The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903, 1901-07-06
THB COURIER

from the mulberry tree. And the old
willow tree by the bsrn-do not look for
any bugs on lite venerable trunk. The
woodpecker brought his whole family
there to give them their early lessons in
tapping; il l were another woodpecker
| should hunt another tree.
Down behind the barn is an old dead
locust tree which reaches up straight
and stiff above the green branches
about it. There brown thrush, think
it is, sits many an evening and sings it's
rapture forth. The blackbirds stop their
quarreling around the water barrel
close by-another special convenience
for the birds-and sit around in the
dead tree as respectful congregation
while the soloiss sings. Their taste is
commendable. l sit on my porch.
The mourning dove that rests patient
ly on her nest in the apple tree does not
understand my pathological craze.
She flew in terrible alright when we
climbed the tree to see the one pretty
egg. There will be another tree Climb.
ing some day. when the yellow mouth
gspes for worms. Why did they build
30 close to the house? Out on the hills
there is peace, worms wriggle, and cats
are not everywhere.
The joy and the tribulation Of my
heart these days. however, 10 the old
barrel under the apple tree. am not
thinking Of going into the business Of
robin incubation. but there is the barrel
and down in the barrel are two young
robins. and on the edge Of the barrel
frequently is the old robin with some
thing that squirms in his beak. 1t
nearly breaks his heart to 90 down into
that hole, l know, for he celebrates
long and hops from the tree to the barrel
and back and forth before he feels that
it lie safe to venture. His call is very,
very short, but il grieves me that the
barrel is not transparent. The first
baby robin who hoped by the porch is
very tame and docile; he was the inhab-
liant Of the barrel for several days be-
fore the other one fell from the nest in
the catalpa tree and huttered through
the grass. There was dreadful com.
motion in the robin community when /
put Robin III. into the barrel. The
whole clan perched in the tree Of heaven
and jawed me, and the old robin who
had seemed from the first to understand
the philosophy of the barrel, though
the necessity, seemed dazed at
finding two where before was one. III
went near the bird-cage all that day
there were at least four robins protest
ing from trees near by, and felt as if
my mother were scolding me. 1t oc-
cured to me that Robin III. must have
ALLEN from another nest than Robin l..
Now l am almost sure OF it, for Robin
II. is pining and hungry enough TO let
ne stuff mulberries into bis yellow
throat, and Robin l. lie fat, and though
anne and willing to sit on my hand, he
ability to fly occasionally.
wonder il he gets all the worms, and il
Robin IL. is regarded a. an interloperr
Il the barrel were only transparent!
There! Where is that cat? Every
ime the wren talks that way know
Mr.. Cat il sneaking around. The wren
ollows the cat and sasses him; on the
ence, up in tree, very low in the cedar,
he little warrior fits. keeping up that
halter that he seems to mean for
,iss. The cat will sit and meow under
he cedar with the wren up among the
branches not two feet from his nose.
Then he either feels his powerleeenees