The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-06-07
THE CHILDREN'S HOUR.
A TRUE BIRD STORY.

The Young bird has to learn how to
do things just as small boys ana girls
do, although not in exactly the same
way
One of the first lessons he learns IS
how to fly. He really knows now 10
do this, but needs practice until MS
wings grow strong enough to carry
him through the air. Many young
birds begin this practice before they
leave the nest. | have often seen a
nesting beating and beating his wings
without stirring an inch from ms Tiny
home.
You have heard perhaps that the
father and mother birds push tneir
babies out of the nest. DO not Delie'e
any such thing because 1t is not true
have seen many young birds leave
the nest of their own accord, Out
never one pushed out. Sometimes tae
mother may coax her children ouI
often they fly out while the parents
are away finding food. a@1
After the young bird leaves the nest
his father and mother follow ana 1eeQ
him for he does not yet know how 10
feed himself This is the next lesson
he has to learn. He must also KNOW
where to sleep, and how to protect
himself from all the other creatures
that want to catch him and eat MIN.
Then he must be able to sing, and no
doubt there are many other lessons
hot u-n do NOT KNOW
about.
Once | had a good chance to watch
two young blue jays learn to get their
own living. After they left the nest
they lived in little grove, where
could easily find them when | went
to watch. They seemed to be always
hungry, and every few minutes one OF
the parents would hurry up with
grasshopper or some other insect TO
stun into the wide-open mouths. They
were fed chokecherries, too. These
little wild cherries grew on big tree
in the grove. -,
One day after giving the twins
chokecherries, the parents shipped
quietly out of sight, and stayed away
long time. | could see them perch
ing near but the young birds could
not. The father and mother were not
hunting food as usual but seemed to
he taking a rest. l wondered at this,
for | had never seen them resting
since the little ones were Matched.
The twins, who were quite as large
as their parents now, did not try to
pull any of the fruit from the trees,
although it grew all about, and they
had often seen it done. They sat idly
licking at their toes, stretching their
eautiful wings, or hopping from
ranch to branch.
Soon it was evident that they were
nangry for they began to call. Moths
ng happened. They called again.
ill no food. This must have been a
areat surprise, for usually their cries
thought a parent with food at once.
Hungrier and hungrier they grew, and
louder and louder they called, but still
no parents.
All this time l could see the mother
and father birds sitting near, and |
also began, 10 WONDER why tney .uloi
not bring something.
At last the mother flew to the chill
dren, but with nothing in her beak.
Squawking madly, the two hungry
youngsters flung themselves upon her.
They almost knocked her off the
perch. She just hoped out of the
way and did not seem to care that
they were hungry. Again the twins
flew at her, begging for food, and
again she calmly hoped out of the
way. Then she hoped up to a bunch
of cherries and pulled one. The chill
dren crowded close, and what do you
think that bird did? She deliberately
swallowed that cherry herself!
The twins seemed dumfounded. For
minute they did not make sound
nor move a muscle. Then screaming
louder than ever they began jerking
at the chokecherries for themselves
At first they were so clumsy they
dropped every one, but soon they
managed to swallow few.
Those two young bluejays had
learned the great lesson of their lives