United States or American Samoa ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !


The song of the bobolink to me expresses hilarity; the song sparrow's, faith; the bluebird's, love; the catbird's, pride; the white-eyed flycatcher's, self-consciousness; that of the hermit thrush spiritual serenity: while there is something military in the call of the robin.

"Dear friends," he said, "dear friends ..." And then, "Lord God," he prayed abruptly, "show me what is that in my hand thy tool where I had looked for my sword!" "I donno," Calliope said, as, on her return, we talked about Ellen Ember, "I guess I kind o' believe in craziness." Calliope's laugh often made me think of a bluebird's note, which is to say, of the laughter of a child.

When I had found a bluebird's nest in the cavity of a stump or a tree, I used to try to capture the mother bird by approaching silently and clapping my hand over the hole; in this I sometimes succeeded, though, of course, I never harmed the bird. I used to capture song sparrows in a similar way, by clapping my hat over the nest in the side of the bank along the road.

Can you suppose it was any sense of honesty that prevented her using the bluebird's nest after having stolen her house? No, Jenny Wren had no principle. You would have laughed to see how scornfully she tossed out those dead leaves. Every thing went out of the nest pell-mell. The little monster! what could the poor bluebirds say or do?

When this number was suddenly reduced the chances to make a bluebird's living were so wondrously multiplied that young bluebirds had such an opportunity in life as their fellows had not had for many long years. Accordingly they thrived as never before, and, of their progeny, a larger proportion lived to the following year. It was only a few years before the number of bluebirds had risen.

But this Woodpecker has the red of the head much brighter than a Bluebird's breast, and shows purer white as he flies, in large spaces on his back and wings; though his blue is not so bright it is what we call blue-black, very dark and glossy, like polished steel." "Do they stay around all the year?" asked Nat. "Some of them do, but not many.

She's ag'in' me; they're all ag'in' me. I reckon I've jes got to go. Somehow, I've been kinder hopin' " He closed his lips to check the groan that rose to them, and turned again into the gloom behind him. JUNE came. The wild rose swayed above its image along every little shadowed stream, and the scent of wild grapes was sweet in the air and as vagrant as a bluebird's note in autumn.

This bird evidently had no conscience, at least not a good one, that is plain. Never did general rejoice more over the capture and destruction of a city than this little bit of a bird rejoiced over the destruction of the bluebird's nest, and at the unlawful possession of the house.

Yet the bluebird's note is more pleasing than most bird- songs; if it could be reproduced in color, it would be the hue of the purest sky. Longfellow makes the swallow sing: "The darting swallows soar and sing;" which would leave him no room to describe the lark, if the lark had been about. Bryant comes nearer the mark this time:

"Well anyhow you like to fix it," said Earl, "eggs or calf's blood I won't quarrel with you about the eggs, though I never heerd o' blue ones afore, 'cept the robin's and bluebird's and I've heerd say the swamp black bird lays a handsome blue egg, but I never happened to see the nest myself; and there's the chippin' sparrow, but you'd want to rob all the birds' nests in creation to get enough of 'em, and they ain't here in sugar time, nother; but anyhow any eggs'll do I s'pose if you can get 'em or milk'll do if you ha'n't nothin' else and after it is turned out into the barrel you just let it stand still a spell till it begins to grain and look clean on top"