The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1875-06-04

some Interesting Anecdotes About Our
teathsred songsters - Improvide a. q
Parental Ghastisme nt OF th q
nouns-Nren- tsurping "A Swallows

From an Interesting article in Harper's
for June, by Mrs. Mary Treat, entitled
"Do Birds Improve a Architects We
make the following extracts.
rHE THRIFTLEss rnRusHEs.
All through May | noticed "A pair OF
brown thrushts fitting about the grove.
The male WAS "A splendid performer, fairly
enhancing me With his song. Seated
uDOn the topmost branch Of some sway
ing tree, lac seemed to drown all the other
churis,ers Of the grove ia fact. they too
seemed entranccd. and soon were silent
listeners. All the other feathered inhabit-
ants Of the grove had already commenced
housekeeping. or were making active pre-
parations. while this lord OF song seemed
- have no care or thought of the future.
lt was June The bird was triiing his
loudcst note, when right la the midst OF
his song was a pause. His mate Ind
stopped the grand performance. lie flew
with her 10 the shrubbcry. where they
Illtted about from bush 10 bush "A few mo-
ments. finally selecting place for build
ing IN a ro>e-hush. which was supported
by treliis. The foundation of the nest
was laid partly upon the trelis.
Y took "A garden chair. drew my hat bret
" well over nv iace--birds are good OBJ
I servors, and We must manage with care
or we shall alarm them-and watched
I their proceedings. The female was evil
\ IDENTIFY the ma>ter-wo workman. and kept a
Watchiul eye upon the mate, who came
4 every few moments with ,uch crooked.
branched twigs that she often could do
nothing with them but 10 throw them
down in spteful way her own selec-
tons were much better, and almost inva-
riably used. Ii she was away when the
mate arrived. he at once proceeded TO
place his stick ; he evidently did not be-
lieve in wasting material in such a reck-
less way but this hindered the compile
tion of the domicile for when the iair
partner arrived she was obliged TO lay
down her stick and try 70 arrange his la
some sort OF shape; failing IN tins, down
IL Went 70 the ground, when, turning to
her own. II was soon arranged 10 her SAT-
isfaction.
Severl times the mate attempted 10
shirk, flew 10 "A tree, and commenced his
song, but this the energetic housewife,
would not allow; she always brought
him back and ser him 10 work. even If he
did hinder more than help. Ills partner
was probably an experienced architect
ress. aud the mate may have been an APP
prentice. for certainly some OF tho males
OF This species seem 10 be AS good archi-
tects as the females.
and on the following morning an egg was
left in il. The mate. now relieved from
work, resumed his joyous song. but he al
ways ceased the moment | entered the
shrubbcry, and gave quick note of alarm.
when she would hy from the nest: but i'm
a few days she beame so tame that she
would allow me to cut roses from the bush
without leaving her place. OF course
great care was necessary: | always drew
my hat down SO that she could not catch
my eye, and apparently paid no attention
10 her.
A few years ago was acquainted with
pair of brown thrushes, much more
thriitless than the pair above mentioned.
who did not even attempt 10 build domi-
ellie in the usual way. but simply scratched
upa kind of nest on the ground, in
strawberry bed, much after the fashion OF
domestic hen, where they reared their
young without any accident. When
nearly full fledged they sprawled about on
the ground. all semblance of a nest hay-
ing disappeared.
Only few rods from this careless, i'm
proyident family resided another family
Of thrushes in quite an deliberately design
cd structure. A peck measure would
hardly have contained the sticks used in
the construction of this domicile. 1t was
built upon a rail-fence adjoining a gate.
through which COWS were driven every
morning and evening 10 and from pas
ture. Horses We're also kept in this field
so that the gate was used more or less dur
ing every day, yet the family were reared
in perfect safety. and became quite tame.
Were these poor, hastily constructed
domiciles the work of inexperienced ar
chi,ects, or the work OF thriftless, improv-
ident individuals : In either case it looks
as ii birds were capable OF improving i'm \
architecture, or the nests of the same spe- (
cies would all be of one pattern.
ARCHITECTURE or THE ROBIN.
With the robin (7trdus migratorii4s.
Linn the curious will find every form OF
from the rude mud nest up
to quite an deliberately constructed doml-
Gle. These mud nests compare favorably
with the log-csbins OF the early settlers.
Last spring had a table standing in the
grove, on which which were a number Of
pots OF the Venus fly-trap Dionea muscip-
ista). A robin e-picd them, and made up
her mind that the moist, black, mucky
earth in which the plants were growing
was Just what she ncedcd-sna 80 handy.
too. only "A few feet from the tree she had
selected i'm which to build her mud domi-
Gle. She had already carried of two Of
the plants with quantity of the earth
before caught her atthe mischief. Being
an early riser. she had the advantage of
me. had the plants moved 70 the piazza.
amidst her scolding and protesting. Her
mate, too. attracted by her clatter, came
and added his protes' left the two pots
of earth from which she had distracted
the plants, and took a seat To watch the
ienou-ment. She eyed me pretty closely.
Seeming to satisfy herself that ! had no
hostile intentions, she returned to the pots
had left. and rapidly proceeded with the
using her breast and feet for
trewel. She may have worked an hour
In this way, and then | saw no more Of