THE COLONY OF STARLINGS GIVE A BALL
They Took Little Flying Trips.]
The birds gave concerts early every morning and sometimes, too, theywould give an extra one just after the sun went down in the afternoon.Jack and Evelyn loved to hear the birds sing, and they told daddy thatthey were really learning to know the various songs of the differentbirds.
"I have meant for some time," said daddy, "to tell you a story about aball the starlings gave some time ago. Now the starlings are notsingers. They can only chirp and twitter, but they love music and enjoyhearing all the other birds. They are great friends with the robins,and when they suggested giving a ball the robins were at once ready tohelp them with it."
"I don't believe we know what starlings are. We may have seen them andnot have known what they were," said Jack.
"Starlings," continued daddy, "are about the same size as robins. Theyare black, or they appear to be black. In reality their feathers lookdifferent colors in different lights. But they usually appear black, as,of course, they don't come so very near to people. They are not nearlyso tame as the robins. They have yellow beaks. And another thing aboutthem is that they are very fond of their own kind. They travel always inhuge flocks, for they love to be together.
"But to continue about the ball. The starlings said that they would liketo give a party, and the robins thought it was an excellent plan.
"So invitations were sent out to all the other birds around. And theyall accepted with great pleasure.
"Ever so many were invited. There were the chickadees, the songsparrows, the chipping sparrows, the orioles, the thrushes, andeven the catbirds were asked.
"Of course, great preparations were made for the ball. The robins saidthat they would give the music, for, of course, the starlings couldn'thave a ball without music.
"And you should have seen the birds dancing. They danced until they werecompletely out of breath. The robins sang lovely waltzes and theywhistled for the jigs.
"Then, when the starlings thought that their guests had had enough ofthe dancing, they suggested that they should all have some supper. Theyhad their supper served in little moss cups for each bird, and it didtaste so good out of such a dainty, pretty cup."
"I suppose they had little worms, didn't they?" asked Evelyn.
"Yes, indeed," said daddy, "but that is what they think is delicious."
ROBIN REDBREAST'S AND MISS ROBIN'S WEDDING
In a Few Minutes Mr. Robin Came.]
"Little Miss Robin was preening her feathers and smoothing them down,for it was the 14th of February and she had received a valentine.Naturally she was very much excited, and she looked at her reflectionas she stood over the brook.
"'Yes,' she said to herself, 'I am looking well to-day. I do hope Mr.Robin Redbreast will think so too. My, what a fine bird he is! And, oh,how lucky I am to have received a valentine from him!'
"Now Mr. Robin Redbreast for a long time had admired Miss Robin andthought she was the most beautiful bird he'd ever seen. And so he beganto get his valentine ready 'way back in the autumn when the trees hadturned red. He would fly from tree to tree and spend hours each daylooking for the most beautiful and perfect leaf, and he wanted it to bea real crimson color. At last he found it and put it away in his nest,very carefully covering it over with moss and straw to keep it wellprotected and so it wouldn't fade or shrivel up at the ends. Then a fewdays before Valentine's day he got a little stick which he stuck throughthe red leaf, which he had pecked off into the shape of a heart, andthis was the valentine he sent to Miss Robin. Of course the stick was tomean that his heart had been pierced by love.
"Mr. Robin Redbreast sent his valentine by a messenger, and then hewaited what seemed hours to him before he went to call on Miss Robin,and it seemed hours to Miss Robin, too, who had smoothed her feathersso many times.
"At last Miss Robin heard him singing the most beautiful song, with suchhigh notes it seemed as if they almost reached the sky. And, oh, howproud Miss Robin was to feel that such a beautiful singer was to be hermate!
"In a few moments Mr. Robin Redbreast came in sight and stood before herby the brook. Miss Robin was all of a flutter with joy and nervousness.
"'I've come,' said Mr. Robin Redbreast, 'to ask you if you'll be my wifeand come to my new nest in the apple tree.'
"And then he sang another little song.
"'I would love to, I would love to!' chirped Miss Robin.
"'We'll be married to-day, then,' said Mr. Robin Redbreast, 'for I'veinvited the guests.'
"Then he gave a long call. At that, from far and near, countless robinsflew down and hovered around.
"Mr. Robin Redbreast and his bride flew to the branch of a nearby tree,and all the others perched about them singing such merry, happy songs.
"And then they all went back to Mr. Robin Redbreast's nest, where abanquet awaited them of fat, juicy worms."
THE TAME CANARY BIRD AND HIS MISTRESS
He Walked on Her Hand.]
Daddy had heard that afternoon the story of a very tame canary bird.The little girl who owned the bird, and who was a friend of Jack andEvelyn, had told daddy about her little pet. So when daddy got home inthe evening he was ready at once to tell the story of the little bird.
"I am going to tell you about the little bird Elizabeth has. Her daddygave him to her several weeks ago, and he is just as tame as tame canbe," said daddy. "She has named him Bubsie, and he knows his name too,for whenever she calls 'Bubsie!' he replies with a little 'Peep, peep!'
"Every morning, bright and early, he wakes up and begins to sing themost beautiful songs. He sings so steadily that Elizabeth says it is asurprise to her that he doesn't burst his little throat.
"After Elizabeth gets up she always gives him a little piece of applebefore she begins her breakfast. She puts it on her finger between twowires of the cage, and he hops right over on his little bar and takesit from her finger.
"The next thing is his bath, which he takes soon after breakfast. Heloves that. He spatters the water about and has just the best time inthe world. He acts as if it were the most wonderful game. After his bathhe has a treat of delicious lettuce to eat, and then he sits in the sunand smoothes down his feathers.
"In his cage there is a swing, and he swings on it and hops from oneperch to the other. In fact, he has a fine romp. He usually does thisright after his bath, for then he feels so energetic.
"IN THE AFTERNOONS ELIZABETH LETS HIM OUT OF HISCAGE."--_Page 44_]
"In the afternoons Elizabeth lets him out of his cage. Of course shesees first that there are no windows up or doors ajar before she opensthe door of the cage. When the cage door is open Bubsie flies out andmakes a tour of the room. How he does enjoy flying around andperching back of the different pictures and on the window-sill. Thething he likes more than anything else is to play with Elizabeth. Heperches on her shoulder and walks around on her hand. And he loves totease her too, for if there are any flowers in the room he will fly overto them, peck at them and begin munching at them. Then he won't letElizabeth catch him. He thinks this a huge joke, and he always flies tosome high spot in the room and begins to sing.
"Elizabeth told me any number of tales of the tricks that he does, butshe told me to invite you two children to come and see her, and then shepromises you that Bubsie will entertain you."
"Oh, that's fine!" said Evelyn. "Do you suppose we can go to-morrow?"
"Yes, I think so," said daddy, "for, as a matter of fact, I believe Itold her to expect you both to-morrow."
"Hurrah!" shouted the children. "You always think of such nice thingsfor us to do."
THE PET BIRD OF THE WARD
The Bird Sat on His Hand.]
"Well," said daddy, "I suppose you are ready for your story, and thisevening I am going to tell you about a little boy I saw as I passed by award in a hospital I was visiting to-day."
Jack and Evelyn sat up and listened eagerly, as they loved to hear aboutother little boys and girls.
"This little boy," daddy continued, "was in the bed nearest the door Ipassed, and I noticed him particularly because on a table near his bedwas a large cage containing a small yellow canary bird. I asked thenurse if pets were allowed in the ward and why this little boyespecially wanted a bird. She told me that the little boy was an orphanand had been brought into the hospital one day, having been run over bya motorcycle. He was very much injured, and they expected he would dieany minute. He was brave and scarcely moaned, but whenever the nursewould stop by his bed he would beg her to send for his bird, which wasat the orphans' home. The nurse gently would explain that pets were notallowed in the hospital. One night his fever became very high, and inhis rambling talk he begged for his canary. The doctor, who was a verykind-hearted man, told the nurse to send for the bird, as the little boywould not live more than a few days, and if the bird would give him suchgreat happiness they might be able to break a rule in his case.
"So the bird was sent for, and instead of dying the little boy began togrow better each day, and the bird's singing entertained and gavepleasure to the other patients in the ward. The bird was very tame, andwhen the little boy opened the cage door he would hop out and over thebed-quilt and perch on the little boy's hand.
"The canary made friends with every one. He was not at all afraid of thegrave doctors who came in every little while to see how the sick peoplewere getting along. Especially was he friendly with the little boy'snurse, who fed him lumps of sugar.
"I stepped inside the room and asked the little boy how long he had hadthe bird. 'Oh,' he said, 'a lady who came to visit the orphans' homegave him to me when I was ill in bed with mumps! That was six years ago,and he has been such a friend to me ever since. His name is Mumps, too,as I thought his chest looked as fat as my cheeks, and the name hasalways clung to him. He adores flowers, and whenever a patient has any,Mumps flies over and pulls off the petals and eats them.'"
"Oh," said Evelyn as daddy paused, "I wish I could have a canary!"
"Well, maybe I'll bring you one to-morrow," replied daddy.
"And I'll help you feed him," said Jack.
THE EAGLE'S PRIDE AS THE BIRD OF FREEDOM
The Eagle Was Flying Overhead.]
Of course, as you can imagine, Jack and Evelyn had been buying allsorts and all sizes of firecrackers.
"I think the Fourth of July is my favorite holiday of the wholeyear," said Jack.
"Yes," said Evelyn, "so do I, except possibly Christmas andour birthdays."
"I suppose," said daddy, "that you two children will be up bright andearly to-morrow morning, and I have my very great suspicions that yourclothes are all ready to be put on in the morning instead of having towaste any time in thinking what you will wear.
"I hardly think I had better tell a story to-night," said daddy, "foryou two ought to get some sleep. I am afraid by the time I finish youmay suggest that instead of it being the time for going to bed it is thetime for getting up."
"Oh, no," said both the children. "Please tell us a little story."
"Yes," said daddy, "I don't believe I can let a single night go bywithout a story, not even the Fourth of July eve.
"Well, once upon a time--"
"Daddy," chimed in Jack, "I never heard you begin a story that waybefore."
"You see, this is a special occasion, so I am allowed these favors.
"But, to continue, there was once a great big eagle who was flyingoverhead on the Fourth of July, and when he saw all the firecrackersgoing off and heard all the noise and saw the parade with the flagsflying and the band playing, he said:
"'To think that I belong to the family that is taken as therepresentative of all that. I mean freedom and liberty and all thosewonderful things. My great-great-grandfathers may not have fought forfreedom as the great-great-grandfathers of the little boys and girlswho are to-day firing off firecrackers did, but they flew overhead andsaid to the winds, which whispered it to the soldiers:
"'"The eagles are free--you must be free." And the soldiers whisperedback to the winds:
"'"Yes, as the eagles are free in the air above, so will we be free onthis land below."'
"So, no wonder the eagle is more than proud of being the bird of freedomand the emblem of the United States."
WHAT THE BIRDS THOUGHT OF THE FOURTH OF JULY
They Fired Them Off Quickly.]
It was the day after the Fourth of July, and daddy told the childrenthat he must surely tell them about the little birds and what theythought of the wonderful Independence Day.
"Didn't they like it?" asked Evelyn.
"No," said daddy. "They were not so very happy yesterday, but I willtell you all about it, for it is quite a long story.
"You see, some of the older birds knew what the Fourth of July meant.They thought it was splendid to belong to such a fine, free countryduring all the other days of the year, but on the Fourth of July theydid not feel so patriotic. They would have liked it very much if all thelittle boys and girls had sung songs, but the noise of the firecrackersthey thought was most disturbing.
"There were no places where they could go that they didn't find childrenwith firecrackers. Even in front of the farm-houses the children seemedto have firecrackers enough to last them for years.
"The old birds decided that if they went way off in the woods for theday they might get away from all the noise, so they planned to startbefore dawn. They went, but at the first place they thought of stoppingand giving a nice little bird concert, they found a picnic party ofchildren. They waited for a moment until the children unpacked theirbaskets. But the goodies were not nearly so numerous as thefirecrackers.
"So the birds moved on again, and again they found a picnic party andwere at a loss what to do.
"The old birds were grumbling and making every one around feel just as'grumbly' as they were, when a little song sparrow, who had been keepingvery quiet during all the fuss, said:
"'Now, look here, I think it is pretty mean of us to grumble while allthe little boys and girls are having such a good time. It is right forthem to be patriotic, and we should not grumble about the noise theymake one day in the year, when we are singing fit to burst our throatsevery morning just at sunrise. Besides, we should be more appreciative,for we love this free air, and we should feel proud that we can flyabout and enjoy it. And, above everything else, think of the times inthe spring when those little girls and boys threw crumbs to us when itwas chilly, and how often in the hot days of summer we find littledrinking-tins in the trees filled with cool water.'
"And all the birds suddenly thought how perfectly right the song sparrowwas, and they gave their concert, pretending that the big cannoncrackers were huge chords of music accompanying their solos andchoruses."
MR. NIGHTINGALE'S NEW FRIEND MR. BLACKBIRD
"Nice old lady will hear our voices."]
"I heard a story the other day," said daddy, "a quite true story. Mr.Nightingale had built too large a nest.
"After a while he thought of a visitor he would like to have all thetime, and off he started on his travels.
"As he went along, flying as fast as he could, he kept thinking tohimself how very lonely he had been of late.
"At last he reached the spot he had chosen for resting. It was in ablackbird's bay. There were many low bushes and shrubs and berry treesin this bay, and in the marshy water were quantities of pond-lilies.
"Soon a very fine bird--black as black could be, and very shiny, just asif he'd polished his wings with shoe-blacking--perched on a bush besidethe one where Mr. Nightingale was resting.
"'Did you come to hear us sing or talk or scream?' asked the blackbird.
"Mr. Nightingale sang a little opening song and then began to talkto the blackbird.
"'Mr. Blackbird,' he said, 'you're a handsome fellow, and you're verysmart. I've heard a secret about your family. Many have done what youwill do. You must try. That's all.' And again Mr. Nightingale sang asong.
"'What do you mean, Mr. Nightingale? Your s
ong is lovely, but your talkis very, very queer.' And Mr. Blackbird shook his head sadly.
"'Well, I mean you to come to my nest. It's too big for me. It's fittedout perfectly--all the latest improvements--fresh water to drinksupplied by my water man, Mr. Showers, and new worms each day mychildren bring to my nest in plenty of time for breakfast--and our roomsare both shady and sunny. In fact, it's a very superior home. But inthe house nearby lives a dear old lady and I want her to be given atreat. She has gone away on a visit and when she comes back I want youto be singing duets with me.'
"'What?' shouted the blackbird. 'I'm to sing with you?'
"'Most certainly. Many blackbirds have copied our voices so that youwouldn't be able to tell us apart if you couldn't see us. The nice oldlady will hear our voices and think that there are two of me! When shesees that one is you, she'll think you're a smart bird--that's whatshe'll think. Besides, I want a companion and I like you.'
"'Well, I never heard so many reasons in all my life,' said theblackbird. 'But I'll go just as soon as I get my suitcase packed. Thereare several little delicacies from the bay I'd like to bring along.' AndMr. Blackbird stopped to put some red berries and other goodies in hisstraw bag. Then off they went, and Mr. Blackbird really did learn tosing just like Mr. Nightingale."