Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1859-05-03

And tunes his notes of love.
We gentle Warbler hithe- nv
And shun the noontide heat
Nv shrubs a COOLING hhade supply,
My groves . safe retreat "-0RAvEs.
The wind blows from the sweet
south, and the time Of the singing OF
birds has come. The blue bird an
nounccd the coming spring some weeks
ago, and has already made provisions
for his summer house. You hear his
song every pleasant morning on the
same apple tree, and see him pceripg
hopefully into the hole in the decaying
trunk. His love is there, busy with her
maternal cares. The robin red breast
sings his song at the early dawn, invit
ing you forth to look upon the wond-
rous beauty OF the pnrpling heavens,
and to snuil the fragrance of the dewy
morning. He is repairing the old nest
at the corner of the fence, and expects
good time coming. The oriolc is
spinning his faxen home from the fra
gile limb Of the lofty elm, and there
the expanding leaves will soon shield
him and his rising family from obser-
walton. The swallows have come and
taken possession of the caves Of the
barn, and the phoebe is building her
nest under the shed. The crowblll fol-
lows the pillow boy afeld, picking
gruEs from his fnrrow, and the red
wings arc making the thickets alive
with their tumutons joys. Already
the brown thrashcr is perched upon
the fence by the weodside, inviting the
farmer to 'plant it, plant it," and as
surfing HIM with what exstatic delight
she will "pull it up, pull it up" The
chee-wit and cat-bird are lodging
about the underbrush, and the chick-a
d. dec, and the wood peckers are rat
Ting their bills against the dry wormy
limbs. in search OF their breakfast.
Bang. Bang. There goes poor red
breast a fintterng heap Of agony roll
ing upon the grass, prey to an idle
vagabond who has nothing else to do
but kill these friends and companions
of the husbandman, and thus spoils
more happiness than he will ever cause
if he lives to the age of Methusalch.
Look OF the quivering breast and the
rumpled feathers and see the lids clos
ing over that glazing eye, shutting out
the sight of the beautiful world forev-
er! No wonder the poor children cry,
and run to their mother at the loss of
their favorite songster They will
hear his evening song no more by the
garden wall.
1t is a fitting time on this bright
May morning to speak good word for
birds, and If we we're poet like Col.
Morris, we would write song on
sportsman spare that Bird" and have
1t set to music, and scattered broadcast
over the land, SO that in all the homes
where music is cultivated, the senti-
ment Of affection for birds should be
, inculcateG, and children should grow
up regarding them as sacred among
Gods sweetest gifts to man. Those
Q who court the companionship of man
: are beautiful they ,enliven and cheer
his labors by their songs, and protect
his crops against their worst enemies.
they are the barrier, which the be-
nevolent Creator has sent against the
inordinate multiplication Of the insect
tribes, and they cannot be hunted, and
. driven away from our cultivated field.
4 without destroying the harmony Of
. Gods providential arrangements. ON
principle in the economy of cultivatino
the earth is better established than
this. Birds are a protection to on,
n grain fields, our gardens, and orchards
}. saving by their labors hundred fold
more than they destroy. In the newly
settled States, where the balance O
Nature has not been destroyed, where
: the forest affords protection to the
: birds, and idle vagabonds with dog and
& gun are few, they have the finest fruits
The insects multiply as the birds de.
crease, and they spread blight over oul
grain fields and orchards.
J We, who have our hands upon thu
& pillow, cannot oil write songs or cducat,
n the young to right views Of the value
n OF birds. but we can all do something
fp remedy this evil. We can at least
iucate OURSELVES and families, to re-
! Pect the rights Of birds, and our owl
n ineersse.S Observe the blackbirda, tn,
it robins, and other birds. q they follow
y our footsteps In the furrow. What ,
!. multitude Of grubs, and worms ant
= eggs OF insects, they devour i! sWstca
q any pair az they feed their young il