Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1915-10-07
A GLIMPSE AT NATURE.
An April Talk on Squirrel and
Blackbird.
written for the Message.)

Beverly Hills, Calf. Il have a sto-
ry for ycu, my little boy, from the far
West about the blackbirds and SOUR
rels. Just beyond my window is a
long yard, past which is a ridge or
hill and in the side of the hill are
several big holes. What do you think
arc in these? Ground squirrels Just
the color of the ground. From the
window we have to look and look to
see them on account of the color be-
ing the same as that of the ground.
They run like rats-in that fright
ened way. They run about in the sun
shine to find something to eat. Late
ly they find very much for 1 take a
dish of goodies to them nearly every
day, apple parings, celery leaves, cab
bage and caulifower. They sit on
their hindlegs and pick up what they
eat with their two little hands. How
cunning they look holding the food
with the hand like paws, they just
show they are thankful to get it.
We have many blackbirds and sew
eral hooking birds. What do you
think! 1 took a big amount of
crumbs to them and great big flock
of blackbirds came down to eat; just
one hooking bird flew down and jab-
bared something, and everyone of
those blackbirds got up and few away
Whatever did the mocker say to them,
| wonder! Then that one stingy little
hooking bird went to eating all that
big quantity of crumbs. Wasn't that
greedy? He could eat only little bit.
There is a lot or field off to one
side of the house covered with grain
and mustard plant-oh, so much mus
ard. For three months now the black
birds settle down on this lot. They
light on swaying reed and Tapping
their wings, they seem to have hard
time sticking on. Wonder why they
do not light on something more sta
Bile and secure? These are not like
the blaCkbirds in Missouri. The ia
Their bird is a beautiful blueback with
spot of red-oh, the brightest red
right on the wing, next to the body.
The mother bird is a dull ordinary
LACK, not bit beautiful. The ia
Their bird is heard in an amusing
kind of talk, while motherbird will
fly up to the phone wire and preen
her feathers. said to myself, they
have nests So my girlhood traits arose
in my chest and out l started to find
them. The wire fence around this
home is, every inch of it, banked with
roses, just millions of them in bloom.
succeeded in getting over the fence
but had fruitless search for the nest.
Next day 1 made another trip and
after much search, while looking a
bout right close to the ground, the
nest found. 1t was two feet above
ground, built in the stalks of
mustard. How they ever got the first
piece of grass fastened is past finding
out.
In the nest were three little pea
cock-blue eggs, dotted only at one end.
The birds kept iabbering away and
l didn't stay long to disturb them.
In few days again took a school
girl friend with me; there were two
littlebirds with eyes so big. had it's
tiny head on the egg that wasn't
Matched. 1t did look cute.
After all one doesn't admire the
father blackbird. He doesn't seem
to do one thing-only hang on those
reeds and say, "kurkle he-e," and
again "kurkle he-e", all day long.
1t seems that the mother bird has to
do all the rustling for food for the
birdlets.
Another time perhaps shall write
of the quail with its peculiar fan
shaped topnot, and its peculiar call
that sounds like ''you must come
home, you must come home.
Marie Fletcher Bell.