The Opelousas courier., 1889-03-30
BIRDS
w,,tsan In Behalf Of Our Feath'
cred Friends.
A..aunt which Should Be Kept and
balanced Each Year-An In
human and Selfish
Slaughter.

/ AIN 4 woman that never wore the
Inc if 4 bird. | wish | could think
All American women that they have
4, much graciousness and kindly SEN
,;usat to adorn themselves at the ex-
pepso Of the peace and lives of our
battered friends. For to kill the
birds seems to me specially dreadful
n this. that it is q war against our
friends, None have so cordially CO.
anerated with us, and without expense
saus. as the birds. Or, if you must
oOuut the berries theg eat, and the
cherries. you will have to allow that
you pay a COW far more in proportion
for the milk you get from her than
you do the birds for what they do in
the slaughter Of insects. But could
YOU possibly hire such another orches-
IN e b0bolinks, orioles, robins, gros-
kaks. eatbirds and the rest for the
price you pay them?
should like to have every one keep
III account with the birds, and see at
lie end Of a year what sort of a bal
sncs The account requires. We can
sHord always to count them in in our
planting. as W%ecountin our horses and
our children. We shall need SO many
more cherry trees and berry bushes,
because the robins and orioles like
these fruits. When John and / began
a1r fruit gardens the robins were a Sc
fiOus pest, and one year we let our
hired Tom shoot a few. C3ut Tom did
more raarauding on the sly himself,
Ind. on the am principle, might have
been shot. II tell you what it is"
Mid John, 1--WE have got two things to
Id. We must find honest, faithful
bred help; and we must count the
BIRDS I'M The last was easier to do
thanthe first. We planted larger berry
gardens; and then did not feel the loss
0fthe wages the birds took. For q few
days the very earliest fruit was COB
bled, but after that one could not miss
any thing at all. | suppose theytate,
but there was enough left for us, and
The crop for market did not seem
diminished. Then John had hedges OF
lhe Tartarian honeysuckle planted,
because this bush not only makes a
most beautiful hedge in flower, but
hlsloaded with berries that the birds
sat I'VE will also have" he said,
'Splsaty of mountain ash trees. and
DlFd cherries on u lawns and by the
beck fences; for these also give great
supplies Of bird food
n this way the robins and others
became members of our family. We
hired them to keep the insects down,
and 70 do u orchestral work, and we
pald them regular wages. You can
esnre they appreciated the offer, and
VIZ not Maggie about prices. They
camel "a crowds, but they we're decent
ABOUT Il, and sung five times as much
y ier other people who did not pay
eleini and they really preferred those
usfFles that were useless to us. Now,
sac not tsal you how large a family
Re = but 4 can find about a dozen
eatptEaa nests. and bluebirds, and in.
We birds, and grosbeaks, and gold
snsaes, and wrens, and plenty more,
! suppose | have not less than five
auaasea baby birds in my family IN :
sslalaer Sometimes a school-bo5
ssnasfs In with a gun, but he never
ssss 2 chance to shoot, for we watcf
" carefully over our birds as over oul
salnals: He only gets a lesson and
asage OF absence.
" I fancy the birds consider oul
aeaaeafeaa as quite theirs also. Ane
asg come back to the same spot.
saAh great regularity. It must b
sssasant for little singer to say Il
1eae friend: II was born in that tres
sssk faeres and / have had a nest il
sst ona. and In that cherry-I hav'
assa There; and now / am trying THU
.aoEn bush; it is a little safer ant
saaegsr All the summers of my life
Asss spent with these people. / havt
tssa Aof my board honestly, and the.
Sass provedt to be worthy of confidence
ssA over that fence there, Phebe
ssa ! Eou ever y. There are some o
sAs Morst two-legged animals there
sasf saw. I could gladly pick theiI
US gss oat. They steal our eggs, ant
sasa eSlr babies. and stone us and shoe
g sAi and the women wear our wing
wen bats The only trouble abou
sss i shaf big cat you see down there
z ssa birds devil. We havsopro
and petitioned, and scoide'
s9as y; bat the folks in the hous
saas5 mnsthaye d cat, because Their
q many rats. Queer world, Phebe
Il Z - aone folks devil is quite use
" oNheg folks. We have tried =
ass eyes out. but only got terribl
1ss and noW we just keep out Of hi
seke heard that the folks have
3 their own that they have :
aaa lof says Phebe.
WILL It's good enough 70
aeeF, though