The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-08-31

>SSSN1NSNSNSGSSTS'STS<S
| the ground, in the garden, ON bushes
or trees, everywhere accompanied by
little flock of now silent but always
hungry youngsters. And not until
they are trained to provide for them
selves, has the brave and beautiful
bird time to return to his singing on
the.tree tops.
All through August one of the
prettiest phases of bird life may be
enjoyed; little parties of birdlings,
brothers and sisters, going about to-
gether, now or then visited by one or
both of the elders, but oftener alone,
for now they are getting their educa-
ton in independence. Lovely in
their fresh baby dresses, ingenious
in looks, unsophisticated in manners,
and charming in their show of affec-
ton for each other, these little crea-
lures are most bewitching to watch.
Little groups of bluebirds may be
found in newly cut meadows; small
squads of young hermit thrushes
haunt the brush in the woods; winter
wren babies collect in fussy, fascinat-
ing focks, on logs and roots under
the trees; speckle breasted young
catbirds gather in solitary wild cherry
trees, and kingbird infants sit SOL
emily, side by side on twig, half
the day.
An observing eye will notice during
the month, little later, that most
birds go about in parties of four or
six or more, and if his eye is sharp to
detect youth and age, either by de-
velopment of plumage or by the man.
ners, he will see that they are COM
posed of one pair and their offspring.
And if he could keep them under OBJ
servation through the winter, he
would see, in many cases that we
know, the family still keeping to-
gether. One may see this easily by
watching closely the foreign sparrows
of our cities. 1t will be found that
all through winter the birds are in
groups; together they go to the
ground for food, together they fit
back to the roof or tree. Family par
ties, the parents and their young.
Next spring the young ones will mate
and set up families of their own.
In the same way bluebirds have
been seen by Mrs. Treat, of New Jer-
sey, (where they remain through the
winter, to keep together through the
season. They usually stayed in the
cedar swamps, but on particularly
cold days, many bluebirds would
come about the house for warmth,
and the little group she recognized
by their manners as the family who
lived under her piazza, would alight
as of old on her window sill, and show
in unmistakable ways their familiar
ity with the place and with her.
The permanence of bird marriages,
the foundation of family life, is
subject that has aroused great inter
est, and stimulated close study. In
the old hasty way of drawing conclu-
sions, it has been assumed that bird
unions were for nesting time only,
but closer, intelligent study has
proved conclusively that many mar
riages are for life.
Perhaps we can hardly say they
are "for better, for worse" as with
us, for l notice that divorce is some
times an arbitrary and very summary
performance. Certainly it is SO with
our foreign sparrows, the only birds
l have detected in such proceedings.
I have several times seen sparrow
divorce his spouse. Once for an &C
cident to Nesting, and at other
times for reasons l could not dis
cover. And once | saw a mother
with nest full of babies, try to di-
vorce her mate, who had by some &C
cident lost a leg. There really
seemed to be some excuse in this
case, for her work with that nursery
full was most severe. But though
spruce young bachelors came about,
quite ready to WOO the matron, and
undertake their share of the family
cares, the little sufferer refused to be
put away. He attacked and discour-
aged every fresh candidate for mat
rimony, and at last recovering suffi-
GENTLY to resume his duties as pro-
wider, his mate received him again,
and family life went on as before.
One of the most interesting parts
of this little drama, to the study of
which / gave most of two days, was
the conversation between the pair.
When she could leave her work a
moment, she would alight beside her
dropping spouse and talk in low