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1. To show that the goose has a great deal of good sense, this story is told:
2. At a small country church a poor blind woman used to come in every Sunday morning, as regular as the clock, a minute or two behind the pastor.
3. She was always alone, came in the last and went away the first of any. The pastor, who was a new-comer, was puzzled to know how she got about so well.
4. One day he set out to visit her, and found that she lived in a small cottage, more than a mile away.
5. On his way to her home, he crossed a stream on a narrow rustic bridge, with a railing on only one side.
6. He rapped at the door, and asked of thewoman who opened it, "Does the blind woman who comes to church every Sunday live here?" "Yes, that she does! but she's out in the field now."
7. "Why do you let the poor creature come all the way by herself, and across the bridge, too? She will fall into the water some day and be drowned!"
8. The woman laughed softly. "Sure, she doesn't go alone—the goose takes her!" said she.
9. "What do you mean by the goose taking her?" said the pastor.
10. "Sure," said the woman, "it is the goose whose life she saved when it was a little gosling. And now it comes every Sunday at the same minute to take her to church.
11. "It gets her skirt into its mouth, and leads her along quite safely. When it comes to the bridge it puts her next the rail, and keeps between her and the water.
12. "It stays about the church-door till the service is out, and then it takes her by the gown and brings her home just the same."
13. The pastor was greatly pleased with this story, and soon after he preached a sermon on kindness to animals.
turkey gobbler
1. The turkey is about as large as a goose, but its legs are longer, and it stands up higher. Its feet are partly webbed, so that it can swim a little.
2. Its bill is short, thick, and pointed, and upon its head, above and between the eyes, grows a fleshy wattle, which does not stand up like thecomb of a cock, but hangs down over the bill. Upon the breast is a tuft of long, coarse hair.
turkeys and eagle
3. The tail is broad and rounded, and hangs downward; but the turkey can raise it and spread it out like a fan.
4. The turkey can fly but a little way, but it can run very fast. At night, it roosts on trees or high places.
5. The hen-turkey is timid, but the old gobbler rather likes to quarrel. He is a vain bird, and it is funny to see him strut up and down, with his tail spread out, and his wings drawn down, his feathers ruffled, and his neck drawn back, and to hear him puff, and cry, "Gobble! gobble!"
6. Great flocks of wild turkeys are found in the West, where they live in the woods upon nuts and insects. The eagles sometimes pounce down and carry off young turkeys, as is shown in this picture.
swan
1. Here we have the picture of the swan, the largest bird of the goose kind. It is not often seen in this country, but is found in the Central Park, New York, and in a few other places.
2. It has short, stout legs, and webbed feet,like the duck, and it waddles along on the land in a slow and awkward way. It is clothed with feathers of a fine quality, like the goose, and those we see in this country are pure white. Black swans are found in some countries.
3. Its neck is much longer than that of the goose, and when it swims, sitting high in the water, with its long neck arched, it is one of the most graceful birds in the world. It has strong wings, and wild swans can fly a long distance without tiring. Tame swans do not fly far.
4. The bill of the swan is broad, and pointed like that of the goose, but a little longer. Below the eyes, and at the base of the bill, a narrow band of black extends across the front of the head.
5. The swans run in pairs. The mother swan lays from five to eight eggs, and hatches them in six weeks. The young swans are called cygnets. They are covered with down, and are able to walk and swim when first out of the shell.
6. The father swan watches the nest, and helps take care of the young ones. He will fly at anything that comes near, and he is able to strike terrible blows with his wings. He can drive away any bird, even the eagle.
7. Swans usually build nests of a few coarsesticks, and a lining of grass or straw. They have a curious habit, however, of raising their nests higher, and of raising the eggs at the same time.
8. At times they seem to know that some danger threatens them, and then they turn their instinct for raising their nests to some purpose. A person who observed all the facts tells this story:
9. For many years an old swan had built her nest on the border of a park, by the river-side. From time to time she had raised her nest, but never more than a few inches.
10. Once, when there had been no rain for a long time, and the river was very low, she began to gather sticks and grasses to raise her nest, and she would scarcely stop long enough to eat.
11. She seemed so anxious to get materials for nest-building that she attracted the attention of the family living near by, and a load of straw was carried to her. This she worked all into her nest, and never stopped until the eggs had been raised two and a half feet.
12. In the night a heavy rain fell, the river flowed over its banks, and the water came over the spot where the eggs had been; but it did not quite come up to the top of the new nest, and so the swan saved them.
the bath
1. Everybody likes the dove; it is such a pretty bird, and is always so clean. It flies all about the yard, the garden, and the street. Even the rudest boys do not often disturb it.
2. It is about the size of a half-grown chicken, and looks more like a chicken than any of the other birds we have studied.
3. The doves about our houses are usually white, or a bluish gray. They live in pairs, each pair having its own nest, or home; but wheredoves are kept, many pairs live in the same house or dove-cote.
4. They have a short, pointed bill, like a chicken, and strong legs and toes, so that they can walk and scratch easily.
the dove
5. The mother dove lays but two eggs before sitting, and then her mate sits on the nest half of the time until the eggs are hatched. The young doves, called squabs, are covered with down like chickens, but, unlike chickens, the old ones must feed them a week or two before they are able to go about by themselves.
6. Both the father and mother dove feed the young ones with a kind of milky curd which comes from their own crops.
7. When the chicken drinks, it sips its bill full,and then raises its head and swallows; but the dove does not raise its head until it has drank enough.
8. The pigeon—which is another name for the dove—has very strong wings, and can fly far and fast without tiring. When taken from their home a great distance, pigeons will fly straight back.
9. Before we had railroads and telegraphs, people would take pigeons away from home, and send them back with a letter tied under their wings. These were called carrier-pigeons.
10. The doves in each home are very fond of each other. We can hear the father dove softly cooing to his mate at almost any time when they are about.
11. One day a farmer shot a male dove, and tied the body to a stake to scare away other birds. The poor widow was in great distress. She first tried to call him away, and then she brought him food. When she saw he did not eat, her cries were pitiable.
12. She would not leave the body, but day after day she continued to walk about the stake, until she had worn a beaten track around it. The farmer's wife took pity on her, and took away the dead bird, and then she went back to the dove-cote.
Three little doves put on their gloves,And then sat down to dine;These little doves, they soiled their gloves,And soon were heard to whine—"Oh, mother dear, come here, come here,For we have soiled our gloves!""Soiled your gloves, you naughty doves,You shan't sit up till nine.""Coo, coo, coo!"These little doves, they washed their gloves,And hung them on the line;These little doves, they dried their gloves,And thought it very fine."Oh, mother dear, come here, come here,For we have washed our gloves!""Washed your gloves, you loves of doves,Then you shall stay till nine!""Coo, coo, coo!"
Three little doves put on their gloves,And then sat down to dine;These little doves, they soiled their gloves,And soon were heard to whine—"Oh, mother dear, come here, come here,For we have soiled our gloves!""Soiled your gloves, you naughty doves,You shan't sit up till nine.""Coo, coo, coo!"
These little doves, they washed their gloves,And hung them on the line;These little doves, they dried their gloves,And thought it very fine."Oh, mother dear, come here, come here,For we have washed our gloves!""Washed your gloves, you loves of doves,Then you shall stay till nine!""Coo, coo, coo!"
The Wren and her Nest
The Wren
1. One of the prettiest birds that fly about our doors in summer is the friendly little wren. It makes its home near the house, and its glad song can be heard throughout the whole day.
2. One kind of wren builds its nest under the eaves, as shown in the picture; but the common house-wren builds in almost any hole it can find in a shed or stable.
3. They have been known to choose an old boot left standing in a corner, an old hat hanging against the wall, and one time a workman, taking down a coat which he had left for two or three days, found a wren's nest in the sleeve.
4. The wren flies low, and but a little way at a time. Its legs, like most of the singing birds, are small and weak, and it does not walk, but when on the ground it goes forward by little hops.
5. It flies with a little tremor of its wings, butwithout any motion of its body or tail. While its mate is sitting, the father wren will flutter slowly through the air, singing all the time.
6. The mother wren lays from six to ten eggs, and hatches them out in ten days. The young birds are naked of feathers, and seem to have only mouths, which open for something to eat.
7. The old birds are busy in bringing the young ones worms and insects, until they are old enough to fly. In this way a single pair of wrens will destroy many hundred insects every day.
8. The wren quarrels with other birds if they try to build nests too near it. It will often take the nest of the martin or bluebird when the owner is away, and hold on to it.
9. At one time a wren was seen to go into the nest which a pair of martins had just finished. When the martins came back, it beat them off. The martins kept watch, and, when the wren was out, they went back into their box, and built up a strong door, so the wren could not get in.
10. For two days the wren tried to force its way in; but the martins held on, and went without food during that time. At last the wren gave up, and built a nest elsewhere, leaving the martins in quiet possession of their own nest.
singing thrush
1. The thrush is one of our best singing birds. It does not come near the house, like the wren, but it builds its nest in thickets and quiet places, where it is not liable to be disturbed.
2. It lives on berries and insects. It is a shy bird; but in the edge of the wood its song may be heard often during the day, becoming more frequent toward evening.
3. The mother bird lays from four to six eggs,and both father and mother sit on the eggs and take care or the young.
4. The thrush is double the size of the wren, and nearly all the kinds are brown in color, some having their wings tipped with red or yellow.
thrush
5. The brown thrush, or brown thrasher as it is sometimes called, is bold and strong, and when a cat or fox comes prowling about near its nest it flies at him so savagely that he is glad to get out of the way.
6. It is not afraid of hawks, and it has a special spite against snakes that come around to rob its nest. When it sees a snake, it flies at him with great rage, and kills him or drives him off.
7. The hermit thrush lives in the dark, thick woods, and many people think its song, which is heard in the evening twilight, is sweeter than that of any other bird.
robin red-breast
1.
"O Robin, Robin-Redbreast, O Robin, Robin dear!O Robin sings so sweetly in the falling of the year!"
"O Robin, Robin-Redbreast, O Robin, Robin dear!O Robin sings so sweetly in the falling of the year!"
So says the old song, but Robin sings just as sweetly all the summer long.
2. The robin is better known than most birds. It comes earliest in the spring, and goes away late in the fall. It builds its nest near houses, andevery day flies about the garden and yard, picking up such crumbs as may be thrown to it. It is the special favorite of children.
3. It is three times as large as the wren. Its color is a dark olive-gray above, with a red breast. Its head and throat are streaked with black and white.
robin
4. It has a pleasant, home-like little song, and its notes vary with the weather, being much more joyous on bright, warm days.
5. The English robin is about half the size of ours, but has the same gray coat, and a somewhat redder breast.
6. It lives about yards and gardens, and wakes people up in the morning with its charming little song. It does not like to have other birds, or cats, come too near its nest; and when they do, it flies at them with great rage.
7. When the robin has once built its nest itis not easily driven away. Once, a wagon loaded for a journey was left standing a few days in a yard. Under the canvas covering of this wagon a pair of robins built their nest.
8. After the wagoner started, he found the nest, with the young just hatched. The old birds went along, taking turns in brooding the young ones and in flying about for worms.
9. The wagon went a hundred miles and back, and, by the time it came back to the place of starting, the young birds were pretty well grown. You may be sure that the wagoner did not let any one disturb the birds on the route.
10. One spring a pair of thrushes were seen about the garden of a country house. One of them seemed ill, and could hardly get about. It would hop a little way, and then stop, too tired to go farther.
11. Her mate took good care of her. He got her into a safe place in a tree, brought her worms and insects, and cheered her with his music.
12. In the course of three or four days she got better; and one day, when he came with her dinner, she flew a little way to meet him, and in a short time they went off together, each singing a joyous song.
blackbird
1.TheEnglish blackbird is about the size of our robin. It is a cousin to the thrush, and sings a sweet little song.
2. It builds its nest in trees and hedges near houses, and all day long you can hear its song as it goes about busy in taking care of its family.
3. One spring, a couple of blackbirds built their nest on a tree that stood by the garden fence, near a cottage. All went well with them until the eggs were hatched, and four little birds filled the nest.
4. But the old cat had been on the watch, andhad found out where the nest was. One morning, while the mother bird was out after worms, the cat thought it a good time to make her breakfast on young birds. So she climbed to the top of the fence, and crept along on its narrow edge until she came almost in reach of the nest.
5. But Mr. Blackbird, who had been watching her for some time, with a loud cry of rage now made a dash at her and hit her square in the face.
6. The cat tried to strike him with her claw; but she had to hold on to the fence to keep from falling, and so could not spring upon him.
7. After hitting her several times, the bird lit upon her back, and struck her with his wings, and pecked her with all his might.
8. The cat tried to turn and get at him, but lost her hold and rolled off the fence. But the bird kept flying at her until she ran away. Then he perched on a rail and sang a joyous song.
9. The next day the cat came creeping along again toward the nest; but the blackbird was ready for her, and gave her another good drubbing until she again fell off the fence and ran away.
10. Afterward, the bird took to hunting the cat every time she came about, until he finally drove her entirely out of the garden.
canaries
1. Canary-birds were first found in a warm region, and they can not live out-of-doors in our country. They have lived so long in cages, and been taken care of, that now they have lost the power to get their own living, and, if turned out, would soon starve to death.
2. The canary is one of the sweetest of all the bird singers, and it is so pretty in its ways, and soclean, that it is more often made a pet than any other bird. It has a sweet song of its own, but it is easily taught to sing a great many new notes. The songs of the canary, as we hear them, are very different from its song when wild.
canary
3. A canary will often become so tame that it will fly about the room, come when called, perch on its mistress's finger, and eat out of her mouth.
4. The canary lays from four to six eggs, and hatches them in about two weeks. Both father and mother bird take care of the young.
5. In a large cage with two parts, two finches were in one end and two canaries in the other. The finches hatched out their eggs, but did not feed their young ones enough. The father canary, hearing their hungry cries, forced himself between the bars into their part of the cage, and fed them. This he did every day, till the finches were shamed into feeding the little ones themselves.
listening to the cuckooA cuckoo sat on a tree and sang,"Summer is coming, coming";And a bee crept out from the hive and beganLazily humming, humming.The frogs, from out the rushes and reeds,Into the water went splashing;And the dragon-fly, with his body of green,Through the flags went flashing, flashing.The dormouse put out her head and said,"Really the sun shines brighter";But the butterfly answered, "Not yet, not yet,"And folded his wings up tighter.But the thrush and the blackbird began to singEver sweeter and sweeter,And the grasshopper chirped, and hopped, and skippedEver fleeter and fleeter.The gnats and the chafers began to buzz;And the swallows began to chatter:"We have come from abroad with the summer at last.How lazy you are! what's the matter?"Then the dormouse said, "Summer's really here,Since the swallows are homeward coming";And the butterfly spread out his wings, and the beeWent louder and louder humming.And suddenly brighter the sun shone out,And the clouds away went sailing,And the sheep nibbled peacefully at the grass,And the cow looked over the paling.Yes, summer had come, and the cuckoo sangHis song through woodland and hollow:"The summer is come; if you don't believe me,You have only to ask the swallow."
listening to the cuckoo
A cuckoo sat on a tree and sang,"Summer is coming, coming";And a bee crept out from the hive and beganLazily humming, humming.
The frogs, from out the rushes and reeds,Into the water went splashing;And the dragon-fly, with his body of green,Through the flags went flashing, flashing.
The dormouse put out her head and said,"Really the sun shines brighter";But the butterfly answered, "Not yet, not yet,"And folded his wings up tighter.
But the thrush and the blackbird began to singEver sweeter and sweeter,And the grasshopper chirped, and hopped, and skippedEver fleeter and fleeter.
The gnats and the chafers began to buzz;And the swallows began to chatter:"We have come from abroad with the summer at last.How lazy you are! what's the matter?"
Then the dormouse said, "Summer's really here,Since the swallows are homeward coming";And the butterfly spread out his wings, and the beeWent louder and louder humming.
And suddenly brighter the sun shone out,And the clouds away went sailing,And the sheep nibbled peacefully at the grass,And the cow looked over the paling.
Yes, summer had come, and the cuckoo sangHis song through woodland and hollow:"The summer is come; if you don't believe me,You have only to ask the swallow."
parrots
1.Nextto the canary, the parrot is the pet bird of the house-hold. It is kept for its bright colors, its curious ways, and its power to talk.
2. The parrot is about the size of the dove. In color, those that we see most often are green or gray. Some parrots are of a bright red, and others are gay with bright green, red, and yellow.
3. The parrot has a thick, strong, and hooked bill. It is so strong that it can take hold ofthe branch of a tree and hold itself up, and with it it can crack the hardest nuts.
4. It came from a warm region, and must have a warm room in winter, or it will die. It lives on nuts and seeds, but when kept in the house it will sometimes eat meat.
5. The parrot learns to love its master and those that take care of it; but it is often cross to strangers, and will give them a terrible bite with its hooked bill if they come too near.
6. Like other birds, the parrot has four toes on each foot; but two of these are in front and two behind. The toes are very strong, and with them it can grasp things as we do with our hands.
head of parrot
7. With these toes it climbs easily, reaching up first one foot and then the other, and sometimes taking hold with its bill. When eating, it holds its food in its claw, biting off pieces to suit it.
8. When wild, the voice of the parrot is a loud, unpleasant scream, and it does not forget this scream in its new home. But it also learns to talk, and it may be taught to say many words as plainly as boys or girls speak.
9. Parrots can whistle, and some have been taught to sing. They need good care, which they repay by their pleasant ways and curious tricks. Some of the parrot kind are called paroquets, and some are called cockatoos.
parrot's foot
10. This curious story is told of a parrot: One day, Sarah, a little girl of eight years, had been reading about secret writing with lemon-juice.
11. Not having any lemon, she thought she would try vinegar. So, after dinner, she took a cruet, and was just pouring the vinegar into a spoon, when her parrot sang out, "I'll tell mother! Turn it out! Turn it out!"
12. The child, thinking the parrot would really tell her mother, threw down the cruet and the spoon, and ran away to the nursery as fast as her legs could carry her.
paroquets
1. A green parrot, kept in a family for a long time, became so tame that she had the free run of the house. When hungry, Polly would call out, "Look! cook! I want potato!"
2. She was very fond of potatoes, and if anything else was put in her pan she would throw it out, and scream at the top of her voice, "Won't have it! Turn it out!"
3. The children in the house were all girls, and Polly for some reason had taken a great dislike to boys. One day some boys came on a visit, and,as boys do, made a great noise. This was too much for Polly, who screamed out, "Sarah! Sarah! here's a hullaballoo!"
cockatooCockatoo
4. Polly was very fond of the mistress of the house, and was always on the lookout for her at the breakfast-table.
5. If she did not come down before the meal was begun, Polly would say, in the most piteous tone, "Where's dear mother? Is not dear mother well?"
6. Another parrot had learned to sing "Buy a Broom" just like a child. If she made a mistake, she would cry out, "O la!" burst out laughing, and begin again on another key.
7. This parrot laughed in such a hearty way that for your life you could not help joining with her, and then she would cry out, "Don't make me laugh! I shall die! I shall die!"
8. Next she will cry; and if you say, "PoorPoll, what is the matter?" she says, "So bad! so bad! Got a bad cold!" After crying some time, she grows more quiet, makes a noise like drawing a long breath, and says, "Better now," and then begins to laugh.
9. If any one vexes her, she begins to cry; if pleased, she laughs. If she hears any one cough or sneeze, she says, "What a bad cold!"
10. Here is a story which a boy tells of a parrot: "Poll was a great friend of mine, and had been in the house ever since I could remember.
11. "Offy was a pug-dog, so fat that a little way off he looked like a muff to which some one had tied a tail. I hated Offy, for he was always barking at me, and I think he knew I was afraid of him. Poll hated Offy, too, and with good reason.
12. "The pug was always sneaking round, and stealing the cake which Poll had laid aside for her supper. Poll missed her cake and was furious, but the dog licked his chops and laughed.
13. "One day Poll hid herself on the top of the cupboard and watched. Offy came as usual to steal her cake, when she pounced on his back and gave him such a drubbing that he never stole any more from her."
Birds of Prey
eagle
1. Sometimes we see a bird come sweeping down into the farm-yard and seize a chicken and fly away with it, and sometimes we see the same bird pounce down upon a robin, a wren, or a dove, and carry it off.
2. This robber is the hawk. Another robber, larger and stronger than the hawk, is the eagle, which we see on the opposite page. Let us look at them.
3. They are covered with mottled black and white feathers, which make them look gray. In some kinds of hawks, the breast is nearly white.
head of hawk
4. They have very strong wings, and can fly far and fast without being tired. The beak is short, strong, and pointed, and hooked at the end. It is made so that it can easily tear flesh from the bones of animals.
5. The claws, or talons, are strong, sharp, and hooked, and the leg above is short and strong.
6. The hawk preys upon chickens, the smaller birds, squirrels, and other small animals. The eagle will carry off hens, turkeys, rabbits, lambs, and the like. They have been known to carry off a baby.
7. The hawk and the eagle seize their prey, not with their beaks, but with their talons. Theydrive their long, sharp nails into the flesh, and the chicken or rabbit is dead in a few minutes.
foot of hawk
8. They carry their prey to their nests, and there they hold it in their talons, and, with their beaks, tear off the flesh, which they eat, and feed to their young.
9. Both the hawk and the eagle have sharp eyes, and they can see a long distance. If we should see an eagle in a cage, we would find that its eyes are bright and a deep yellow in color; but they look wild and cruel, and we do not like to go very near it.
10. The fish-hawk preys upon fish. He sails slowly over the water until his sharp eyes see a fish, and then he dives down so straight and swift that he rarely misses.
11. Sometimes, when he comes up from the water, an old eagle that has been on the watch pounces upon him. The hawk tries to get away, but the eagle soon overtakes him.
12. With an angry scream the hawk drops the fish, and the eagle swoops downward so quickly that he catches the fish before it reaches the water. With his prey in his talons, he then soars away to his nest in the tree-tops, or high up among the rocks on the mountain-side.
heron
1.Wehave here the picture of a heron, a very curious bird. It has long legs, a large body, a long neck, and a long pointed bill.
2. Its toes are long and pointed, and when spread out they cover a large space. It can turn its neck and bill so that sometimes it looks as if it would wring its own neck off.
3. The heron lives on frogs and fish. With its long legs it can wade out in the shallow water, and its toes spread out so it does not sink in the mud.
4. When ready for breakfast, it wades in where the water is half-leg deep. Then it stands so still that the fish, the frogs, and the water-rats will swim all about its legs.
5. All at once, as quick as a flash, down plunges the beak, and up comes a frog from the water, and down it goes, whole, into the long throat. Another comes along, and goes the same way.
heron fishing
6. When it has had enough, it steps ashore, cleans its feathers with its long bill, and goes to sleep standing on one leg. Its middle toe has a double nail, and with this it scratches off the down that sticks to its bill after cleaning its feathers.
7. The heron flies high in the air. When flying, its legs extend out straight behind, and its neck curls over and rests on its back.
8. The stork is another bird with long legs that wades in the water and eats frogs and fish. In Holland, the stork is so tame that it lives in the farm-yard, and often builds its nest on the house-tops.
Bo-Peep and the Rook