Robin Redbreast's home

Front matter

FT MEADE GenCo11

BY CLARA J. DENTON

AV.X

BOOK ONE Pointed It at My Father. 15

They Eat Our Eggs Whenever They Can Get Them. 19

Just at This Moment a Beautiful Bluejay Called Out. 21

Good People Have Put Up a Wren’s House. 27

As Soon as the Sun Comes Out It All Will Melt Away. 29

At Last She Saw Some Horses Feeding in a Meadow. 41

The Cowbird Never Builds a Nest. 47

Mr. and Mrs. Oriole. 53

The Red-Breasted Grosbeak—You Will Find That Bathing Place... 61 Up the Tree in Which Mrs. Wren’s House Was Perched. 74

A Handsome Red-Winged Blackbird Lit on the Limb Near Mrs. Robin . 91

His Name Is Kingfisher. 9 7

A Large Bird Which Was Circling About.Ill

FULL PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS

Book Two

Mr. Robin was a Proud and Happy Husband... 8

There Was a Humming Bird Caught in a Big, Thick Spider Web.... 23

You Should See the Blackbirds Going to Roost... 33

Said Mr. Robin, That Was a Blue Heron.. 47

The Pet Crow Steals Bright Things Out of the House. 55

Mrs. Oriole Makes Her Nest Like a Deep Cup Hung From the Limb.. 61

He’s Been Calling That Way Since Dawn. 81

For That Is His True Name, Catbird. 87

The Other Mocking Birds of Which You Speak. 91

Book One I

“That may be true ” said Mrs. Robin

We were such hungry little beggars

WHAT THE BLUEJAY SAW

4 4 T "Y 7 HAT DO you think of this place?”

VV asked Mr. Robin as he warbled the last notes of his merry morning song.

“ 0 , this is just right,” twittered Mrs. Robin.

“Just right?” repeated her happy husband, “I hope you may always feel that way about it and not wish you were somewhere else after the nest is built and the eggs are laid.”

“Indeed, I never will,” the good little wife went on, “because this orchard, standing on top of a hill, as it does, gives us a fine view of the rest of the world.”

Mr. Robin’s plans were more sensible, how¬ ever, and he replied with an extra twitch or two of his brown tail, “I don’t care whether I look at the whole world or not, but I am glad that there is a fine garden on the other side of the orchard fence, and later when we are busy, it will be much better not to have to fly half around the farm in order to find a place where slugs are plentiful. This orchard is so close to the garden that it is just the right kind of place for birds and there should be a great many here this summer.

WHAT THE BLUEJAY SAW

Mrs. Robin was standing on the very top¬ most limb of the apple tree which her hus¬ band had chosen as their home and she heard, without thinking about it, the happy talk about the near-by garden. She was enjoying to the full the privilege over which she had been so happy, “looking down on the rest of the world.”

“I think,” she began when Robin’s voice ceased, “there is something familiar about this place. I really believe it is the very spot where I was hatched last summer. Yes, yes, I am certain of it, for there is the same house where the people lived who used to drive the cats and other cruel creatures away when my brothers and I were learning - to fly. I can¬ not be mistaken for the house stood on a hill overlooking a beautiful little lake, just as that one does. The people used to sit on the porch and watch the boats on the water. 0, but I’m glad we came here.”

“Well, even if it is the same house and porch and water, the same people may not live there,” said the wise Robin who knew much more about humans than did his younger wife. “People don’t always stay right on in the same nest year after year any more than birds do. So it may be that there are mean people living there now who will try to drive us away for fear we will get a cherry or a berry now and then.”

WHAT THE BLUEJAY SAW

“Just as if we haven’t a right to their many cherries and berries,” chirped his wife angrily, “I wonder how much fruit they’d have anyway if we birds didn’t act as police¬ men and destroy the thieving creatures who are always busy around their trees and vines.”

“Of course, of course,” scolded Mr. Robin, “but you see many humans don’t know that, they think everything belongs to them, even the air, the sunshine and the rain.”

“What ignorant creatures they must be,” said Mrs. Robin.

“So they are, so they are, my dear, the most ignorant creatures ever made and yet they think themselves the wisest. They think they know everything, and yet, really it is so strange, there are more things they don’t know than there are things they do know.”

“That may all be true,” said Mrs. Robin cocking her head wisely, “but at the same time they are bigger and stronger than we are and I’ve heard that they can hurt us very easily.”

“Indeed they can, my dear little wife, and I, for one, have learned that they are good creatures to keep away from. Isn’t it queer that big beings like they are should care to trouble helpless little creatures like us? The summer that I was hatched a man took one of those long black things they love to carry around with them, and of which I have been afraid ever since, pointed it at my father un¬ til it made a great noise, and then poor father fell down dead. As we were very little birds mother had a hard time bringing us up. I can never forget how she worked, we were such hungry little beggars and one of us, smaller and weaker than the others, didn’t push up in front and get his full share of worms, so that he finally died, poor birdlet.”*

“What a sad story,” said his kind hearted wife, “but all humans are not like that bad man, remember. Those who lived here last year were not, and if they are still in that house we’ll be sure to have a happy summer. I heard mother tell how kind and thoughtful they were to her and our father when they first set up housekeeping, and I well remem¬ ber one day when I was just learning to fly one of those big things they call a squirrel, came running at me. I shut my eyes, and thought I was just as good as caught, but one of the little humans, mother called him a boy, threw a stick at the squirrel and drove him away.”

“A boy, indeed!” chirped Mr. Robin, “I

WHAT THE BLUEJAY SAW know what they are, they steal your eggs and catch you if they get a chance."

“It must be then that boys are not all alike,” returned Mrs. Robin, “for this one certainly saved me from that mean squirrel. I should not have lived to tell the tale if it hadn’t been for that good boy.”

“0, you had all your fright for nothing,” said Mr. Robin, “the squirrel wouldn’t have hurt you anyway, they eat our eggs when¬ ever they can get them, but I have never known one to eat a bird.”

“But,” objected Mrs. Robin, “they have strong teeth with which they break open hard nuts, so I don’t see why they can’t eat tender young birds.”

“Perhaps they can, but I’m very sure they don’t,” said Mr. Robin in his most positive manner.

Just at this moment a beautiful Blue Jay, that had been perched for several minutes on the next apple tree, called out in his loudest tones:

“0, brother Robin, you know very little about the red squirrels, if you are saying what you really believe.”

“I never say anything else,” returned Robin, rather crossly.

“Then you have not seen much of squir¬ rels,” the Jay went on good-naturedly, “last summer a bold, impudent, red squirrel came to our home when our little ones were only a day old and carried off the biggest fattest nestling of the lot.”

“You surprise me,” exclaimed the Robin, “but tell me did you see him really eat the little bird?”

“Well, hardly,” retorted the Blue jay jump-

► «j« **+ ♦*« **** ♦*• +*+ ♦*» »*« ♦*■♦ ♦*■» **« «j» +*■• **■* **<• ♦*♦ **♦ ♦** ♦*♦ **♦ »*« ♦*« »*« »*« ♦** »*« ♦*< ing around in excitement, “not only my mate] and I rushed at him, but our cries brought to us all the Bluejays and other birds in that part of the wood. Then some humans rushed out of a big white rag house they live in—”

“0 yes, a tent,” interrupted Mr. Robin.

“I don’t know what they called it, but I sup-| pose you know as you are around among them so much and are older than I am, but anyway, we all made such a fuss, birds and humans together, and the humans threw sticks and stones at the Squirrel, that by and by he dropped the bird and ran off where we couldn’t find him.”

“What became of the poor baby?” asked Mrs. Robin.

“0, it was quite dead from the fall.” re¬ turned the Jay, “so don’t ever tell anyone again that squirrels will not bother young

SIS

Just at this moment a beautiful Blue jay called out birds, because this is the truth that I am tell¬ ing 1 you.” < x >

“So, you see, dear Robin,” said his wife lov¬ ingly, “I would not have been with you here this morning, if it had not been for that dear little boy.”

“I wish I knew where he is, Fd sing a song to him to pay him for saving you for me,” chirped Mr. Robin.

His little wife, however, only half heard his remark, as she was looking fixedly toward the house on the hill.

The chipping Sparrow

TI THEN THE Bluejay had received the * * thanks of Mr. Robin for his informa¬ tion about the squirrel he flew away and the Robin then turned his attention to his little wife. She spoke out eagerly:

“0, yes, Robin dear, the same people are in that house, I am sure. Do you see those long white threads hanging from the porch? I have heard my mother say that the people used to put threads out for the birds to work into their nests. How good it is that we have come early this year and so have found this tree close to the house before some other birds had settled on it.

“Yes, but don’t you think it would be a good plan for you to get to work on the nest be¬ fore some other birds come along and start a nest in the very spot we have selected? There isn’t a thing here to show that we have chosen this place and I must say, we are not the only Robins in the world that prefer the forks of an apple tree to any other place for a home.”

“You are right as usual, dear Robin, so I’ll be off,” and away she flew to find some sticks as a foundation for the new home.

In a very few moments Mrs. Robin re¬ turned with several good sized sticks in her bill. As she was putting them carefully in place Robin asked in surprise:

“How did you find all those sticks so quickly?”

“I had the good luck to come upon a big heap of them,” she answered. “Those good people have put up a Wren’s house and have made the opening so small that only a Wren can get through it. Nearly all of the sticks the Wrens bring cannot be pushed through the opening. They work with them a long time, then they get discouraged and drop them on the ground and that is where I found them. I am so glad because they will make my work much easier.”*

“All right,” said Mr. Robin, “I am glad to hear it, I know where that Wren’s house is, for the little fellow sings all the time and you could not miss his home if you should try.”

The work on the nest went on rapidly and when the Robins tucked their heads under their wings that night, the nest was far enough along to prevent any other bird from choosing the forks in that apple tree.

When the Robins awoke at dawn they were a very surprised pair, for they found the whole world white.

“0, 0, 0!” twittered Mrs. Robin in great surprise, “what has happened to every¬ thing?”

“Why, my dear,” said the older and wiser husband, “don’t you know what that is? Have you never seen snow before?”

“No indeed,” was the answer, “so that is snow! Of course IVe heard about it from my mother, but I was hatched too late last year to see any. What are we to do with every¬ thing- covered up in this way? We shall starve to death, I am sure, and of course I cannot finish the nest, what a strange, strange state we are in,” and the frightened little creature almost fell off from the limb in her anxiety.

“There, there, my dear, don’t worry,” con¬ soled Mr. Robin, “the snow will not stay long. As soon as that great warmer, the sun, comes out it will all disappear.”

“Are you sure?” asked Mrs. Robin doubt¬ fully, “how can it be? What has the sun to do with it anyway?”

As soon as the sun comes out it all will melt away mm

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“I cannot explain it to you, I only know that it is so.”

“Have you ever seen it do that way?”

“0 yes, indeed, last year we had a very late spring, the snow came two or three times, but as soon as the sun came out it all went away.”

“But where did it go?”

“That is a question that I cannot answer, my dear, I only know that it vanished.”

“But I am hungry and there isn’t a thing to eat in sight, every bug and worm is cov¬ ered up.”

“We will fly down to the back door of the house, if those people are as good as you think they are they must have thrown some¬ thing out for us to eat.”

With these words Mr. Robin flew away, and his little wife thought it wise to follow him.

The first thing they saw when they lit on the ground near the door was a big square piece of pie crust; the filling had been scooped out, and the crust, which by some ac¬ cident had been only half baked had been thrown out on the ground. The Robins at once jumped upon the big crust and began their breakfast.

“I believe I’d rather have a good fat slug,” said Mr. Robin, as he swallowed a big beak¬ ful of the soft stuff, “but then this is a great deal better than no breakfast at all.”

“Why of course it is,” chirped Mrs. Robin softly, “and I think we ought to love these good people for all their kindness to us.”

Mr. Robin, however, had no time to' discuss the goodness of anyone, he was too busy filling up his empty crop. They were rapidly making away with the big pie-crust, when down in front of them dropped a pair of Wrens.

“Bad morning for birds,” said Mrs. Jennie Wren as she and her merry husband added their bills to the inroad of the pie-crust.

“So it is,” returned Mr. Robin, “but this makes a very fair breakfast on a snowy morning, and I’m sure there’s enough here for all of us.”

“I hope so,” said Mr. Wren, “for although I am very hungry, I don’t like to feel that I am robbing anyone.”

At that moment they heard the shrill call of the Bluejay as he lit on the roof of the shed near which their breakfast was spread.

“I wonder if he is coming too,” asked Mrs. Robin.

“He is calling his mate,” said Jennie Wren, “he is a very polite fellow and will not eat without her.”*

“I have heard very bad stories about him,” said Mr. Robin, “that he steals eggs and I have always been a little afraid of him.”

“He surely is a fine bird to look at,” said Mrs. Robin pausing in her meal and turning her head to get a good look at his beautiful color.

“There, there,” chirped Mr. Robin, “never you mind his good looks.”

“But,” said Mrs. Robin, “what can be any prettier than waiting for his mate before he goes to breakfast, and I dare say he is just as hungry as you were when you flew off without waiting to see whether I was coming or not.”

Just what Mr. Robin would have said in re¬ ply is not known, for at this moment the two Bluejays flew down to enjoy the pie-crust.

“I hope there is room for us,” said the Jay politely, as he took a dainty nibble of the pie¬ crust and immediately fed it to his waiting wife. (2)

“0 yes,” said the Robin good naturedly, “my wife and I were the first ones to find this breakfast table, but we have had nearly enough, so we will leave you soon.”

Just then a hungry little Chipping Sparrow appeared among the birds.

“Well, well,” chirped the Robin loudly, “two Wrens, two Bluejays, two Robins, and one Sparrow, but see the sun is shining now, the snow will soon be gone, so I think I can bear it until I find a worm.”

“So can I,” said Mrs. Robin, and away they flew together.

The other birds, however, were still too hungry to leave the queer feast, so they stayed and ate until there was not a crumb of the soft pie crust left. (1)

1% /T R. ROBIN proved a true prophet, in less than an hour after the pie-crust breakfast was over, not a trace of the snow remained except in the deep woods or in some sheltered corners of the orchard. The birds were as happy as creatures could be. The Robin sang with all his might, the Wren war-

Could be heard the plaintive “Et-se-wee-ah” of the Meadow Lark bled as if his little body would burst, the Bluejay called his loudest, the little chipping spar¬ row added his feeble trill, while in the wide meadow beyond the orchard could be heard the plaintive “et-se-dee-ah” of the meadow lark.

The nest-building went on swiftly while Mr. Robin sang his best. His wife knew that there was no time to lose, the nest must be ready for the eggs which she must lay before she could begin her long time of patient waiting.

“I think,” she said, one morning as she stood looking her nest over, “there should be a strong firm horse-hair twisted about the edge of the nest. I wish I knew just where to find one.”

“That’s not so easy,” said Mr. Robin, “but if you cannot find one you may find some string that will do.”

“Very well,” said his wife, “But anyhow I’m going off to find a horse hair if I possibly can.”

She flew out of the orchard and past the barn for the people who lived in the house on the hill did not keep horses. Her bright eyes were looking, looking everywhere but not a horse hair could she see. At last she saw some horses feeding in a meadow far away and saying to herself, “I can surely find one there,” away she went on hopeful wings.

The horses were gathered in a fence corner near some tall blackberry bushes, and little Mrs. Robin was pretty sure there would be some hairs caught in these briery bushes. Her bright eyes soon spied a long white string hanging from one of the higher twigs. “If I can’t get a horse hair, this string is the next best thing,” she said to herself.

She flew to the bush, caught the end of the string in her bill, looped it up and pulled on it with all her might, but the wind had twisted the string around and around the twig so that all the bird’s strength could not loosen it. Then she did a very wise thing 1 , she threw herself off the limb, thus bringing all the weight of her plump little body on the string.* It broke in two and she flew away as happy a little bird as you ever saw. Mr. Robin flew to meet her when she came near the nest and he broke into a happy song as soon as they came to the home tree. Mrs. Robin could not sing as did her gay husband but she was quite as happy because she had found exactly what she wanted.

“Do you know” she said as she stood on the edge of the nest a moment before beginning the work of twisting the string into place, “I flew clear through the orchard, and it is just full of birds, I didn’t know there were so

At last she saw some horses feeding in a meadow many birds in the world. I wonder why they all seem to flock to this orchard, I should think they would rather be in the deep woods.”

“Then why aren’t we in the deep woods, too, if that is the best place for birds?” asked her husband.

“Why, I don’t know I am sure,” answered his good wife dropping her head in a thoughtful manner, “I never thought about it in that way. I supposed that we came here near a house, because we were hatched in that kind of a place. I know that I was hatched in this very tree as I have told you before, and I suppose you were hatched in a tree near some other house, so that is why you like this kind of a place.”

“There is a deeper reason than that, my dear,” said Mr. Robin wisely. “Very few birds go to the deep woods, for the simple reason that there is very little food for them there. They follow around where humans work the soil, stir it up with the plough and plant the seeds in it. Then the insects come and the birds depend on them for food. It is the same way with fruit, men plant the fruit trees, then the insects come to live in the branches and they make good fat living for the birds. If it were not for us there wouldn’t be trees or in fact green things of any kind, for the insects would soon have them all killed, so that is the reason why birds flock around where humans live, instead of wandering off in the deep woods where the ground is never stirred up for planting - , and so of course in¬ sects are scarce. When you think of the hun¬ gry bills we shall soon have to fill you will see we could not stay in a place of that kind.”

“Well, well,” said Mrs. Robin, “how very very wise you are dear Robin, I had never thought about all that before.”

Just at this moment there was a great com¬ motion in the trees near by for all the birds seemed chirping at once. Mrs. Robin paused in her work of weaving in the string to won¬ der what was going on, and her husband tell¬ ing her that he would go and find out for her, since she could not leave her work, flew off out of sight.

“Of course he doesn’t care what is the mat¬ ter, he is going just for me, he hasn’t any curiosity himself. 0 no,” she said to herself, with a funny little twitter which was her only way of laughing.

It must be confessed that the busy wife would have gone off among the other birds if she had not known that the nest must be finished. She worked the string into the edge of the nest and when that task was finished she jumped into the nest and with her soft breast pressed it into a perfect shape. Then she climbed out and standing on the edge looked down into it chirping softly to herself as if she were saying, “It is all right now, nothing can make it any bet¬ ter.” .

At this moment she heard the whirr of Mr. Robin’s wings close beside her. He chirped away in a scolding tone for a few moments, while his wife in her softest tones tried to quiet him. At last he stopped his scolding and gave his tail an angry fling.

“What in the world have they been doing to you, Robin?” she asked.

“Nothing, nothing at all,” was his answer, “when I came where they were I heard the Bluejays scolding about a big Cow-bird who had gone into a bush where the Chipping Sparrow has its nest.”

“Well, what harm could they do?” asked his wife. “Isn’t a big bush strong enough for two nests?”

“Yes, but you see, the Cow-bird never builds a nest. She is a lazy creature who lays her eggs in the nests of other birds.”

“0, dear, 0 dear, what a dreadful thing’!”

“Didn’t you ever hear of that before?” asked the husband wisely.

“No indeed,” was the answer, “I didn’t know there was such a bird.”

“0, my dear little wife, how true it is that you have much yet to learn.”

“Well,” retorted Mrs. Robin a little crossly, “I don’t know that I am in any great hurry to learn about birds who steal into other bird’s nests and lay their eggs there, but why were the birds all making such a fuss? I was afraid they were hurting you.”

“0, no,” exclaimed the proud fellow perk¬ ing his head high in the air, “no birds ever bother me, not even the English Sparrow, al¬ though they do make themselves very disagreeable to many birds, but I have learned to fight them so they let me alone.”

“But what was all the noise about?”

“0, some of us were just scolding over things in general. Of course I had to listen to the Bluejays’ story about the Cow-bird, and some other birds came along and we had a great time gossiping over all the wrongs done in the bird world by Cow-birds and others. One little Yellow bird told such a queer story about a Cow-bird dropping an egg into her nest. She built her nest over it so that the Cow-bird’s egg was out of sight, then along came the Cow-bird and dropped in another egg and then she built over it again, so that she had a three storied nest, and then the Cow-bird let the nest alone.”

“But what did you do to plan things right.”

“0, nothing, how could we?”

“Why didn’t you go into the bush and drive the Cow-bird away?”

“0, we couldn’t do that, the bird who owned the nest should have stayed at home and watched it just as I have been watching our home here for the last three or four days.”

“Well, then if you couldn’t do any thing to keep the Cow-bird from his bad tricks, I don’t see why you wasted your time scolding about it. You might better have been here helping me twist this string into the new nest.”

“I am sure you didn’t need any help,” he answered in his most flattering tones, “I never saw anything more beautiful than this nest. It is wonderful indeed, especially since it is the first one you have ever built.”

“I am glad it pleases you,” said Mrs. Robin proudly, “although it cannot compare with the one Mrs. Oriole is hanging from the elm tree near the house, nor with the one the little Vireo is building here in our own orchard. They are the most beautiful things I ever saw and I know I can never equal either one of them if I should build a hundred nests.”

“Of course not,” said her husband tenderly, “because you are a Robin and neither an Oriole nor a Vireo.”

“Well, I have done my best, and I am glad you are satisfied, I am sure it is not done any too early. I shall sleep in the nest tonight, and in the morning I think there will be an egg in the nest.”

“And it will not be laid by a Cow-bird either,” said the happy husband.

“What will the Chipping Sparrow do with the Cow-bird’s egg, will she put it out of the nest?” asked the wife anxiously.

“No,” was the reply, “it is too big for that. If she has no eggs of her own in the nest she will perhaps build her nest over it, if she has her own eggs already there she will just go on sitting and hatch out the Cow-bird’s egg with her own.”

“I do think that is the strangest thing I ever heard of, but perhaps the Chipping bird will learn after this to stay with her nest when it is built.”

“Well, maybe so, but then you know, there are some creatures who never learn, and I have heard it said that there are some humans like that, they just go right on all their lives making the same mistakes over and over, so it isn’t so strange in a foolish lit¬ tle bird like the Chipping Sparrow,” he added wisely.