The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-07-18
BIRD pARAplsE IN woopFoRD
Writer Describes Songs Of the Rip
ping Brooks

ford, W., writes TO the Bennington
Banner: The right morning for a
stroll dawned this week, felt the In
huence of the conditions and found
my way across the field to the aisles
of TRAINER Meadows. The air was
pure and bracing and the morning per-
feet. | went to and fro out among the
hemlock, down inIo the ravine-every-
where-and no boy ever had keener
enjoyment. / said these trees stand
ing tall and stately are friends Of
mine. Some OF them were gray head
ed. They knew the hillside and re-
joiced in its beauty long before our
hill country folk knew its first white
settler. | half fancicd that they were
trying to make me understand that
they were equipped with any amount
OF Indian foil 'ore. More than that,
why not animated with the desire to
express the emotion, why not express
ed In way all clear to the trees, but
hidden to the writer | did under
stand sufficiently to say with all my
heart, what grand symbols OF strength
and beauty these trees are. How
lilltN SdliltI Ntdlln tNtIg anu
what wonderful revelations they are
of the gracious husbandry OF the gol-
den candlesticks everyone of the
house beautiful?
At the highest point of the bank
overlooking the great ravine | tarried
long and saw wonderful things. Far
below me the view extended clear to
the eastern opening of the wood. The
brooklet that wandered through the
gorge was in sight from where stood
until it passed out into the meadow be
low. On either bank ii was guarded
by a phalanx of spruce trees.
The gravelly bed reflected the SUN
beams and sent them flashing through
the wood heralds of love and Joy
every one. But the song of the rip
pling water was the charm Of all the
scene. | never hear IL without the
feeling that natures cheeriest anthem
is being put into my keeping. There
was no other sound at the time, so
that the brooklet was the single &C.
tor of the hour. How simple and UNI
affected it all is and how every stroke
fills the space around with its soft
low notes. The only other sound to
W iliNH van ~ 10 TIE hnlSptl-
ing of the wind in the evergreen trees.
But the water sound has many a note
4 that does not in the least grace the
other. 1t came up through the trees
the graceful cadence of life in Its
every note.
Someway | got the notion that all
the creatures and things in TRAINER
Meadows were joining in the refrain.
The hoarse voices of the crows were
n toned down sensibly by 1t, In fact
they were really blended with It All
natures mollifier is in the sound and
all things are glad to feel the touch
4 of its gracious hand.
do not often see the bluebirds in
1 hocks. This morning | came upon
quite a number feeding together at
4 the lower side of the meadows. Blue
n birds seem to have no idea of any.
i thing really burdensome In the exper-
4 fence of life. At least he never shows
. i'm his voice or manner any such feel.
; ing. What a soft. gentle note of song
y he uses on all occasions. | have seen
. him when ne was undergoing a sharp
4 ordeal, In which he would have the
right 10 be largely indignant. but not
\ sign did he show, certainly not in
voice, that the indignities he was suf-
= fering had in the slightest degree ruff
4 fed his temper The Mark Tapley
4 among the birds surely bears the
name of the bluebird. Those | saw
& in the meadow were searching the
n grass for food, everywhere through
a the fields, provided In abundance.
hear the song of several species of
n sparrows-all of them giving such
4 satisfaction that the nearer is sure to
a wish for more. Just how the little
q fellows manage to get so much music
a out OF such a small space is a standing
E wonder. / am certain that chippy has
a a right to be quite proud of his eff
forts and | half fancy that he is. When
& one of nv bird parishioners does his
4 work well, | feel like giving him ap
n plause, and when | applaud heartily
a the bird seems TO understand II
S is curious that a d"lsh birds may be
u singing all at the same time, each his
4 own song and yet no discord ensues
n The birds song that sets my heart tC
singing Is an uplift that gets me close
q ito the heart of all things.
Hank! | hear the ringing call of the
q meadow lark What a CHEEKY fellow
a he is, and how easily he masters the
& difficulties with which he meets! H,
= is quite rival of the robin in stir ant
vigor OF action. The fights of the
lark bear a close relation to that o.
the grouse. He moves in a straigh
line. emitting q series of sounds tina
III are not entirely unmusical. like t
feel that portion of his song is The
voice of the meadows set to music.
Down on my boyhood farm at Haga
he man we found It quite feat to discov
er the summer home of our larl
&c friends. | remember | used to reall!
:. enjoy being outwitted by the WINGED
~ ~ housekeepers, and who shall say the!
" did not enjoy doing the outwitting.
= am sure that the larks are first elias!
le assistants to the farmers. see then
W feasting on the grubs and insects tina
70 otherwise would be hurtful to th,
- growing crops. Their capacity fo
70 food is of the true bird character. NJ
a limit apparently to their enjoyment o
~ food. | have watched the larks ant
-. other birds when they seemed to ca
~ !, continually.
l. see some writer's state that singl,
'e birds OF some OF the species consum,
81 many thousands Of insects In tn,
~ twelve hour day. Birds are amont
III our best helpers and our right han,
y, OF fellowship should always be ex
w tended To them