New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-18
BY MEADOW AND BROOK.
INSECTS AND BIRDS MAKE PLEASANT
COUNTRY COMPANIONS.
oNB MAY LEARN TO KNOW THEIR WAYS By
MERELY SITTING STILL. TO WATCH THEN

oNB MAY LEARN To KNOW THEIR WAYS BY
MERELY SITTING STILL. TO WATCH THEN
ROBINS FOND OF COMPANY.
One almost wonders how. at the coming Of
mer such myriads Of insects spring suddenly full
hodged into exisience-so many bugs. worms. bees
and butterflies all perfect in their way. all with
beauty Of their own. and ali with a certain aim
in life. The tinest Of them has duty to
fulfil before its brief life is ended
n ones heart be attuned to all the wonders
Nature has spread around with lavish hand much
can be learned by going into meadow and wood
and sitting down to study the insects which
will be found every square foot Of ground 81
perfectly quiet and the friendly black crckets
will climb into your lap. and, when they get 10
feel at home. Will give you some of that queer
music OF theirs not by fddling with their legs as
some writer's would have MS believe they do but
by bringing their little wings up over their backs
and rubbing them together.
IT, as Charles Dickens aIlrms to have cricket
on the hearth is the luckest thing In the world
then to have I'm your lap must he more than
lucky. How pretty those bronze-colored bugs are;
how interesting the swapping bugs. and the big
black beetles and the tiny bright green ones,
The spiders not ovable and are trihe
too friendly but every must admire their dell
cate. dew-covered webs when the sun touches them
J in the early morning. With all HIS boosted s'i-
periority cannot fashion such beautiful ariis-
&c things az can the wild jewellers Of fields and
woods. Ants make their small ado as II the world
were made for them alone and they were the only
busy people in IT,
Most people will draw the line OF study snakes
, FOR they are hated feared by nearly every one
but this should he so. for tho poor things
| probably would not be snakes II they could have
| their way about It,
BUTTERFLIES everywhere. big yellow ones with
| wings fccked and bordered with black black fe-
| lows. with wings edged with gold and a mos; be-
white ones. yellow ones. and some charming
| lavender color. all wheeling and floating through
tho air poised slender twg. The black
| and yellow bumhlebees climb indus,rously in and
out of the swayng morning glory cups. covering
both flower and themselves with pollen
BEES AND DRAGONFLGEs.
| Then the common bees. little sober. brown busy
| things, The humminZ Of thousands OF them IN n
field Of white-hloss omed buckwheat is something
| 10 be long remembered See tho brilliant little
| dragonfes with black bodies and bright metallic
blue wings lowering tho surface Of the brown
| hahblng brook To the casual observer they arc
| there 10 drink-hui. no. they born far down
, under the water. and as they come UP and I'M
fod their wings 10 ~ tho thought Of their brothers
imprisoned yet I'm tho Gcpths causes them TO re-
| turn and linger there. calling always down through
the sunlit water:
BE brave and fear naught. Oh my brothers:
but mako haste TO rise and jon US in this sweet
new world Come. We are waiting"
There are other species 81 dragonhles that do
not s'ay by tho water. ono kind has beautiful
lavender wings with black bodies. another the
largest OF ALL IS gray. with gray transparent
wings. and sometimes called devils darning-
needle" and tho country children scream and hold
their hands over their ears when they ono
coming for they have been told that tho "darning-
needle" Will sow their Up II he gets chance
and he children nrmly beey. II. yet the dragon
Bend over the rower-bed and watch tho ll;tle
jewellcd honeysuCkers az work j. you afc quiet
close you bring your face to them 10 look on or"
IS apt a. Arst sight - mistak" hem FOR yorng
lummng bird. nor So large Their bodies are COW
erod with 2 trick down and s'rp'd VIII gay co-
ors and they keep up a perpetual motion with
! their wings ma continual huminlnS
BIRDS OF THE WOODS
humm,ng bird IN a swing Il novel sight Back
the ground IN Is downward swoop. back and forth
with "A loud brzzng sound. II goes until you arc
dizzy with looking on. then. suddenly II stops
perches Itself FOR moment In front ~ you. giving
You time 20 note tho golden red. changeable sheen
81 the feathers around rs throat ana then T. ~ up
| and away. and orc has seen what b" may not SO
! The cathirI is "a scok dark gray bird about the
size % robin and VIII quarrel WIN YOU hy ~"
| ftcp softly into h@ domain and remain qui't and
he VIII sing You ns sweet a song "s any Hii' brown
/ warbler - them all one thing the cafhird doc,
which shows h's heart IS lu ihe night pnc" n any
young birds IT, n'st arc l"ii fnoih"flcss through
some arct"ii. 10 matter WhAf SORT "i b,d u j.
the catbird feeds them until they can feed Thorn
Here. IN this clump u fumach and Wild cherry
trees 80 thick that scarcely any sunlight can strike
! ,he moss undorfpof ono nud- flc night hawk
waiting for 'ho coming - darkness ~" will not go
far wnen disturbed He considers hat semi lighted
-, tts -, tr.~ri,, from fh. trees m. hon j.
head with thcir eager c,.- watching for any luck