ORNITHl vn 81 NATURE SONGS "".* STORIES BY Katherine Creighton THE COMSTOCK PUBLISHING COMPANY ITHACA, N. Y. r Cornell Lab of Ornithology Library at Sapsucker Woods u^tTAtion i>f Bank Swallow hv Louis Aeassi; FuerCts -».^c^ CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Ill 3 1924 090 253 968 DATE DUE i^|. -.V'^^^r- ;,:e GAYi_r)Rr pRiriTrri im u s a Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924090253968 NATURE SONGS AND STORIES BY KATHERINE CREIGHTON ITHACA, NEW YORK THE COMSTOCK PUBLISHING COMPANY 1914 Copyright^ 19 14 The Comstock Publishing Company INTRODUCTION There has been a dearth of songs for children deahng in any real or true manner with Nature subjects. Not that it is necessary or desirable that songs always tell true stories of beasts or birds. No one could have a greater appreciation of the agile cow that jumped over the moon, than the writer. But truth and virtue have from time immemorial been inspiring themes for song — so surely we may pay poetic tribute to the gentle cow that eats clover and gives us milk. In the realm of Nature, many true stories are more wonderful than any fairy tales and so touch the imagination that they lend themselves naturally as themes for verse and music; and how may the child be introduced to the life stories of his little comrades of the field more delightfully than through song? For several years, in connection with my work in Nature-Study at Cornell University, I have been frequently requested by teachers and parents to recommend Nature songs that were true as well as musical. This demand led me to urge Mrs. Creighton to write the songs included in this volume. Her poetic feeling and powers of expression, her experience as a teacher, her understanding of children, and above all, her love of Nature have all fitted her eminently for this task. The plan of the book includes observation of the objects on the part of the children, when possible, and the story of each told in a simple manner, both leading up to the song which, from childhood's standpoint, reiterates and celebrates the more interesting points already made familiar in their relations to the child itself. The drawings by the most eminent American bird artist — Louis Agassiz Fuertes, the insect drawings by Mi^s Anne C. Stryke, and the Nature photographs by Verne Morton are all made to supplement and make more real the songs. Thus it is hoped that with the aid of music, song, story and art the little child will early be given an impetus that will surely lead to future observation and sympathetic understanding of the varied life that surges around his every foot- step in the " great out-of-doors." Anna Botsford Comstock. Nature-Study Laboratory, Cornell University. INTRODUCTION There has been a dearth of songs for children dealing in any real or true manner with Nature subjects. Not that it is necessary or desirable that songs always tell true stories of beasts or birds. No one could have a greater appreciation of the agile cow that jumped over the moon, than the writer. But truth and virtue have from time immemorial been inspiring themes for song — so surely we may pay poetic tribute to the gentle cow that eats clover and gives us milk. In the realm of Nature, many true stories are more wonderful than any fairy tales and so touch the imagination that they lend themselves naturally as themes for verse and music ; and how may the child be introduced to the life stories of his little comrades of the field more delightfully than through song? For several years, in connection with my work in Nature-Study at Cornell University, I have been frequently requested by teachers and parents to recommend Nature songs that were true as well as musical. This demand led me to urge Mrs. Creighton to write the songs included in this volume. Her poetic feeling and powers of expression, her experience as a teacher, her understanding of children, and above all, her love of Nature have all fitted her eminently for this task. The plan of the book includes observation of the objects on the part of the children, when possible, and the story of each told in a simple manner, both leading up to the song which, from childhood's standpoint, reiterates and celebrates the more interesting points already made familiar in their reilations to the child itself. The drawings by the most eminent American bird artist — Louis Agassiz Fuertes, the insect drawings by Miss Anne C. Stryke, and the Nature photographs by Verne Morton are all made to supplement and make more real the songs. Thus it is hoped that with the aid of music, song, story and art the little child will early be given an impetus that will surely lead to future observation and sympathetic understanding of the varied life that surges around his every foot- step in the " great out-of-doors." Anna Botsford Comstock. Nature-Study Laboratory, Cornell University. CONTENTS The Chickadee 3 The Cricket's Song 7 The Chickens' Song 11 The Dandelion Song 15 The Dogs' Song 18 The Goldfish 24 The Honeybees' Song 28 The Oriole's Song 32 The Pansy 36 The Mud-wasp 40 The Robin's Song 44 The Snowflakes 48 The Spider 51 The Toad's Song 55 The Sun, Moon and Stars 59 The Woolly Bear Caterpillar 65 The Apple Tree song 69 The Squirrel's Song 73 Drawn by Louis Agassiz Fueries I sing as I wander on my way, Feebee ! Fee-bee ! Chick-a-dee-dee-dee. THE CHICKADEE 1. Chick a dee dee dee ! Chick a 2. Chick a dee dee dee ! Chick a 3. Chick a ~ dee dee dee ! Chick a dee dee dee ! My dee dee dee ! I dee dee - dee ! I cap is . . black, my find or . . dig a don't care how cold the r m ± -y- — r- K ^ 1 h. IW 1 / _JS N.. 1 J^ _ . i^ 1 1 fC\ \ 1 ! 1 -' -' 1 ^ — 1 1 1 1 \^>' m m ^ ^ ^ 1 1 ^ ^ J 1 1 1 suit hole wea is in ther a may gray, tree, be! Chick Chick Chick a a a dee dee dee dee dee dee dee! dee! dee! Chick Chick Chick a a a dee dee dee -^ -0- dee dee ! dee dee ! dee dee ! /T)- S • 1 (tJ. S \» » s» B B N» J '0 1 ^^ 1 ?. B K Jk S r 1 1 \ 1 1 1 i :P^:^ I -^—i^—0- r- I sing as I wan der on my . way, Fee bee! Fee - bee ! Chick - a dee -dee -dee! And there I build my nest as you see. Fee bee ! Fee - bee ! Chick - a dee - dee - dee ! In win ter I get all my food from a tree. Fee bee! Fee bee! Chick -a dee -dee -dee! ^B V- V- :E THE CHICKADEE'S STORY " Chick-a-dee-dee-dee! Chick-a-dee-dee-dee! " Look at me," said the Chick-a-dee, "I'm just as happy, as happy can be." " Who are you? " asked Mary. " Don't you see? Can't you tell I'm a Chickadee? " " Where are you? " asked Mary. "I'm up on a tree! Chick-adee-adee-adee! " " I see your black cap," said Mary. " Dee-dee-dee-dee-dee! " " Your cap comes right down to your eyes," said Mary. " Fe-bee! fe-bee! fe-bee! Some people call me Black Cap." "Your cap and your bib are black, and your cheeks are white," said Mary. " Chick-a-dee-dee-dee! Chick-chick-a-dee-dee!" "Your cheeks and your breast are white," said Mary, "and your back, your wings, and your tail are grey." " Fe-bee! fe-bee! " "What are you doing here in this cold winter weather? " " I often stay here in the cold winter weather, for I don't in the least mind the cold and the snow. Dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee! " " Why didn't you go down to the warm sunny south in the fall with the bluebird and robin? " asked Mary. " I'd much rather stay here with the Nuthatch and Downy. Fe-bee! fe-bee! Chick-chick-a-dee- dee! " " But where do you live when the snow is on the ground? " asked Mary. " Chick-a-dee-dee-dee! I live in an evergreen tree." " Are you never cold in your evergreen tree?" asked Mary. " I've a thick feather coat, and no matter how hard the wind may blow, or the snow may fall, I'm safe and warm in the great tall tree. Chick-a-dee-dee-dee! Chick-chick-a-dee-dee! " " But the ground is all frozen and covered with snow, and the insects are gone, so what can you find to eat in this cold winter weather? " " In winter I get all my food from the trees. Chick-a-dee-dee-dee! " " But we don't see any food on the trees," said Mary. " There are insect eggs in the bark of trees, and I pick them out with my sharp little bill. Dee-dee-dee-dee!" " Can't you see how much good the Chickadees do when they eat up the eggs of the insects that eat up the leaves of the trees? " said the Chickadee. " I can see," said Mary, " how you help the trees to live, but are these insect eggs all you can find to eat in the cold stormy weather? " " Chick-a-dee-dee-dee! Sometimes I eat the seeds of the pine, and sometimes the seeds of the elm, birch, and maple." " You are brave little workers out here in the snow," said Mary. " All winter long you are help- ing to save the trees from their enemies, and all winter long you are bright, and cheerful, and happy." " Chick-a-dee-dee-dee! I don't mind the wind, or the cold, or the snow. " Chick-chick-a-dee-dee! " Chick-adee-adee-adee! " Dee-dee-dee-dee! " Fe-bee! fe-bee! " Chick-a-dee! " Drawn hy A njia C. Stryke One wing is his fiddle and the other is his bow, Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp ! THE CRICKET'S SONG -M :^'=^ ^=f^ :i 1. He's a gay lit - tie fid dler bow ing low, Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp! One 2. Our fai ry fid dler's black and small, Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp! Some- A m^ :^E=^ :^=^=1^c=^ wing is his fid- die, and theoth-er is his bow. Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp! times he can't be seen at all, Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp! Some He e ?^ P -W=^ r^ i -1=2- times he plays both day and night. Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp! But his plays be hind the chim ney wall, Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp! We m -X _J_ — ^ — ^ — 1^— ^- -^- -es- ^ 8 :i mu SIC s love him al ways gay and bright, for we know his call, Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp chirp! Cheer up, cheer up, chirp! f- THE CRICKET The Black Field Cricket The black field cricket is one of the gayest little fellows in all the wide worid. He is jet black, and his coat is so glossy that he looks as if he were brushed and polished every morning. You would never think to see him so bright and shining that he lived in a little mud house down in the ground, but such is the case. His little mud house is down among the grass, or under a stone or door-step. The cricket can't fly like the birds and the bees, but he can jump and he can run. If you want to see how fast he can run, just try to catch him as he runs through the grass. He doesn't seem to mind the blades of grass in the least. His little legs are formed so that he can run through a " thicket of grass " in the easiest and quickest way. The cricket has his food all around him, for he lives on grass, clover and other tender green plants. And when he eats, he moves his little jaws from one side to the other, and not up and down as people do. The cricket has long slender, thread-like feelers in the front of his head, and these feelers are to smell with, and so if a cricket wants to know if any plant smells .good enough to eat, he just puts his feelers around it. The cricket hears with his elbows, for his ears are in his forelegs just below the elbow. The cricket has six legs, and they all come from the middle part of the body, which is called the thorax. The head, the thorax, and the abdomen, are the three parts of the cricket's body. What a funny little fellow he is! He digs his house with his feet! He hears with his elbows! He smells with his feelers! And when he eats, he moves his little jaws from side to side! The cricket loves the warm weather, and every afternoon through the hot summer days, and oftentimes through the night, he plays his little fiddle with its " chirp! chirp! chirp! chirp! chirp!" for the cricket is a fiddler. His fiddle is a wing-fiddle, and his music is wing-music! One wing is his fiddle and the other is his bow! And every time he plays his fiddle, he bows his little head as if he were bowing to an audience. What a gay little fiddler he is with his " chirp! chirp! chirp! chirp! chirp! " 10 Drawn hy Louis Agassiz Fueries Cock-a-doodle-doo-dle-doo ! 11 THE CHICKENS' SONG I f :* *=* |S -(S'- s>' m Cock - a - doo- die- doo - die doo ! Some- thing good to eat ! Cock a- doo- die- doo die doo & It—*- ^ -i :s?~ ~g?" -^- Z2I 3: -is'- -tsi- 4^ :t: What fine corn and wheat! Cluck! cluck! cluck! cluck! cluck! Cheep ! cheep ! cheep ! cheep ! cheep ! m ^ -IS'- -SJ' jSl -kS"- ~g:?~ =F^ * i W- gl Cock I doo die doo die doo! Cock a doo die doo die doo! s^ ■si- 321 -- -iSi- Ty 12 THE CHICKEN How Gallusha Leghorn Brought up Her Chickens Gallusha Leghorn had twelve of the prettiest, softest, fluffiest chickens that ever were seen. They could see as soon as they came out of the shell, and were all dressed besides in a fine suit of down. And was anything ever more beautiful than a young chicken's soft, fluffy dress of feathers? The next day after they broke their shells, they went with their mother all round the barnyard. She showed them the turkeys, the geese with their goslings, the ducks with their ducklings, the pigeons, the guinea fowls, and all the other poultry people. Then she walked on to the water basin, and called to the chickens to follow, for she wanted to give them their first lesson in water-drinking. " Watch me, and do just as I do," said she. " First dip your bill in the water and fill it full, and then turn the point of your bill straight upward. It's the easiest thing in the world, for water always runs downward. I really can't think what chickens would do if water ran upward! " Then she taught them to scratch with their feet. " Scratch backward," said she, " first with one foot, and then with the other. "When you're hungry you can always scratch up something to eat, — ^ maybe grain, or seeds, or insects." Every day Gallusha taught her chickens something. Sometimes she led them across the meadow, and showed them the long, green fringe of grass coming out of the ground, and the stiff, pretty heads of clover. All chickens eat grass and clover. Sometimes she turned up the ground with her toes and showed them the fine stone or gravel. All fowls need gravel: they need it to grind up the food in their stomachs, — the corn, wheat, and oat seed. Chickens don't have any teeth: they don't need them; if they did they would have them. In- stead of teeth they have a little mill in their stomachs which grinds up the hardest food; and these little stones which they swallow are the mill-stones which grind up the food. So you see why chickens have to eat gravel. 13 Every morning Gallusha walked with her chickens around the whole barnyard, and every even- ing she gathered them under her wings, and they all went to sleep in a nice, warm nest made of fresh clean straw. But Garusha, the rooster, and the hens who had no young families of chickens to care for, all went to sleep on the roost with their heads tucked under their wings. When the chickens grew older they put on an an extra coat, — a quill-feather coat. Quill feathers are feathers with long quills running through the middle. A full-grown bird of any kind always wears two kinds of feathers. The one next the skin is of soft fine down, and that is to keep the birds warm. Then over this soft downy coat is the quill-feather coat, and that is to keep out the rain as well as the wind and the cold. Whenever Gallusha found something good to eat, she always called out to her chickens: " Cluck! cluck! cluck! cluck! cluck! Come here and see what I've found to eat! " "Cheep! cheep! cheep! cheep! cheep!" said the chickens. "Just wait till we get there- — " and they would run as fast as their little legs could carry them, holding their little wings in the air to help them to run all the faster. u Photo hy Verne Morion Your sleepy gold head is slow to awaken, Though it goes early to bed. THE DANDELION SONG 15 i-fi-& — ^- — ^ — h — r- 1^- ^^^^ i F^ ^ 1^ :^-^- PL^ ^ 1 fs \ I. Lit 1 2. Sleep \ 3- Lit / 4- Fluf * • J tie green night y gold head, tie gold head fy white head. ^'*>- cap, you're in your fold- slow lit seed- [ — •-— ing your leaves to a wak tie green night- sails are wait s— » ■ -d up, Hid en, E cap, Sleep - ing Read _.* J * ing your gold en ven in sun - shine ing the whole night y to float a «■ • , ] -1 1 1 - ^ lead, bright, through, way, -^ = Your And Why The ^-s-ft^ ^-^ »T 5-^ ^^^ ^^_. — 1 1 •* *i > V^i5 k • b . r F • k ' ' 1 ^ a r 1 L 1 1 1 1 1 ' ■ — '^ ^^■^^ i^ -,^-f-*?- ?-^- sleep y gold head is slow to a wak en,Though it goes ear ly to bed. . should the rain fall, you won't wake at all, But slum - ber all day and all night! don't you a- wak en when the sun ris es? Sure ly you've some-thing to do! . breez es are blow - ing, you must be go ing, Fluf fy, good - day ! . good day ! . © '^-^^- I 16 THE DANDELION The Dandelion is one of the hardiest plants we have, and that is the reason it is found in so many places. It takes a firm hold of the ground, and makes very large, strong roots. Then it spreads out its leaves on the top of the ground like a little round mat, so that no plant near it has much of a chance to grow. " This is my land," the dandelion seems to say to the other plants around it: " Here I am, and here I mean to stay." The dandelion has long strong leaves with tooth-like edges. Its blossoms are brilliant yellow, and each yellow blossom is made up of tiny little flowers or florets. Every evening the dandelion blossom heads go to sleep in their little green night caps, so that at night there are no yellow heads to be seen on the lawn, but only little green night caps. On rainy days, too, as well as at night time, these little green night caps cover up the yellow blossom heads, and only open when the sun shines again. When the dandelion blossom is ripening its seeds, it lies close to the ground, out of the way of sickles and lawnmowers. But just as soon as the seeds are ripe, the stem straightens itself up again; the little green cap opens, and Lo ! and behold, the golden head has become quite white and fluffy. This fluffy white ball is made up of the seeds and their seed-sails. The fluffy white part is the sail, and the little brown seeds are all crowded together on the top of the stem. Every little brown seed has a fluffy white seed-sail. As soon as a breeze springs up, it catches these dandelion seed-sails and often carries them far away from the parent plant, where the seeds will take root and grow, and blossom, and then send their tiny seeds in search of a new place to settle. If you break the stem of a dandelion, a milky juice comes out. This is dandelion milk and is very bitter. As dandelions are good to eat, it is quite safe to play with the stems, making curls, rings, brace- lets, and necklaces. 17 Photo by Verne Morton Curly, the Spaniel, and his playmates. 18 THE DOGS' SONG :^=f^ :^ :^ t^= Climb-ing snow- y moun-tains,Hunting for the lost, Swimming seas and riv - ers, For the tem-pest-tossed, Si t^ 1^=^ _(^_ ^ r r ^ ■^- ^=^ :^^=1^ -^ — ^ :e=t -^— :^- ^^^ @ Work-ing for the shep-herd, Bring-ing home the sheep : We work in the day-time,And we watch a - sleep ! —. = « m—n^ .» ^^-fi- e :m ^ -.■ =e I =^ ^F= :Ne=N=^ -^i t- r ■ISJ- Barry, the St. Bernard Climbing snowy mountains, Hunting for the lost, Neptune, the Newfoundland Swimming seas and rivers For the tempest-tossed. Tartan, the Collie Working for the shepherd. Bringing home the sheep : All W6 work in the daytime, And we watch asleep! Curly, the Cocker-spaniel Helping flush the game birds, Working in and out, I'm the best of all the dogs To have about! All Rattler, the Fox-terrier Hunting for the red fox, Kilhng rats and mice. Master would not spare me,- Not for any price. Barry, Neptune, Tartan, Rattler, Curly, too, We're our Master's servants, Loyal, brave, and true! Gentle, faithful, happy, We're our Master's friends. And we'll work and fight for him Until life ends! 19 Watson's Dog Book Rattler, the Fox Terrier Watson's Dojj Rook Neptune, the Ne'wfoundland Tartan, the Collie Barry, the St. Bernard 20 THE DOG The St. Bernard's Story Barry was a St. Bernard, and was very strong and big. He lived in the monastery of Saint Bernard, in Switzerland. The monastery of Saint Bernard is away up in the Alps, thousands of feet above the sea, in the Great Saint Bernard Pass. When travellers wanted to go from Switzerland to Italy, they had to go through this pass, and it was often very dangerous on account of the cold and the snowdrifts. But the good monks in the monastery kept very wise and intelligent dogs to help the travellers through the snowdrifts, and to show them the way to the monastery, and Barry was one of these dogs. When Barry was only a puppy, he played all day long, but as soon as he grew up, he did work that any dog might be proud of. On the coldest and stormiest days, he stayed out in the snowdrifts searching for travellers, and as soon as he found one, he showed him the way to the monastery, where he was warmed, and fed, and taken care of by the good monks until he was strong enough to start on his journey again. Barry, alone, saved as many as forty lives. The Newfoundland's Story Neptune was a Newfoundland. He was strong and powerful and a wonderful swimmer. When he was only a puppy, he went to live on a schooner that sailed between France and Newfoundland. The sailors were very kind to him and often played with him on the deck. One cold, blustery day when the schooner was reeling and tossing in the waves, Neptune was toddling over the deck, and trying to catch a rubber ball that was running away from him, when the schooner gave a lurch and threw him overboard. He could swim as soon as he touched the water, and the sailors threw him a rope with a stick on the end. pii^^ ]g 21 Neptune caught the stick in his mouth, and was hauled quickly and safely on board, all drip- and wet. But he shook himself and ran over the deck until one of the sailors took him below and '1 dried him beside the fire. When he grew older the sailors used to throw him overboard to see him swim ashore, and he soor ii became such a fine swimmer that no dog could beat him. Sometimes after a storm the water was very rough, and the waves rose as high as the schooner, but \ Neptune was no more afraid of the waves than if they had been leaves blown about by the wind (.'.. But once coming over from France, a terrible gale arose with blinding drifts of snow. The wind I blew so hard that the schooner was driven on a rock and shattered to pieces. "• When Neptune saw the men struggling in the waves, he plunged into the water and saved the man that he came to, and then with firm, strong strokes he swam with him straight to the first shore I he sa But he was no sooner ashore than off he started again and saved another. Seven men in all ved from that wreck, and rescued from death. The Collie's Story Tt'irtan was a Collie and his home was in Scotland. H^'; belonged to a shepherd who owned hundreds of sheep. Ev^ery morning he went with his Master up the steep hills to pasture the sheep for the day. Alf day long Tartan stayed with the sheep and kept them together, and whenever a sheep strayed! off by itself. Tartan at once ran after it and brought it back to the flock. Sometimes Tartan ran many miles in a day, for he watched all the flock, and saw that not one ran awa^y or got lost. " Keep your sheep together," is the motto of the Collie, and sometimes this took nearly every minute of the day, for he would no sooner bring one sheep back than another would be over the hills. Then in the evening Tartan always brought the sheep back to the sheepfold. 22 The Fox Terrier's Story The Fox Terrier is not nearly as large as the Collie, Newfoundland, or St. Bernard. . But he is a great little hunter, and no other terrier has such a keen nose, sharp eyes, and ga >od hearing as he has. \- Rattler was a Fox Terrier and was owned by a farmer. f Rattler always slept in his master's barn to keep the rats and mice from eating the farmi er's corn. And as soon as Rattler heard that " gnaw, gnaw, gnaw," from a rat or a mouse he was awf ake in an instant. L Rattler's master always said that he wouldn't live on a farm without a Fox Terrier to deatroy the rats, mice, moles, and weasels. • The Cocker Spaniel's Story Curly was a Cocker Spaniel. He had a long black curly coat that shone like satin, and his ears were so long that they bri|:shed the floor when he ate his dinner. Curly learned lots of tricks and he knew how to make himself useful. Every morning at niiie, he, watched for the postman, and as soon as he heard him, he ran out and brought in the mail, an(ft then carried it all over the house until he found his master and mistress. In the field, he was useful too, for whenever his master went out to hunt for partridge an^ other game for the table. Curly always went with him to help him. At a word from his master he ran through the thicket, and as soon as he found a partij^dge he made it rise from the ground so that his master could see it easily. So he helped get the food for the table. 23 Drawn by Margaret Kephart Gaily darting to and fro, See the little goldfish go. 24 THE GOLDFISH 1^=:^: :^ ^= 321 ^^ 1. Gai ly dart ing to and fro, See the lit tie gold - fish go! 2. Gold en boat is aU a live, See it swim, and see it dive! m s= -B= 4^ ^ -g?" I W- Fins to Watch it help him leap to swim and float, left and right. Fins to row the gold en boat! Flash ing gold, and spark - ling light w a ^ rS'- -^- 25 THE GOLDFISH The Goldfish is one of the most beautiful of all the fishes. It is rich golden orange above, and pale yellow, silver, or white below. It is all covered with tiny little scales which shine like real gold and silver in the sunshine. And all these little scales overlap each other like shingles on the roof of a house, and they are all turned backward toward the tail. As the goldfish swims along in the water, it looks like a little golden boat. And the fins are the oars and the rudder. A goldfish has seven fins. The tail is the largest of all the fins, and it does most of the work. The goldfish pushes itself forward by means of its tail, and if you watch it swimming, you will see that the faster it swims, the faster its tail moves from one side to the other. The goldfish uses the fin on its back to steer with, like the rudder of a boat. Sometimes the goldfish uses only one fin, and sometimes the whole seven at once. If you watch goldfish swimming you can see which fins they use when they swim straight ahead; when they swim to the right; to the left; upward, or backward, or forward; floating, or resting. When the goldfish eat, they keep themselves up near the surface of the water by paddling the front fins gently. And when they are resting on the bottom, not even the front fins are moving. The goldfish's eyes are black and round, with rings of gold, or gold and silver, around them. But they haven't any eyelids and eyelashes. The goldfish breathes through the mouth, and not through the nostrils, as we do. If you watch the goldfish, you will see how often it opens and shuts its mouth. It is breathing! " But we breathe air," you say. So does the goldfish. There is air in the water, and when the goldfish takes in water through the mouth, it breathes this air with its gills and then the water with the impure air is pushed out under the gill covers. The gills are the lungs of the goldfish, for they breathe with the gills. Look just back of the eyes and you will see the gill-covers. They are scales, and bigger than any of the scales on the body. 26 If you watch these gill-covers closely, you will see that every time the goldfish opens his mouth, these gill-covers move. The goldfish is breathing! The goldfish that live in little glass globes are fed on food that comes all ready to use in little boxes. People who know most about fishes think that the very first goldfish came from China. But that was long ago, and for a great many years goldfish have been living in many parts of the world. 27 Drawn by A nna C. Stryke Watch US sipping the flowers sweet, Bearing flower-dust on our feet. 28 THE HONEYBEES' SONG ott Ik. W 1 V'Wr ^ p 1 1 •T 5" 1 Ik. fk. is ^ ^ J _i ^ >. ^ N m ' ' 1 rh ^G P ^ ! r • •' * N N r ^ * \ v-L' n ! ! , J ■ « _i _. \ ^ ' *J m m m ^ 000 I. We are bright lit - tie hon - ey bees, Work - ing bus i ly in the trees; 2. Watch us sip - ping the bios- som's sweet, Bear - ing flow er dust on our feet, 3. Hum ! hum ! hum ! Don't you hear us come? Sacs and bas - kets we're bring ing home, /^•ft \ S r s r S 5 . 1 l^'tfjj''* L • ' * ^ • r • L • ^ • b . • v^^jjc r f r ^ ■n5> 1 1 ^ — Li 1. ! 1- m k=0- ^ ^^=^ See us fly ing from flow'r to flow'r. Work ing hard till the eve - ning hour! Buzz - ing round on our air y wings. Do ing won - der ful fair - y things! Full of hon ey and pol - len sweet, Buzz! buzz ! buzz ! That's the food we eat!" ^ ^^^ T i 29 THE HONEY BEE The Story of Mellie Bee Mellie Bee was a honey bee, and lived in a Hive with thousands of other bee people. When Mellie was only a baby she spent all her time in a little six-sided wax cradle, and the nurse bees who had charge of the bee nursery, gave her honey and pollen to eat. But Mellie was a Worker, and almost as soon as she left the cradle she helped her sisters take care of the bee babies in their little wax cradles. Sometimes she helped feed the Queen Bee, and sometimes she helped comb and brush her. Sometimes she swept and dusted and helped keep the Hive neat and clean. There was plenty of work both inside and outside the Hive for thousands of Workers. The Queen had to be fed, brushed, and combed. The bee babies had to be fed and cared for in their little waxen cradles. The Hive had to be kept neat and clean. The air in the Hive had to be kept fresh and pure. The honeycomb had to be made for holding the honey and pollen. And the honey and pollen had to be gathered from flowers and the blossoms of trees, for honey and pollen are the food the bees eat. Mellie Bee had the most wonderful feet! She used her feet for combs and brushes to keep herself clean and neat. She used them for brooms to sweep out the Hive. She used them for packers to pack her little baskets full of pollen. And she used them in other wonderful ways. Mellie's wings were wonderful too! She could move them so fast that you couldn't tell they were wings! Sometimes she used her wings as fans to fan the bad air out of the hive, and fan the pure air in. And sometimes she used them to carry her many miles through the air. One morning in May, Mellie Bee fiew out of the Hive to look for honey and pollen. Near the Hive where she lived there were apple trees, plum trees, and peach trees, but these were no longer in bloom. 30 Then she flew to a flower garden to see if she could find any honey, but there were only roses and poppies in bloom, and these do not have any honey. By and by she came to a linden tree all covered with blossoms. Then she filled her honey sac with honey, and her baskets with pollen and hurried back to the Hive. " The lindens are blooming! The lindens are blooming! " said Mellie to her sisters, as she hurried into the Hive. " It's a busy time both inside and outside the Hive when honey and pollen are plenty, and every one works but our lazy brothers, the Drones." "Now I'm off again," said she, when she had emptied her honey sacs and pollen baskets, "for the sun is shining, and it is just the day to gather honey and pollen." " I'll go with you," said first one sister and then another, until hundreds were following Mellie to the linden tree. All day long from morning till night, Mellie Bee and her sisters flew from the Hive to the linden tree, and back again to the Hive, carrying home honey and pollen to store in the cells of the honey- comb. " Just think of the number of miles I have to travel before I can fill even one little cell in the honeycomb! Is it any wonder a bee is busy? " asked Mellie. Drawn by Louis Agassis Fuertes Up to the tree-tops I fly, To pour out my song there on high. 32 THE ORIOLE'S SONG ^_ij^J=:^ Efeg ^£^^^£E^^^E^F^ ^1^ H- 1. "Wel - come the glad month of 2. "Up to the tree tops I 3. "When the wind blows in the May! I fly to the north-lands a way! fly, To pour out my song there on high, trees. Our era die will rock with the breeze, i^^m^m^^m -iS>- ^ ^=^ -IS)- -iS'- -■&- gi|pg ^-^=^=g^ ^ ^=r -m ^ 1 S ^ h if — ,' — ^ ^ 1 — ^z ^^ * ^ :^ -^ — ,^- :|^=^ ;i] ^ Or ange and black! AH sum- mer long, Rock a by! rock! Wel come me back! north will I stay, Ba bies and all! Cur-ly! cur-ly! cur- ly! chew! chick - e Cur - ly ! cur - ly ! cur - ly ! chew ! chick - e Cur - ly ! cur - ly ! cur - ly ! chew! chick - e * fc^ :± l^^=^^=^^n ray! ray! ray! # -(S>- t ^ tz=f -1 -iS>- 33 THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE Have you ever seen the Baltimore Oriole? If you have I am sure you will never forget him, for he is one of the most beautiful birds that we have in the North. He has a splendid coat of orange and black. His head, throat, and part of the back are black: the wings and tail are partly black; and all the rest of the body is a golden orange. Some people call the Baltimore Oriole the Golden Robin, but it is smaller than the robin, being only seven and one-half inches in length, while the robin is ten. The Baltimore Oriole spends the winter in Central America, and the first week in May arrives in New York State. " Welcome the glad month of May! I fiy to the northlands away! Orange and black! Welcome me back! Curly! curly! curly! chew! chickeray! " The Oriole is a wonderful singer, and his voice is clear, and rich, and musical. Some birds have only one song; but the Oriole has a great many, and you have to be very well acquainted with him indeed to know them all. I think he must often sing to himself, for oftentimes when he is looking for caterpillars and beetles, he sings only the last part of his song aloud. Have you ever seen him sing on the very top of a tree? His gorgeous orange and black coat against the blue sky is magnificent and his song is trium- phant. " Up to the tree-tops I fly. To pour out my song here on high. All summer long, north will I stay, Curly! curly! curly! chew! chickeray! " The Oriole is worth its weight in gold to the country, for it eats up the pests that destroy the farmer's crops. 34 It has a great appetite, and eats large quantities of harmful grasshoppers, grubs, beetles, ants, and caterpillars. Soon after the Orioles come back from the south, they begin nest-building. They are very fond of elm trees, and generally build their nest in one. Mother Oriole does most of the building, but Father Oriole helps her find the string, plant fibre, grasses, and everything else that she uses in making her nest. Mother Oriole is very particular to build her nest up high, away up out of the reach of her enemies. And she hangs it at the end of a branch. It is a hang-nest, and that is the reason some people call the Baltimore Oriole, the Hangnest. Have you ever seen an Oriole's nest? It looks very much like a pocket, or a small basket hanging to the end of a bough. In this pocket-nest. Mother Oriole lays from four to six little eggs. " When the wind blows in the trees. The cradle will rock in the breeze; Rock-a-by! rock! Babies and all! Curly! curly! curly! chew! chickeray! " 35 f^;' M Drawn by A nna C. Siryke Bumble bee ! Bumble bee ! Come here and dine ! We'll give you nectar so fresh and so fine. 36 PANSY ry-A — V IS s ^ r^ — ^— "^ 1 **« 1 h~i ^s^ — h" 1 h" iN 1 1 /f 4 ^ r 1 r ^ 1 '\ m >^ m ^ m J i _l . _l f(nA m J 1 J ^ 1 J ■ ^ • ^ 1 J m m- ■ -^ • ,-t' V-LJ4- • "^ ^ ^ ^ m 1 C • • 1 ' 1 Children's song : 1. "Pan-sy-man! Pan-sy-man! Hid-ing a -way, In the bright heart of the blos-som Pansy-man's song : 2. "Bum-ble-bee! Bum-ble-bee! Come here and dine! We'll give you nee - tar, so fresh and Bumble-bee's song : 3. "Hum! hum! hum! Here I come, on air- y wing! Wings are my hor - ses, my sword is 1 1 ''^ ''^ so so my gay, fine, sting! /o,.B m mm m \ \ \ <=> <^ ^^ r^ f'Z> 1 IP--^- rD V_^ « • w ' w w \ \ r=> 'r:^ \ — , \ 4 ~_ r r r J J 1 1 ,■ — ■ ,,^—-1 1 1 1 ^ ^ 1 1 1 1 i :^^=^ WE^L s>- Stand-ing still, watch-ing there in leaf - y bower. What are you wait ing for there in the flower?" Pol-len too, gold- en flour, whole-some and sweet. For pan- sies know what a bee likes to eat!" Hum! hum! hum! Here I am, show me the way Down to the hon ey, I must not de-lay!" e -^- -isi- =^= -is*- -isi- t 37 THE PANSY OME pansies look like little faces! The two highest petals are the forehead: the next two are the cheeks; and the lowest of all is the chin. Pansy " eyes " are in the cheeks, and they are very near to the chin. If you look at a bed of pansies you will see that their blossoms have a great many different colors. Blue, purple, brown, black, white, yellow, orange, pink, red, — all these you can find. But can you find a green one? Some blossoms, like the buttercup and dandelion have only one color, but the pansy has a great many colors, and a great many shades of each color. Sometimes the five petals of a pansy blossom are all one color, but often the two highest petals are dark, and the three lowest are light; or the two highest are light-colored, and the three lowest are dark. All the five petals of the pansy blossom taken together are called the corolla. When the pansy blossom is only a bud, it is protected by a little green covering called the calyx. The separate parts of the calyx are called petals. The other parts of the pansy plant are the stem, the leaves, and the roots. The roots live down in the ground; and the stem, the leaves, and the blossoms live in the air. The earth, the rain, the sun, and the air are the pansy plants' helpers, for without these the plaiits could not live and grow. The roots do not like the sun and the air, and they can't live without drinking, so they live in the ground, where the dry air won't wither them, where the bright sun won't burn them, and where their thirsty little mouths can drink up water from the soil all day long. The stem has to hold up the leaves and blossoms to the light and air, for leaves and blos- soms cannot live without light and air. But that is not all that the stem has to do, for all day long it is busy hauling up water through its little water pipes for the leaves and blossoms to drink, for the stem is just full of little water pipes. 38 And the leaves are not idle, for plants breathe through their leaves. So the pansy plant's leaves are its lungs. But the blossom is the most important part of the plant, for the blossom has to make all the seeds, and without any seeds we wouldn't have any new pansy plants. The bumble bee is the friend of the pansy, for she helps the blossom make seeds. The pansy makes honey for the bumble bee, and the bumble bee carries pollen for the pansy. What is pollen? Pollen is the yellow flower dust, or golden flour of the blossom. As the bumble bee flies about from one pansy blossom to another in search of honey, this flower dust sticks to her velvet coat, and is shaken off again on the very next blossom she visits, and on the very part of the blossom that needs the flower dust to help it make seed. " Hum! hum! hum!" says the bumble bee, " Here I come on airy wing!" " Bumble-bee! Bumble-bee! Come here and dine!" say the pansies. " We'll give you nectar so fresh, and so fine!" " Hum! hum! hum!" says the Bumble-bee, " Where is the honey? I must not delay!" " Look at those little straight lines on the lowest petals of the blossom," says the pansy. " Those are the honey guides, and if you follow them, they will lead you straight to the honey jar." " Hum! hum! hum!' says the Bumble-bee, as she thrust her long tongue into the honey jar of the pansy, " you surely do know what a bee likes to eat." " We'll make honey for you, if you'll carry pollen for us," say the pansies. " Hum! hum! hum!" says the Bumble-bee, "I'll carry pollen for you, if you'll make honey for me." Have you ever seen the little pansy-man? He is hiding away in the pansy blossom. Take one of the older blossoms, for he's not fully grown in the younger ones. Then pick off the petals one by one, and you will surely find A him. He is bare-headed, and wears a little cape or cloak, and has little crooked legs. That is the pansy -man! 39 W^, — ' — ""W" ^^ Ai- Drawn by Ahtux C, Stryke Fly up, little Mason, I give you good cheer. 40 THE MUD-WASP VTT — i'- — p«- V I X »* ^ m J p P k. ft .1 ^ 1 rh « r J p iS ^ p \^\J n \^ L< d J P J 1 1. Wake 2. Fly up, in lit at tie the wasp, win From dow, your And long look win for ter a sleep ! site The To f o P > ^ 1 / " 1* m J P P V ^1 *. 1 ft^ C I «' p ^ ■^ 1 \ 1 ^^J ?> Lg L« m ^ ^ J 1 C '^ ■^ ■^ d f~\ (* S ^ » P A m m m P m m f ^* 11 ^ 5 5 B 5 w z 5 5 ^_^ o / «' r m r p d — a 1 -^ — U — U— t^^ — 1 • ^ k U ^ J/ fc_ s N s •■ ft ^ 1 ^- N- S- — p* — 1 j^ K P P J P n^ N P \^ m m m m m r"^ J J • J ' r J - ' ! r • * d \^ ) J m ^ • ^ J 9 > L< 'm< ice is all gone, And build your clay hous - es, k. the wa ter So strong and is deep. There's so tight. The mud in spi - ders the are riv plen ers, ty, There's The V ik_ ^ ^ ^ - %. ^ p n^ p P J* v P P P ■^ V P n- « m 1* J m J (c^ ^ A m ^ J ^ ! -1 1 1 r • m 1 d v^ ; ^ * • • « U* 'i^ !^ cy • 4* m c m r.y P p • * m m « N « « 7 w » 5 ff. _\ m m \ m __C _ Km ''- \ m 'm « r ^ r V^y ^ r 1 Pi '"■ P r ■ • 1 U" L^ ti L. •- i^ « ^ — -k^ t-J— ^_ -Ur ^— #»— ^ s*^ >* 41 r~Q— — ^- iS {\ _!^ - -N- — jN- '^- — =^~ ^ II j[ ^ J P r* m J P ^ *r II f? 'v -^ S 4^ m r P 1 II V- J i,^' L. • J ■ 1 CJ mud sum in mer the is pools, here. You Fly don't up. have lit to tie wait ma to son. learn I build- ing give you in good schools cheer ! \J P > 1 ^ ^ ^ i^ p r—^ — FT ^ -11 / ^ A 1 r P m ^ f-\ r . .• . . .d ___ A ___ . J d m J r iS' 1 7 11 sz i_^ ^ ^ • 1^ • J 1 II o s « m m ■^ •7^- r p S « m m p m ^ p M m II 1 W* K C h^ " m 5 J p w B « II Xfc./ '^ u J^ W P P ^ m r • r f » 'II i" L. L> L«t II ^ ^ ^ >• ' '?» THE MUD WASP Do you know the mud wasp? Some people call it the thread -waisted wasp, because its waist is so very slender. The head of this wasp is black and shiny, and the eyes look like little beads. The abdomen is shaped something like an egg. How black this mud wasp is! The body, legs, wings, eyes, and feelers, are all black. But when the sun shines on the mud wasp, it takes on shades of blue and purple. The mud wasp can walk, and she can fly. She walks on the very tips of her toes, and picks her way daintily over leaf, twig, and stone. When she walks, she keeps turning around all the time as if she were afraid of something. She can fly very swiftly with those light gauzy wings of hers, and when she is building she uses them constantly to get from one place to another. For the mud wasp is a builder, and in building time walking is much too slow for her. The mud wasp builds little mud houses. And these little mud houses are not for herself, but for her babies. They are little cradle-houses or nurseries. When the mud wasp is ready to build, she flies around looking for a site. She likes the roofs of piazzas, rafters of garrets, barns, and outhouses, for her building sites. 42 When she has found a building site that suits her, she goes to the nearest pond or pool for some mud, with which to build her little cement houses, and carries home the mud in her mouth. Think how many little mouthfuls it must take to build even one cradle-house! And the mud wasp often builds as many as twelve or more of these little nurseries! Each tiny nursery is about an inch long, and they are all joined together. When Mother mud wasp is building these little houses, she uses her jaws for trowels. How quickly and well she uses her little trowels! And what strong little houses she builds! As soon as she has finished one of these little nurseries she goes in search of spiders, for she feeds the young mud wasps on spiders. When she has found enough spiders for her nursery, she lays an egg, and closes up the door with cement. When a little grub hatches out of the egg, it lives on the spiders, and when they are all eaten, it weaves a little blanket around itself and goes to sleep. When the young mud wasp wakes up from its blanket sleep, it is no longer a grub, but an insect like its mother, with a slender waist, and beautiful glossy wings. When it was rolled up in its blanket it was changing into a mud wasp with wings, feet, and feelers. But here it is shut up in a little house. How is it going to get out? Is this a little prison house? It was for the spiders, but is not at all a prison house for the young mud wasp, for the wise little mother knew just how to build her little mud nurseries. She did not build the door nearly so strong as the rest of the little mud nursery, and she knew that her young ones could dig their way out when they were ready to live in the air. Mud wasps use their jaws for picks, as well as for trowels, and whenever the young wasps are ready to leave their little cement houses, they can dig their way out with their little jaws. As soon as they leave their cradle-houses, the yoving mud wasps are ready to live their lives in the air like the old wasps. Some mud wasps live through the winter. They choose a nice sheltered spot, and then take a long winter sleep. When spring comes again, they wake up and begin building cradle-houses for their young just as their mother did for them. 43 / /foif/s UeJK^ ^An^rlci. Drawn by Louis Agassiz Ftteries Down south in the winter, I never can sing, But here I'm so happy, I feel Uke a king. 44 THE ROBIN'S SONG &=S^J'-Jl-^J ^^E^^E^ ^s^ ^>.=^ :t= 1. Down south in the win-ter I nev-er can sing, But here I'm so hap-py I feel like a king. 2. O'er val - leys and mountains,I've come on the wing; I'm back with the blue-bird,To wel-come the spring. 3. We'll build us a nest, On the branch of a tree, With mud-plastered walls,And no roof, don't yo usee? g M a t: 1^ i L^ w — ^_r:zg_ 1^^=^^=^=:^^ ^^=^ :^^ EE?fl Dear ie, dear Dear ie, dear Dear ie, dear ie, dear ie, dear ie, Home is the place to be hap - py and cheer - y. ie, dear ie, dear ie. Home is the place to be hap - py and cheer - y. ie, dear ie, dear - ie. Home is the place to be hap - py and cheer - y. gt r^ r *b:fe -*?-^-^- 45 THE ROBIN This is the story of a pair of robins who built their nest in the fork of a maple tree. We called them Robin and Robina. They had been spending the winter in the south but early in April flew back to their old home in the north. When they reached their summer home in New York State, they found that the ground was still frozen, and there were no earth worms to be had for food. But they found some of last years' berries still clinging to the shrubs and vines. But soon the warm winds and rains came and softened the earth, and the earth worms came up near the surface of the ground, where the robins could dig for them with their sharp pointed bills. Every day the robins hunted for earth worms. They used to run over the lawn, a few steps at a time, and then stop and listen. And as soon as they heard a worm working underground they dug it out with their bill. Robins are diggers and use their bills as little picks. Towards the last of April, Robin and Robina began to build their nest. Robin brought some twigs, and rootlets, and coarse grass to the maple tree, and Robina took them and tied them to a fork of the tree with some string which she had found lying on the ground. Then Robina went to the nearest pond and brought home some mud in her bill, and shook it into the twigs, and rootlets, and coarse grass just where she wanted it. Again and again she flew to the pond for mud for the nest, and when she thought she had quite enough, she sat in the nest and turned round and round to mold it into the proper shape while it was still damp. And when it was just as she wanted it, she left it alone for sun and air to dry it. The robin's nest is a mud plastered house, and shaped like a bowl. And it is lined with fine grass to make it soft and warm for the nestlings. When the nest was all finished, Robina laid four beautiful blue eggs in it, and about two weeks later four young robins were hatched from these eggs. They were born blind, and almost naked. Btit that did not matter at all, for Robina covered them up from the cold with her warm wings, until their own feather dresses grew. 46 What hungry little fellows they were! All day long they were hungry, and as soon as they heard the least little sound near their nest, their yellow bills flew wide open for the food that they expected Robin and Robina to give them. Father Robin worked hard every day from morning till night getting food for those baby robins. How he listened for earth worms! How he dug, and pulled, and carried from morning till night! Very early every morning Robin sang a beautiful song, and was busy at work getting food for his family long before children are even awake. Then in the evening when his work was done, he always sang an evening song before he went to rest for the night. Robins begin and end the day with song! At the end of two weeks the young robins had grown a fine coat of feathers with a beautiful speckled vest, and were ready to leave the nest. And they left it for good, and never came back again. But they stayed in the neighborhood, with the other robins. When the fall came their wings were so strong, and they were such good flyers, that they were able to go south with the old robins to spend the winter. 47 Snow crystal. Snow crystal. Photo by Verne Morton Come, little snowflakes, come down here, And sparkle and dance in your downward flight. Snow crystal. The snow crystals are from photomicrographs hy W , A . Bentley 48 SNOWFLAKES * ^ fi ^ 1^:^ :^*=:^^=^ ^ SESE^ :f^-^^=:^ ^-iv S—d ~ _^_^_ ♦— ^ 1. A way in the storm-clouds up in the sky, Are born ht tie snow-flakes crys tal white; 2. How gen - tly you sail on your crys tal wings, Out of the storm-clouds up in the sky; @# S: =^i^ i ^^=^ -^—-d- :fi= i^^ Come, lit tie snow-flakes, come down here, And spar - kle and dance in your down -ward flight! Soft lit - tie snow-flakes hur -ry - ing down. With - out ev er wait - ing to say " Good - bye !" M 2 ^ii fe ZJ^ 49 SNOW Snow is the earth's winter blanket. Sometimes this blanket of snow is many miles long and many miles broad. It covers up the ground so that not a single speck of earth is to be seen; not a blade of grass! It keeps the tender little shoots from freezing, so that when spring comes again, the little plants will spring up and grow as soon as the warm rains come. This snow blanket is made of myriads and myriads of snowfiakes. Where do these snowfiakes come from? They fall right out of the sky. So the earth's snowy blanket is made in the sky. It is made out of watery vapor and frost. Jack Frost finds the watery vapor up in the sky and changes the vapor to snowfiakes. But snow never stays in the sky. Just as soon as the snowfiakes are formed, they begin falling and turning on their way to the ground. Some snowfiakes are very, very tiny — not even as big as a pin head; and some are very large, being as much as an inch across. Snowfiakes have hundreds and hundreds of different patterns. If you look at snowfiakes or snow crystals under a microscope, you will see that they are very beautiful, and that many of them are six-sided. Some are three-sided, and some are twelve-sided; but there are far more of the six-sided crystals. Sometimes these snow crystals look like beautiful flowers with six petals; sometimes they look like six ferns with the stems all meeting in the centre; again the six rays of the snow crystal look like daggers with diamond hilts; and again like delicate lace-work. But the different patterns of the snowfiakes are far too many to mention. See how many different patterns you can find for yourself. Take a piece of cardboard, and cover it with black cloth, and on the first snowy day take it out of doors and let the snowfiakes fall on it. If you have a magnifying glass, so much the better. In the very cold countries around the North and South Poles, the watery vapor in the clouds always falls in the form of snow. In temperate climates we have snow in winter, and rain in summer. And in the very warm countries, near the Equator, no snow ever falls. 50 Photo by J. H. Comsiock Oh, eight-footed spinner, You're crafty and wise, You spin filmy curtains. To capture the flies. 51 THE SPIDER i I BE*; 4-J> r^ i _^_^_ f^:q ^^ *—d—F •— ^ - ^^ g_W-^ 1. Oh,eight- foot-ed spin-ner, You're craft-y and wise, You spin film - y cur- tains To cap- ture the flies; These 2. Oh,wise lit - tie crea- ture,How skil - ful you are! You spin film-y brid ges To car ry you far; You m A- :-B ^r :t=t=t: fe :|*^=^ P :^^^=^"^-g^ -^— i^ - --d — •- -^—-^ fine film- y cur- tains,You spin day by day, Are tan gle- foot net-works To cap- ture your prey, spin gau-zy sail-boats To float in the air; Andgos sa- mer cur - tains To cap- ture your fare. m ^ -m^ -^ — ^- t=t: ±^=t: -I h :P=F 52 THE SPIDER " Will you walk into my parlor?" Said a spider to a fly. " 'Tis the prettiest little parlor That ever you did spy: The way into my parlor Is up a winding stair, And I've got many curious things To show you when we're there." " Oh, no, no!" said the little fly, "To ask me is in vain; For who goes up your winding stair, Will ne'er come down again." Mary Howitt The spider's parlor is its web. The spider spins and weaves this web of silken threads out of its own body. Then it hangs this little web or curtain in the air to catch any flies or other insects that happen to fly by, for the spider lives on flies and other insects. When the fisherman wants fish for food, he throws out a fishing net in the ocean to catch the fish that go swimming by. And when the spider wants food, it spins and weaves a curtain arid hangs it in the air to catch any insects that come that way. Spiders have great appetites, and eat a great many insects. Different kinds of spiders have different kinds of webs, or food nets. Some spiders have a little den near the web where they run and hide while they are watching for their prey. They keep hold of one of the threads of the web, and can tell the moment an insect touches it. Then the spider runs out to the web, catches the insect, and carries it into the den for dinner. If you look out of the window on a misty morning, you will see the grass covered with little pale grey cobwebs. The grass spiders spin and weave these little silken webs, and tie them to the blades of grass and other plants. 53 At one side of the web, the grass spider weaves a little hall, or run- way, where it can hide while it is waiting for the insects which it hopes to catch for dinner. This little hall or run-way has a door at each end, and if an enemy should come to the front door, the grass spider can run out the back door and escape through the grass. The spider is the enemy of its insect visitors; but it has enemies too; and the little round hall is a place of escape from enemies, as well as a hiding place when it is watching for its prey. Another very interesting web is the orb-weaver's web. The orb-weaver spins threads and ar- ranges them like the spokes of a carriage wheel. These straight spoke-lines are for the spider itself to walk on. They are firm, and do not stretch when the spider runs over them. Then the spider spins another kind of thread, and weaves it around the straight spoke-lines in the form of a spiral or watch-spring. These round lines are sticky, and stretch. like rubber as soon as they are touched. They are tanglefoot lines, for they tangle the feet of the insects that alight on the web, and keep them there until the spider has time to catch them. Have you ever seen a spider drop from a post or a twig to the ground? How does it do it? It spins a thread and fastens it to the post or whatever it happens to be standing on. Then it lets itself drop to the ground, spinning a thread as it goes. Then when it wants to get back again, it can easily climb up the thread which it span. If a spider wants to get across from one place to another, it spins out a thread so thin and airy, that the least little whiff of air will carry it across to some object where it will stick. Then the spider draws the line tight, fastens it where it is standing, and then runs across itc It's a bridge for the spider. Some spiders spin little gossamer sailboats! When they want to sail through the air, they spin enough silken thread to make a sail. Then they leave the place on which they are standing, and the air catches the little silken sails which they've spun and carries them away over land and sea — perhaps many miles from the place where they started. Wise little spinners! Bridges! Dropping lines! Climbing lines! Sailboats! All these you can spin! And filmy curtains to catch your prey! 54 Drawn by Louis Agassiz Fueries I'll tune my bagpipe under my chin And sing my evening hymn. 55 :$c=^ :^ THE TOAD'S SONG ^^ t^ ::^ -^— F- -^— ^ Spring time has come, said Tad Hop- per, mpF^^^ -- ^=i=i=^-e=e A -wake from his win ter sleep. The ^*-^ ^ -P-^ -^—[ -w—m- W—W- -**— ^ ■^— i**- ■Sl -1-7— ^ ■i**-i«*- -i**— ^- i: *: ^^?5^^ ^^ wm ter has gone, so I'll pen my door. And go down to the wa ter to ^^-=t I ^-=^ -Hr 1- peep; With a leap and a dash I'll plunge right in, Us ing my feet to ^— ^- ^ ^ 56 ^- i\ swim; I ■ I I ' I'll tune my bag - pipe un der my chin, And sing my eve - ning hymn! t: 3^: - 1 ^ r J « ^ 111 \>)n • • * « • ■ s J _i J * '^ !^ 1 1 1. Ap 2. Then pie tree! Ap I make hon pie tree! firm ey to feed and strong, the bees, 1 What are you That is the 1 do rea 1 1 ing the whole day son that bees love 1 long? trees ; /i^-r» ^ • ^ • • ■M-^ 9 • ~ii ■ m ' ■ 1 -1 (c;.|i s. B . N,=^ i - -\ ^ J k • C' 1 '--0 • ■•-1 — ' — ■• 4 -■•-I- ■ — «-= " ^ =i«=pc -^—F- W: t-- Don't you know?Can't you see?With all my might I'm hold - ing my bios- soms and leaves to the light. Ap -pies so round,and so ro - sy, and sweet. The bees help me make for the chil-dren to eat." m ^ i 70 THE APPLE TREE As soon as an apple seed reaches the ground, it begins to grow. It sends a little shoot down into the ground, and another one up into the air. The little shoot that it sends down into the ground is the root, and the little shoot that it sends up into the air is the stem or trunk; and as the root keeps growing below ground, the stem keeps growing above, until at last we have a splendid apple tree. In the ground the root divides into many branches, and every branch has a great many rootlets. These rootlets branch off into all directions, and look very much like the branches above ground except that they have no leaves. The roots of the apple tree grasp the soil firmly and keep the trunk in place, so that strong winds cannot uproot it. And they have another great work to do. They gather up water from the soil and send it up to the parts of the tree above ground. The apple tree's trunk is firm and strong, and holds up its branches and leaves to the light. And it is the tree's waterway! The roots get water from the ground, and send it up through the trunk to the branches and leaves and blossoms. The branches hold out their leaves and blossoms to the sunshine, and the sunshine with the help of the green in the leaves makes starch, and the tree lives largely on starch. The blossom is the most important part of the tree, for the blossom makes the fruit, the fine rosy-cheeked apple. The apple tree blooms in May, and the blossoms are sometimes white, and sometimes pink and white. Each blossom has five little leaves called petals, and these five petals all taken together are called the corolla. In the centre of the corolla are five pistils, and outside the pistils are the stamens. Every starrien has a little sac just full of pollen, or golden flower dust. And this yellow flower dust is needed to start the fruit growing. In the centre of the blossom is a little honey jar full of honey. When the bees come to sip the honey, they walk over the blossoms, and as they move around looking for the honey, they brush 71 against the little pollen sacs on the top of the stamens, and some of the yellow pollen sticks to the bees' velvet coats, and is shaken off again on the next blossom they come to, on the pistil. And this is the part of the blossom that needs the pollen to help make the fruit. So the apple tree makes honey for the bees, and the bees carry the apple tree pollen from one blossom to another. Soon after the apple tree blooms, the petals fall off and look like a carpet of snow underneath the tree, and some people call it apple blossom snow. Soon after the apple blossom snow, if you look at an apple tree, you will see little slender apples, — not round as they are when full-grown in the fall. In the month of May the apple trees are covered with beautiful white and pink apple blossoms; and on sunshiny days the bees are buzzing around them, flying from one apple blossom to another in search of the sweet nectar in the flowers' honey cups. 72 Drawn by Louis Agassis Fuertes We are jolly little fellows, And our home is in the trees. 73 THE SQUIRRELS' SONG -n — rr N- iw . s V- h- N ^ >r 4- r ■ ' - — 1 « J 1 I' 1 1 f\'\ t m « m « s ^ » \A)^ • ^ 1 f S I. We are jol ly Ht tle fel lows. And our home is in the trees; 2. See us run, and leap, and scam per, Up and down, and aU a round; 3. See us eat ing nuts and a corns. Hear us scold ing off our foes; r^ ■^" -&>- f»y 4 f^ fZ? r^ f^ (^ <^ ^^^- ^— (^2. r^ — ^ i t -)Si- And we're out from dawn till sun set, Watch us swim-ming pools and riv ers. Watch us hoard - ing food for win ter. Just like sing ing birds and bees. Gay er mor tals can't be found! For the time the north wind blows! -^- -(=- -f^2_ ~g? ~ -ts>- -e*- -<- -IS*- 74 THE RED SQUIRREL Madame Redfoot of Apple-tree Hollow This is the story of Madame Redfoot, a red squirrel that lived in the hollow of an old apple tree. Madame Redfoot's home in the apple tree was warm, and snug, and comfortable. It was a pantry or storeroom, in which she kept her nuts and acorns, and other seeds in winter; as well as a nursery, a sleeping room, and a living room. " Churr-chur-chur-r-rr " said Madame Redfoot to Madame Lightfoot of Oak- tree Hollow, "some squirrels build their nests on the outside of trees, but I want a hollow inside a tree for my house." " Churr-r-r-r, So do I," said Madame Lightfoot. " I want a house that is safe from wind, and rain, and other things," said Madame Redfoot. " What I'm most afraid of," said Madame Lightfoot, " are cats, and dogs, and hawks, and owls, but most of all of the weasel." " Guns, and traps are pretty bad too, and sometimes boys are cruel," said Madame Redfoot. " Yes, sometimes boys are cruel, and sometimes they'll steal the nuts that you've laid away for the long, cold winter." "And grey squirrels are just as great thieves as boys are," said Madame Redfoot. "I remem- ber how hard I worked a year ago last October. The nuts were large and ripe and plenty, and I worked as hard as I could gathering them for the winter. I didn't wait to take them home to my pantry, but hid them in the holes of some fence posts until I'd find time to bring them to Apple-tree Hollow. Well, one morning I went to look at my nuts, and I found they were nearly all gone, and that very same day I saw a grey squirrel running off with some more of them. " It didn't take long to chase her away, for although she is twice as big as I am, I can run just as fast as she can. " I was afraid to follow her into her home, but I scolded her just as hard as I could, and then left her, and carried off all my nuts that were left to my own hollow tree." " Churr-r-r! " said Madame Lightfoot, " as long as I live, I'll chase every grey squirrel away from my oak-tree." " Chick-a-ree! chick-a-ree! chick-a-ree! churr-churr-chur-r-rr-rrr! " uooratory of Ornithology 159 S?psacker Woods Rota Cornell University 75 l'!!?i'-.a, New York 14850 One morning in May four young squirrels were born in Apple-tree Hollow. They were born blind, naked, and helpless as every young squirrel is; but they were so cosy and warm in their snug little nest, with their mother's long furry tail curled so carefully around them, that they did not dream there was a single thing in the whole wide world outside of Apple-tree Hollow. Every day the young squirrels grew bigger and stronger until at last Madame Redfoot decided that her babies were quite big and strong enough to see something of the great world outside the apple tree. "You must now see some of the world," said she, "for you've never been out of the niirsery, and you've no idea of the wonderful things that are happening all around you. " Churr-urr-urr! Do you see that light from the doorway? " That comes from the sky. Follow me, and I'll show you the sky. " Now be careful! One step at a time, and see that you grasp the branch firmly. " Look up just as I do. Now that is the sky. " The sky is generally blue as you see it today; in the morning it is sometimes pink; and in the evening it is sometimes golden. " But when it is grey, and dark, and heavy, then all wise squirrels run off to their homes, for they know that a storm is coming. " That bright ball of fire is the sun, and when it sinks to rest in the west, then all red squirrels run off to their nests." Every bright morning Madame Redfoot took the young squirrels out for an airing, and they soon learned to scamper all over the home-tree from the top to the bottom. They learned all the leaps on the tree, — the leaps across from one branch to another, as well as the leaps downward. When the young squirrels had learned all the leaps on their own home tree, they soon became so bold and brave that they could leap from one tree to another. In the fall when the nuts were ripe, they learned all the nut trees, and the oak trees, and the pine and spruce trees, for without these no squirrel could live through the winter. " Look at that flock of birds just over our heads," said Madame Redfoot. " They are blue- birds, and are starting today for the South, because they can't live here in winter. 76 " But a squirrel can live year after year in the very same place, if she only takes care to carry plenty of nuts and acoriis home to her storerooms to last through the long cold winter. " What a great thing it is to belong to the squirrel family, and have strong, sharp teeth that can gnaw through a nutshell! " Chick-a-ree! chick-a-ree! chick-chick-chick-a-ree! " Churr-r-rr-rrr! " Chtirr-rr-rr-rr-rr-rrr-rrr-rrrrr-rrrrr-rrrrrrr!"