78. Great Horned Owl .... Bubo virginia'nus. 
 
 70. Snowy Owl Nyc'tea nyc'tea. 
 
 V. ORDER OF BIRDS THAT COO ORDER COLUM'BJE 
 
 Which driidc without raising tlie head at every sip, 
 and feed the j^oiing in tlie nest on the contents of tlie 
 crop. 
 
 25. Family of CCiLUMBINE BIRDS Family COLUM'BID.E 
 
 80. Passenger Pigeon .... Ecfopis'tes migrato'rius. 
 
 81. Mourning Dove Zenaidu'ra macru'ra. 
 
426 CiriZEN BIRD 
 
 VI. ORDER OF BIRDS THAT SCRATCH ORDER GALLI'NiE 
 
 Wliicli when they drink raise tlie head at every yip, 
 and whose young can run aljout and feed themselves 
 ahnost as soon as they are hatched. 
 
 26. Family of PARTRIDGES F.^mily PERDIC'ID^E 
 
 82. Bob White Coli'nus virginia'nus. 
 
 27. Family ok GROUSE Family TETRAON'IDiE 
 
 8.3. Ruffed Grouse Bona'sa umbel' lus. 
 
 VII. ORDER OF SHORE BIRDS ORDER LIMIC'OLiE 
 
 Which Hve in open places by the water's edge, for 
 the most part, and whose young can run about and feed 
 themselves almost as soon as they are hatched, like 
 little Chickens. 
 
 28. Family of PLOVERS Family CIIARADRI'ID.E 
 
 84. Golden Plover Charad'rius dominicus. 
 
 29. Family of TURNSTONES Family ARENARI'ID.F; 
 
 85. Turnstone Arena'r/'a inter'pres. 
 
 30. Family of SNIPES Family SCOLOPAC'ID^E 
 
 80. Woodcock Philo'hela mi'nor. 
 
 87. Wilson's Snipe Gallina'go delica'ta. 
 
 88. Spotted Sandpiper .... Acti'fis macula'ria. 
 
 89. Least Sandpiper Actodro'rnas minutil'la. 
 
 VIII. ORDER OF MARSH BIRDS ORDER PALUDIC'OL^ 
 
 Which live for the most }iart in tlie thickest marshes, 
 and \\lii)sc yniuig rmi al)out and feed tliemselves almost 
 as soon as they are hatched, like young shore birds. 
 
THE PROCESSION OF lUllTJ FAMILIES 427 
 
 Cranes beloni;' to tliis oi'der, but are left out of tlie pro- 
 c'essiou because there are no Cranes wlierc the ehihlreii 
 lived. 
 
 Suborder of Rails Suborder Ral'li 
 
 Which are much smaller than Cranes, la}' more eggs, 
 and hide away better in the marshes. 
 
 31. Family of RAILS Family RAI-'LII)yl<; 
 
 90. Virginia Rail Ral'lus virginia'nus. 
 
 IX. ORDER OF SWAMP BIRDS ORDER HERODIO'NES 
 
 Which live for the most part in swamps, and whose 
 young have to be fed in the nest. All have very long 
 leofs and necks. Storks and Iljises lielong to this order. 
 
 Suborder of Herons Suborder Hero'dii 
 
 32. Family of IIEUONS Family ARDE'ID.'K 
 
 91. American Bittern .... Botau'rus lentigino'sus. 
 
 92. Snowy Egret Garzet'ta candidis'sima. 
 
 93. Great Blue Heron Ar'dea hero'dias. 
 
 94. Black-crowned Night Heron . Nyctico'rax nyctico'rax nae'vius. 
 
 X. ORDER OF SWIMMING BIRDS ORDER AN'SERES 
 
 WITH TOOTHED BILLS 
 
 Which are web-footed birds that can strain out their 
 food, from the water they take in tlieir mouths. 
 
 33. F'amily of DT'CK.S, GEESE, Family ANAT'ID^ 
 
 anu swans 
 
 95. Canada Goose Bran'ta canaden'sis. 
 
 96. Wood Duck /Ex sport' sa. 
 
 97. Black Duck A'nas obscu'ra. 
 
 98. Mallard A'nas bos'cas. 
 
 99. Pintail Daf'ila acu'ta. 
 
 100. Green-winged Teal .... Net'tion carolinen'sis. 
 
428 CITIZEN BIRD 
 
 101. Blue-winged Teal .... Querqued'ula dis'cors. 
 
 102. Red-head /Ethy'ia america'na. 
 
 103. Old Squaw HareI'da hiema'lis. 
 
 104. Hooded Merganser .... Lophod'ytes cuculla'tus. 
 
 XI. ORDER OF SWIMMING BIRDS ORDER GA'VI^ 
 
 WITH LONG WINGS 
 
 Which are web-footed birds without any teeth along 
 the edges of the bill. 
 
 34. Family of GULLS ani. TERNS Family LAR'ID^ 
 
 105. American Herring Gull . . Larus argenta'tus smithsonia'nus. 
 
 106. Common Tern Ster'na hirun'do. 
 
 XII. ORDER OF DIVING BIRDS ORDER PYGOP'ODES 
 
 Wliich can dive like a flasli and swim very far under 
 water. 
 
 35. Family of WEB-FOOTED Family URINATOR'ID.E 
 
 DIVERS 
 
 107. Loon Ur/na'for im'ber. 
 
 36. Family of LOBE-FoOTED Family COLYM'BID^E 
 
 DIVERS 
 
 108. Pied-billed Grebe Podilym'bus pod'iceps. 
 
INDEX OF ENGLISH NAMES 
 
 Latin names v.'i\\ be fount! in Pi 
 
 s^iiin iif IJii-J Families, p;it^e 420, 
 
 pa<;f,s 
 
 Bee Martin 189 
 
 Bittern, American .')IJ3-u(:i5 
 
 Blai'ldiird, Crow li(>M 
 
 Blackbird, Reil-wiiigeil 207 
 
 Bluebird 93-flri 
 
 Bobolink 252 
 
 Bob White :U'J-;5.53 
 
 Bunting", Bay-winged 221) 
 
 BuntiTig, Indigo 245 
 
 Bnnting, Snow 21.5 
 
 Butcher Bird 180 
 
 Cardinal 237 
 
 Catbird 137-140 
 
 Cedar Bird 184 
 
 Chat, Yellow-l)reasted 109 
 
 Chewink 234 
 
 Chickadee 123-126 
 
 Chippy 224 
 
 Cowbird 100, 202 
 
 Creeper, Black-and-white 15.") 
 
 Creeper, Brown 120-128 
 
 Crossbill, American 207 
 
 Crow, American 275 
 
 Cuckoo, Yellow-billed 319 
 
 Dove, Monrning .345 
 
 Duck, Black or Dusky 401 
 
 Duck, Blue-winged Teal 404 
 
 Duidc, Green-Avinged Teal 403 
 
 Duck, Hooded iMerganser 407 
 
 Duck, Mallard ....". 402 
 
 Duck, Old Squaw 40i; 
 
 Du(.'k, Pintail 402 
 
 Duck, Redheail 405 
 
 Dui'k, Wooil .",95-400 
 
 Ducks 389-407 
 
 PAC.E9 
 
 Eagle, Bald 325 
 
 Eagle, Goldeu 325 
 
 Eagle, White-headed Sea 325 
 
 Egret, Snowy 369 
 
 Finch, Grass . 
 Flicker 
 
 220 
 313 
 
 Gtddfinch, American 211 
 
 Goose, Canada 414 
 
 Goose, Wild 414 
 
 Grackle, Purple 269 
 
 Grebe, Pied-billed 412-416 
 
 Grosbeak, Pine 205 
 
 Grosbeak, Rose-breasted 242 
 
 Grouse, Ruffed .348-3,53 
 
 Gull, Herring 4(1,8-415 
 
 Gulls 40S-411 
 
 Hawk, American Sparrow. . . . 337 
 
 Hawk, Marsh 3,.33 
 
 Hawk, Red-shouldered 336 
 
 Hawk, Sharp-shinned 334 
 
 Heron, Black-cvowneil Night 359-367 
 
 Heron, Great Blue 369-373 
 
 Heron, Snowy 369-373 
 
 High-hole....... 313 
 
 Hummingbird 291 
 
 Indigo Bird 245 
 
 Jay, Blue 278 
 
 Jiinco, Slate-colored 227 
 
 Kingbird 284 
 
 Kingfisher 319 
 
 Kinglet, Gcdden-crowned. . 117-119 
 Kinglet, Ruby-crowned 119 
 
 429 
 
430 
 
 INDEX OF ENGLISH NAMES 
 
 PAGES 
 
 LooD 412-415 
 
 Mallard 402 
 
 Jtartin, liee 1S9 
 
 Martin, Purple 1S9 
 
 Martin, Sand l.S7-li)3 
 
 Meadowlark 271 
 
 Merganser, liodded 407 
 
 Mockingbird lo2 
 
 Niglitliawk ::01 
 
 Nutliatch, Wliite-breasted. . 120-122 
 
 (Jkl Squaw 406 
 
 Old Wife 406 
 
 Oriole, Baltimore 259 
 
 Oriole, Orchard 256 
 
 <")sprey, American 2.sl-oo9 
 
 Ovenliird 165 
 
 Owl, American Long-eared ;'>29 
 
 < )wl. Great Horned :i."2 
 
 ( )wl, Scrcecli ;>2!t 
 
 Owl, Snowy mO 
 
 Pewee, Wood 288 
 
 Pliodje 287 
 
 Pigeon, Passenger 343 
 
 Pigeon, Wild .343 
 
 Pintail 402 
 
 Plover, American Golden. . 377, 378 
 
 Quail .349 
 
 Rail, Virginia 380-387 
 
 Redhead 397-405 
 
 Redstart 171 
 
 Kee(lbir<l 2.52 
 
 Ricebird 252 
 
 Robin, American 96 
 
 Ktibin, Ground 234 
 
 Sandpiper, Least .384-386 
 
 Sandpiper, Spotted 3S5, 386 
 
 Sapsucker, Yellow-bellied 315 
 
 Shrike, Northern 180 
 
 Snijie, Wilson'.s 382-386 
 
 S)iowbird 227 
 
 Snowtlake 215 
 
 FAOES 
 
 Sparrow, Chipping 224 
 
 Sparrow, English .57, 203 
 
 Sparrow, Song 230 
 
 Sparrow, Vesper 220 
 
 Sparrow, White-throated.. 26,222 
 
 Stake-driver .363-365 
 
 Swallow 187-192 
 
 Swift, Chimney 296 
 
 Tanager, Louisiana 197 
 
 Tanager, Scarlet 194 
 
 Teal, Blue-winged 404 
 
 Teal, C-rreen-winged 403 
 
 Tern , Common 40fl— 115 
 
 Terns 409-411 
 
 Thistlebird 211 
 
 Thrasher, Brown 140 
 
 Thrasher, Sage 129 
 
 Thrush, Golden-crowned 165 
 
 Thrush, Hermit 110-112 
 
 Thrush, Olive-backed 112-115 
 
 Thrush, Song (Brown Thrasher) 140 
 
 Thrush, Wilson's 107 
 
 Thrush, Wood 103 
 
 Titmouse, Black-capped . . . 123-126 
 
 Towdiee 234 
 
 Turnstone 376-377 
 
 Veery 107 
 
 Vireo, Red-eyed 177 
 
 Warbler, Black-and-white 155 
 
 Warbler, Myrtle 163 
 
 Warbler, Yellow 157 
 
 Warbler, Yellow-runiped 163 
 
 Waxwing, Cedar 184 
 
 Whip-poor-will 303 
 
 Woodcock 3."0-353 
 
 Wooilpecker, Downy 307 
 
 ^V'oodpeekcr, (iolden-wiiiged . . 313 
 
 Woodpecker, Red-headed 310 
 
 Wren, House 147 
 
 Wren, Long-billed Marsh. 150 
 
 W^ren, Rock 144 
 
 Wren, Winter 148 
 
 Yellowbird, Summer 157 
 
 Yellow-throat, Maryland 167 
 
BY THE SAME AUTHOR. 
 
 BIRDCRAFT. 
 
 A FIELD-BOOK OF TilO HUNDRED SONG, GAME, AND 
 WATER BIRDS. 
 
 With Full-page Plates, containing 128 Birds in their Natural 
 Colors, and Other Illustrations. 
 
 Small quarto. Cloth. $3.00. 
 
 PRESS COMMENTS. 
 
 "This is a charming volume, upon a pleasant theme. The author is not a hard- 
 hearted scientist who goes forth with bag and gun to take life and rob nests, but a 
 patient and intelligent observer, who loves the children of the air, and joins their fra- 
 ternity. Such a book inspires study and observation, and encourages effort to acquire 
 knowledge of the works of God, The book is a wise leacher as well as an inspiring 
 guide, and contain,s beautiful, well-arranged illustrations." — New York Obserz-er. 
 
 " The author has struck the golden mean in her treatment of the different birds, saying 
 neither too much nor too little, but mostly furnishing information at first hand, or from 
 approved authorities. The book will be very welcome to a large number who have felt 
 the want of a work of this kind. It will increase their cdj lyment of outward nature, and 
 greatly add to the pleasure of a summer vacation," — Boston Herald. 
 
 THE FRIENDSHIP OF NATURE. 
 
 A NEW ENGLAND CHRONICLE OF BIRDS 
 AND FLOWERS. 
 
 i8mo. Cloth. Gilt Top, 75 cts. ; Large Paper, $3.00. 
 
 Filled with the very spirit of New England woods and byways, it is a book to make 
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 scientific precision, it unites the warmest sympathy and reverence of all the doings of that 
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 study can be more engrossing, Mrs. Wright is well known as a photographer of unusual 
 skill, and the large paper edition of her charming little book is illustrated by reproductions 
 of her own pictures of the scenes she puts before us so vividly, 
 
 *' A dainty little volume, exhaling the perfume and radiating the hues of both culti- 
 vated and wild flowers, echoing the songs of birds, and illustrated with e.\quisite pen 
 pictures of bits of garden, field, and woodland scenery. The author is an intimate of 
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 musical flow of language that carries us along from a ' May day ' to a ' winter mood ' in 
 a thoroughly sustained effort; and as we drift with the current of her fancy and her 
 tribute to nature, we gather much that is informatory, for she has made a close study of 
 the habits of birds and the legendry of flowers," — Richmond Dispatch. 
 
 THE MACMILLAN COMPANY, 
 
 66 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK. 
 
BY THE SAME AUTHOR. 
 
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 AND 
 
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 WITH MANY ILLUSTRATIONS BY 
 
 ALBERT D. BLASHFIELD. 
 
 i2mo. Clotli. Colored Edges. $1.50. 
 
 This book was planned as a partial answer to the torrent of questions asked 
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 the intelligence of youth. 
 
 "The ways of all wild living creatures have a fascinating interest for most 
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 — The Xation. 
 
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BOOKS ON NATURE. 
 
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