Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-10-03
would find very little time to eat or attend

would find very little time to eat or attend
to their nests.
!, Why should the birds, which saw the
be unduly alarmed? They could easily and
did easily avoid him. There was plenty of
room in the world for him and for them.
But when he went into the branches Of that
spek-boom the case changed entirely; every
bird that heard of his trespass there had
Just cause for complaint, and even for seri-
Gus alarm, because two Of them had made
q nest In the vicinity. Now, just previous
70 my first hearing their cries, he had eth
er newly arrived on that branch, or at leas.
h4d been then first noticed by the owners
of that nest
motherhood is a cry SO distinctly appealing
,aDoWe all other cries that 1t strs up the
very fnmost soul of nature, and rouses to
desperate deeds. not only man himself, saw
age or civilized, but even animals, with
which otherwise we seem to have very lit
tie in common. Gregarious beings espe-
ciaily are quick to sympathize with the
heartrending cry Of maternity. Every one
Is aware how a flock of sheep. ordinarily
SO timid, will, in lambing time. when a
strange dog approaches. gather and try to
drive him from the neighborhood. So it
was with the birds.
Cry of the Mother.
When the snake on the withered stump
sticking out from the spek-boom branch
was seen by the parents of a nearby nest,
they were instantly stricken with fear for
their young. and at once made the wood
land resound with cries of terror and dis
tress. That cry of the mother struck a
chord in the little heart of every bird with
in hearing and with one common and most
natural impulse they flew to console or as
sist her and to find out the cause of the
trouble; just as yesterday in the street the
women ran out from the houses when a
wagon knocked down poor child. Togeth-
er they scolded the driver. Together they
wept with the mother. Together they
noaned for the hurt one; anu each one
wept for her own when she answered the
grief of the others. Who could attend te
| her household with such things convulsne
her ne.ghbors?
| 1t is very easy to understand how BIRDS
| moved by such a cause, will venture int
danger which they would al other times
| carefully avoid. And that they do at ordi
nary times avoid snakes l have on very
| many occasions observed. Birds see snakes
| every day without manifesting any unusua
| excitement. There must then be som'
grave cause when they gather in flock
! about one. Every boy who rambles in thu
| woods knows we'll that BIRDS and other an.
| mails fly at his approach.
They fear his bean shooter or his gun
| But when he draws near to the tree wher'
/ the nest is, do they not begin to cry gu
| from the tops of neighboring trees; an,
| when he commences to climb il, do the.
| not flap their wings angr!ly about his head
| oftentimes so far Drawing danger as t.
| strike his hat, flutter their wings in hi
| face and threaten his very eyes, SO that i
| he choose he might catch one by quicl
| snatch of his hand? The other birds gathe
on hearing their cries and add to the noise
| until the whole neighborhood is in a tur
| MOL of feathered excitement.
| These manifesto tons of terror amon
| birds are just extraordinary when it is
| snake that threat tens the nest; and thei
| feelings and motive in venturng into fata
| proximity to the Would-be marauder ar
| just as easy to comprehend; 50 that il
| truth no pinch of hypnotic salt is at a.
| needed to account for tragedy so com
| pletely reasonable and SO thoroughly nat
| ural g. X. O'REILLI.