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[Illustration: "MR. OWL AWAKENED THE FAIRIES AND TOLD THEM TO
LISTEN TO HIS BOOK."--_Page 2_]
DADDY'S BEDTIME BIRD STORIES
by
MARY GRAHAM BONNER
With four illustrations in color by
Florence Choate and Elizabeth Curtis
[Illustration: Emblem]
New York
Frederick A. Stokes Company
Publishers
Copyright, 1917, by
Frederick A. Stokes Company
All rights reserved; including that of translation
into foreign languages
TO
"E. E. E."
CONTENTS
PAGE
OLD MR. OWL WRITES A BOOK 1
THE WOODPECKERS START A BIRD BAND 4
THE CARDINAL BIRD AND THE ROBIN 7
THE WINTER WRENS' DEW-DROP BATHS 10
THE SEAGULLS MOVE TO BLUEY COVE 13
HOW THE LITTLE REDBIRD BECAME RED 16
POOR OLD MR. OWL'S TOOTHACHE 19
THE SOLOIST OF THE BIRD CONCERT 22
THE ROBINS OPEN A SPRING SHOP 25
THE RACE BETWEEN THE SECRETARY BIRDS 28
THE QUARREL BETWEEN NAUGHTY LITTLE SPARROWS 31
THE SUCCESSFUL CONCERT OF THE CHICKADEES 34
THE COLONY OF STARLINGS GIVE A BALL 37
ROBIN REDBREAST'S AND MISS ROBIN'S WEDDING 40
THE TAME CANARY BIRD AND HIS MISTRESS 43
THE PET BIRD OF THE WARD 46
THE EAGLE'S PRIDE AS THE BIRD OF FREEDOM 49
WHAT THE BIRDS THOUGHT OF THE FOURTH OF JULY 52
MR. NIGHTINGALE'S NEW FRIEND MR. BLACKBIRD 55
MR. PLAIN SPARROW CALLS ON DUCKS 58
FARMER'S SCARECROW PROTECTS A CORN-FIELD 61
THE BRAVE BROWN SPARROWS IN WINTER 64
WHAT THE RAINBOW THINKS OF THE WORLD 67
EAGLES AND RAVENS 70
THE EAGLES WHO WERE ALWAYS STILL 73
THE BOBOLINKS HAVE A TEA PARTY 76
A HAPPY DAY IN BIRDLAND 79
THE ROBINS' SPRING CONCERT 82
THE CROWS AT THE FAIRIES' BALL 85
THE NAUGHTY LITTLE SICK SNOWBIRDS 88
A SPARROW CALLS ON A HIPPOPOTAMUS 91
THE ROBINS COME TO THE RESCUE 94
MR. AND MRS. OWL'S STOREROOM 97
POLLY WAS THE HEROINE OF THE FIRE 100
THE WINTER HOME FOR THE WREN FAMILY 103
THE VAIN GOLDFINCH LEARNS A LESSON 106
THE BATS HAVE A JOLLIFICATION 109
THE REPENTANCE OF LITTLE JIM CROW 112
THE RESCUE OF THE CANARY BIRD 115
SMALL FIRE DEPARTMENT RESCUES BIRDS 118
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
"Mr. Owl awakened the fairies and told them to
listen to his book" _Frontispiece_
FACING PAGE
"In the afternoons Elizabeth lets him out of his cage" 44
"'We've been on this chair so long,' said the fourth eagle" 74
"The mother humming-bird hurried back" 96
_These stories first appeared in the American Press Association
Service and the Western Newspaper Union._
_Many of the sketches in this volume are the work of Rebecca
McCann, creator of the "Cheerful Cherub," etc._
OLD MR. OWL WRITES A BOOK
[Illustration: Old Mr. Owl Danced with the Rest.]
"Old Mr. Owl wanted to write a book and he asked the fairies how to set
about doing it," commenced daddy.
"'Well,' said the fairy queen, 'it makes a good deal of difference, old
Mr. Owl, what you want to write about.'
"'What nonsense!' he said. 'It's just that I want to know how to start
off with my book. Just think what a marvelous book it will be--as for as
long as folks can remember I've been called the Wise Bird--the bird
who's awake at night and whose eyes are so very bright!'
"'Before I started saying what a fine book it would be, if I
were you, I'd write it and give other people the chance to say so,'
said the fairy queen.
"Mr. Owl began to write with his pen, made out of one of Mr. Turkey
Gobbler's best feathers, on a large, flat stone, which he put in the
hollow of his tree. Very late in the night, he awakened the fairies who
had been sleeping, and told them to listen to his book. Then he called
all the owls from the neighborhood with a loud hoot-hoot. But before he
began to read, he said:
"'I've not enough light. I will hurt my eyes--my beautiful,
wise, big eyes.'
"You see he had made a special arrangement to have his own lights, and
when he said that he hadn't enough, from all over came countless little
fireflies. They sparkled and gave the most beautiful light all over the
woods, and Mr. Owl put his spectacles on his nose, and said:
"'Now I see to perfection--which means quite all right.' And Mr. Owl
commenced reading his book.
"It told about the parties, balls, and picnics in fairyland, and of the
wild adventures and happenings in the woods. The fairies were absolutely
delighted that a book had been written with so much about them in it.
"And the fairy queen was more than happy, for the last chapter was all
about her.
"'Well,' said Mr. Owl, 'you made me ashamed of myself for boasting about
my book before I had written it, and so the only thing I could do was to
write a wise chapter all about you.'
"And the fairy queen smiled with pleasure and also with amusement--for
Mr. Owl had certainly thought he could write a wise book--though the
next time, perhaps, he wouldn't say so before he had written it.
"The fireflies had been sparkling and flashing lights all this time, and
finally they whispered:
"'Have a dance, all of you; we'll give you the light and dance too. It
is not well to read books all the time--you must dance.'
"So they all ended off with a fine dance, and old Mr. Owl, with his book
under his wing, danced with the rest of the owls and fairies. But before
the evening was over he presented to the fairy queen a copy of his book,
which said on the cover, 'A BOOK, by Wise Mr. Owl.'"
THE WOODPECKERS START A BIRD BAND
The Woodpecker family were around on various trees drumming, drumming on
the bark. Mr. Hairy Woodpecker, Mr. Downy Woodpecker, and Mr. Red-Headed
Woodpecker were hard at work.
"Let's start a band," suggested Mr. Hairy Woodpecker.
"What's that you say?" asked Mr. Red-Headed Woodpecker, who had been so
busy at work that he had not heard what Mr. Hairy Woodpecker had been
suggesting.
"A band," repeated Mr. Hairy Woodpecker.
"What sort of a band?" asked Mr. Red-Headed Woodpecker.
"In the first place," continued Mr. Hairy Woodpecker, "our bills are not
only fine tools for the work we have to do getting the insects from the
trees, and burrowing for our nests, but they would be splendid to use
in beating the drums in a band."
"Where would we get the drums?" asked Mr. Red-Headed Woodpecker.
"The trees, of course, you silly!" said Mr. Hairy Woodpecker.
"Oh yes, yes," agreed Mr. Red-Headed Woodpecker.
And Mr. Downy Woodpecker said, "Of course, of course. The trees will be
our drums."
"We'll get the other birds," said Mr. Hairy Woodpecker, "to help us. We
need something in a band besides the drums. We will ask the goldfinches,
the mocking-birds, the bobolinks, the phoebe and chickadee families, all
of the warbler and vireo families, and the robins of course. Then I
think we'll ask the orioles, the whippoorwills, the thrush family, and
the song sparrows."
"Oh," said Mr. Downy Woodpecker, "that will make a perfect band. We'd
better get started right away." And the woodpeckers began to practise.
They made such a noise that the birds came from far and near to see what
they were doing. Mr. Sapsucker, Mr. Crested Woodpecker, and Mr. Flicker
Woodpecker had all joined in beating the drums too!
"Why are you making so much noise?" asked the birds as they flew around
to the nearby trees to talk to the woodpeckers.
"Oh," said Mr. Hairy Woodpecker, "we were just going to ask you all to
join our band. We will beat the drums."
"And just what do you want us to do?" asked Mr. Robin Redbreast, who was
always eager to help.
"You must all sing."
"But we all sing differently," chirped a song sparrow. "We know
different tunes and different songs."
"Oh," said Mr. Hairy Woodpecker, "I never thought about that. But never
mind, you can have little parts to sing alone, and other choruses where
you will all sing together. I'm sure it will be a very fine band after
we have practised." And they began pounding the drums again.
"Well," said Mr. Robin Redbreast, "if the bird band isn't to be the
finest in the land, at least we'll make a cheerful noise!"
THE CARDINAL BIRD AND THE ROBIN
"The cardinal bird," said daddy, "is a very superior bird and will not
come down to the ground. The lowest he will come is to a bush, but he
never hops along the woods or lawns, no, not he!
"One day Robin Redbreast was walking on a green lawn. He stopped several
times to pick up a worm from the ground, swallow it whole and then walk
along. In a tree nearby he spied the cardinal bird.
"'Hello,' he said cheerily. 'Won't you come and have a worm with me?
There are a number in this lawn, and the good rain we had last night has
made the ground so nice and soft. Do join me,' he ended with a bright
chirp.
"'No, thank you,' said the cardinal bird. 'I wouldn't soil my feet on
that ground. I hate the ground, absolutely hate it.' And the cardinal
bird looked very haughty and proud.
"'Come now,' said Robin Redbreast, 'you won't get your feet dirty. And
if you do,' he whispered knowingly, 'I can lead you to the nicest brook
where you can wash them off with fresh rain water. Do come!'
"'I cannot,' said the cardinal bird. 'I do not like the earth. I want to
be flying in the air, or sitting on the branches of trees. Sometimes I
will perch for a little while on a laurel bush--but come any lower? Dear
me, no, I couldn't.'
"'It's a great shame,' said Robin Redbreast. 'Of course there is no
accounting for taste.'
"'Thank you for inviting me,' added the cardinal bird politely. For he
prided himself on his good manners.
"Pretty soon some people came along. At once they noticed the beautiful
cardinal bird. He wore his best red suit which he wears all the
time--except in the winter, when he adds gray to his wings. His collar
and tie were of black and his feathers stuck up on top of his head so as
to make him look very stylish and fine.
"'Oh, what a wonderful bird!' said the people. Mr. Cardinal Bird knew
they were admiring him, of course--and so did Robin Redbreast. No one
had noticed _him_, but he didn't care, for he knew Mr. Cardinal Bird was
by far the more beautiful, and a robin hasn't a mean disposition.
"Well, when the cardinal bird heard the praise he began to sing--a
glorious high voice he had, and he sounded his clear notes over
and over again. Then suddenly he stopped, cocked his head on one
side, as though to say,
"'And what do you think of me now?'
"From down on the ground Robin Redbreast had been listening. 'Oh, that
was wonderful, wonderful!' he trilled.
"'Listen to that dear little robin,' said one of the people. 'I must get
him some bread crumbs.'
"When the bread crumbs were scattered over the ground, Robin Redbreast
invited the cardinal bird down again thinking they were for him! But the
beautiful, proud bird would not come down, and the people were saying,
'After all there is nothing quite so nice as a dear little robin.'"
THE WINTER WRENS' DEW-DROP BATHS
"The winter wren is really with us during the summer too," said daddy.
"But he is too shy to be near us. We can only hear him sing sometimes.
When winter comes, though, he goes to people for protection and picks up
the crumbs they give him.
"Yesterday he was sitting on a snow-berry bush with a tiny companion.
The snow-berry bushes are full and leafy, and in the spring and summer
are covered with very tiny pink blossoms. In the autumn and winter they
are covered with little berries which look as if they had been made out
of snow.
"'Oh, how I dread the winter!' said the tiny wren. 'Just imagine how
dreadful it would be if no one put any bread crumbs out for us, or no
dog left us some of his dinner on a back porch.'
"'Now,' said Mr. Brown Wren, 'you mustn't think of such sad thoughts.
You always do! Someone will look after us. And maybe we'll find a few
spiders now and then in the cracks, and then well have a regular feast.'
"The next day they were back again on the snow-berry bush, and the day
was much warmer. Now the wrens love to bathe above all things! Even in
the winter they will go through a little sheet of ice and get into the
cold, cold water underneath. For they must get their baths! And in the
spring, when the tiny wrens are brought forth from their mossy nests,
the first lesson they have is of bathing in some nearby brook.
"But this day it was early in the morning, the snow-berry bush was
covered with dew-drops and the wrens were delighted.
"'The sun will drive them away soon. Let's take them while we get the
chance,' whispered Mr. Brown Wren.
"'Yes, yes,' said his small companion. 'We will soon have to bathe when
it is so cold. Let us have a good warm bath first.'
"And then those two little brown wrens took the dew-drops in their
beaks, and dropped each one in turn on their feathers. Then they got
under some leaves full of dew-drops and shook them down over their
little feathered bodies.
"After they were well covered with the dew-drops they began to shake all
over just as every bird does when he takes a bath. And back they went to
take another bath when this one was over. For they seemed to enjoy their
last warm bath so much!
"Finally they had bathed enough, and the sun appeared strong as could
be, and shining very hard. They perched still on the branches of the
snow-berry bush and bathed now in the hot sun. Soon their little
feathers were quite dry and they began to sing.
"And truly I think their song was one of gladness because of their
dew-drop baths!"
THE SEAGULLS MOVE TO BLUEY COVE
[Illustration: Mr. and Mrs. Seagull Flew Off with Bluey.]
"Mr. and Mrs. Seagull didn't really know what to do," said daddy. "They
loved their home, which was in a big harbor, for they enjoyed seeing the
boats pass and hearing the different whistles. All kinds of boats
passed--ferryboats, sailboats, old fishing-boats, great big boats that
went across the ocean, and little tugboats.
"The seagulls would fly overhead, and then they'd land on top of the
water, but they never could stay there long, as the boats would come
along, and they would have to fly off. Of late Mr. and Mrs. Seagull,
although they were still as fond of their home as ever, became rather
worried, for the little seagulls didn't seem to be able to get out of
the way of the boats as quickly as the old seagulls could. Mr. and Mrs.
Seagull were afraid that one of them might get hurt by a boat.
"Of course the little seagulls were quite certain that nothing like that
would ever happen, but one day it did.
"They were playing tag on the surface of the water and so interested in
their game that they didn't notice until too late that a great huge boat
was coming along. The captain of the boat had blown the whistle to scare
the seagulls away. They hadn't heard it at all, so busy were they
playing, and it hit poor little Bluey Seagull. One of the others called
out:
"'Oh, fly up quickly, Bluey!' He was not badly hit, for the pilot of the
boat had seen the seagulls and made the boat slow down.
"Bluey was frightened almost out of his wits, but with the encouragement
of the other seagulls he managed to fly off.
"When Mr. and Mrs. Seagull saw what had happened to Bluey they were
horrified and quickly flew off with him, all the other little seagulls
following.
"They flew as far from the boats as they could, for, now that Bluey had
been hit, they didn't think life in the harbor where the boats passed
was so attractive. In fact, they decided they would never go back there
again.
"They flew so far that they reached a little cove at the basin of the
harbor, and when Mr. Seagull saw it he said:
"'This will be our new home.'
"Mrs. Seagull said:
"'We will never leave this home until all little seagulls are grown up,
for then they will always be safe and can play all they want to without
being afraid of getting hit by the big boats.'
"So it was decided, and the cove was named Bluey Cove because it had
been on Bluey's account that they had moved there. And of all the
seagulls he was the happiest and most relieved."
HOW THE LITTLE REDBIRD BECAME RED
[Illustration: A Gray Bird Was Flying Overhead.]
Jack and Evelyn had been playing circus all day. Jack had been the big
man who stands in the middle of the ring and cracks his whip, while
Evelyn had turned somersaults and made pretty bows. They told daddy all
about it when he came home that evening, so he said:
"As you're so fond of circus performing I will certainly have to tell
you about the circus the animals gave.
"Cub Bear got it all up, and every animal who went to it had to first
agree to do something. And it really was a most marvelous circus. They
all marched around in a parade, while the little bears beat the drums.
The rabbits rode on the backs of the possums, and the monkeys rode on
the backs of the elephants. The chipmunks drove chariots which were
drawn by the gray squirrels, and the clowns were the frogs. The rest of
the animals caught hands and followed in the march. They laughed and
shouted and enjoyed themselves immensely.
"Then all took their seats and one by one did some sort of an act. The
monkeys won a great deal of applause by their trapeze acting. Cub Bear
walked a rope and danced around on his hind legs. The bunnies rode
bicycles, but that ended sadly, as one of them--a son of old Peter
Rabbit, who was renowned for his bicycle riding--in trying to show off,
fell and skinned his nose. All the other animals gathered around to see
what they could do, while the bunny moaned and moaned.
"A gray bird flying over the tent heard the sound of moans and cries and
flew in to see what the trouble was, for he was a very kind-hearted
bird. He saw that the bunny was really more frightened than hurt, and
with his wings he wiped off the blood from the rabbit's face. The
blood-stain never got off the wings of the bird, so ever after he and
his family became known as the redbirds.
"The bunny fully recovered and once more felt like himself; but, of
course, after the accident, the animals didn't care to go on performing,
so they all sat around the center of the tent and had a most glorious
picnic. Refreshments of all kinds were passed around.
"They had pink lemonade, peanuts, popcorn, ice-cream cones, and water
taffy. After they'd finished eating they sang all the old-time songs and
frisked about, playing and dancing. Bunny Rabbit, who felt quite spry
again, frisked about too, and the redbird flew overhead, flapping his
wings with joy, for he was so glad everything had turned out so merrily.
"The circus proved such a success and the animals were in such high
spirits that they then and there decided to have a circus every year."
POOR OLD MR. OWL'S TOOTHACHE
[Illustration: "I'm ready now," said Dr. Raven.]
Evelyn had been eating a great deal of candy--so much that it had given
her a very bad toothache--and when daddy came home he found her curled
up on the bed looking very mournful. Jack had been trying to comfort
her, but he hadn't been able to help much. So when he heard daddy's step
he called, "Come along, daddy, and tell a story especially for Evelyn to
make her forget about her toothache."
"That is too bad," said daddy. "I'm sorry my little girl has a
toothache. I'll see if I can't tell a good story so you'll feel better
and will be able to sleep and have pleasant dreams. I think I'll tell
you about old Mr. Owl, for he had the most terrible toothache one time.
He had been eating a great many sugar-plums and lots of candy, and
before he knew it one of his teeth was aching so hard he could hardly
stand it. 'Oh, dear,' he moaned; 'my tooth, my poor tooth! Whatever will
I do?'
"It ached so badly for several days that he decided at last he'd go to
the dentist. Dr. Raven was considered the very best dentist. So off went
Mr. Owl to his office in the pine tree. When he arrived there he saw Dr.
Raven busily fixing Mrs. Crow's teeth. She was leaning back on a stump
of wood which Dr. Raven used as his dental chair. She had a rubber band
over her mouth and looked very miserable. It quite frightened Mr. Owl,
but he tried to be brave and sat down, put on his spectacles and began
to read one of Dr. Raven's magazines. In a few moments Mrs. Crow got out
of the chair, and Dr. Raven said, 'I'm ready for you now, Mr. Owl.' So
Mr. Owl took off his spectacles, got into Dr. Raven's chair and leaned
his head back. 'Open wide,' said Dr. Raven. Mr. Owl opened his mouth as
wide as he could, and Dr. Raven looked inside. First he looked over his
upper teeth, then over his lower teeth, and finally he began to poke at
one back tooth with such energy that Mr. Owl screamed, 'That's my sore
tooth, and you're hurting it terribly!'
"'Yes,' said Dr. Raven; 'the tooth is a wisdom tooth, and it is much
inflamed, so I'll take it out right away.' He reached for his pinchers,
but Mr. Owl said: 'If you take out my wisdom tooth I'll lose my wisdom,
and I'm known all over the world for my wisdom. I simply won't have it.'
"And before Dr. Raven had a chance to speak Mr. Owl had jumped out of
the chair and flown off. When he got home his tooth still hurt, but the
next morning it felt much better, and the next day it was all well. 'I
know what all the trouble was,' said Mr. Owl. 'I ate too much candy.
I'll never eat too much again, for I cannot lose any of my wisdom teeth
when I'm known as the wisest bird.'"
"Daddy," said Jack, "your story would be a very good one, only owls
don't have teeth." Daddy smiled, and as the children laughingly went to
bed, Evelyn said her toothache had gone.
THE SOLOIST OF THE BIRD CONCERT
[Illustration: He Sang His Song Several Times.]
The birds had begun their early morning concerts. "I know why," said
daddy. "It is because they have been practising for their opening
concert of the season which they gave this morning and which I am going
to tell you about this evening. They have been practising hard every
morning.
"The vireos, having such lovely voices and being devoted to music, got
it up and made all the arrangements. Yesterday, the day before the
concert, they scratched signs on the trees, which in the bird world
read:
"'Concert in the village park to-morrow morning at 6 o'clock. All those
who are taking part will, of course, be present. Those who are not
taking part will be invited to attend. Splendid music. Good seats.
Feature of concert to be the soloist. The name of the soloist will not
be made known until the concert.'
"All the birds were tremendously excited when they read that, for it was
all a surprise arranged by the vireos. They were the only ones who knew
who the soloist was to be. At the rehearsals even the soloist had not
appeared.
"At last the time for the concert came. All the birds were up very early
that morning, fussing to look their very best.
"Most of the birds sat around on the grass, but some of them had
reserved boxes in the trees.
"The program for the concert was delightful. The robins sang in chorus,
as did the chirping sparrows. The warblers sang quartets and duets.
Several of the chickadees gave little solos. The thrushes and the vireos
appeared many times on the program. They were encored again and again
and were greatly pleased.
"The soloist was to appear the very last. A vireo came out and announced
to the audience that the soloist, being slightly nervous, would not
stand before them and sing, but would sing from a very short distance.
"Then they heard from a neighboring tree the strange, lonely song of the
whippoorwill. He sang his song several times over, and the applause was
terrific. The birds were charmed, absolutely charmed.
"The whippoorwill was very modest and didn't see why they liked his solo
at all. He had really been very shy about appearing at the concert. But
he was encouraged by the vireos, who, as a rule, are nervous, too, when
they appear in public.
"At the conclusion of the concert a vote of thanks was given the vireos
for the crowning success of their concert and an additional vote of
thanks for their splendid soloist."
THE ROBINS OPEN A SPRING SHOP
[Illustration: The Robins Agreed It was a Good Scheme.]
"The robins, having left their warm winter home, had settled near a
great, big, lovely park," said daddy. "Now, one of the robins happened
to be a very practical old bird. He suggested that they shouldn't spend
all their time singing, especially now, before the summer came. Then he
thought it was all right to play and sing all day. But it would be nicer
now, he thought, to do a little work.
"The old robin's idea was that certain robins every morning should
start out and dig up worms, for then they could get more than they
wanted and could help supply the flocks and flocks of newcomers. Then
other robins could go into the woods and get the new little berries
that had just come up, and the rest of the robins would keep a shop in
the biggest tree of the park. All the birds would do their shopping
there in the most central place.
"All the robins agreed that it would be an excellent scheme and so much
better than idling away all their time.
"As soon as a new flock of birds would come to the park the other birds
would tell them about the shop of the robins, and off they would fly to
it. And such good things as the robins all had in their shop! It kept
them pretty busy hurrying around to get enough provisions to last for
all of their customers as well as themselves. But they thoroughly
enjoyed being so busy and decided that there was nothing in the world
like work. At night they would feel so much better than if they'd been
idle all day, and then they felt as if they had really been doing some
good, for it was a great, great help to all of the other birds. You can
imagine how they wouldn't be able to find things so quickly and they
wouldn't know right away where the softest earth was so as to dig for
the worms.
"Of course some of the early bird families did arrive as early as the
robins, but the robins were the thoughtful and unselfish ones who
thought of the other birds."
"Did they charge anything for the things they sold?" asked Jack.
"No," said daddy; "the old robin said that birds should never charge
each other anything, and, besides, they really felt that the work was
doing them good and that then they'd enjoy the summer all the more.
"And the other birds certainly did appreciate what the robins
were doing for them.
"The shop of the robins grew to be just like a daily party, for all the
birds would fly there every day just about the same time, and after they
had picked out the berries and the worms that struck their fancies
they'd stay around and chirp and chat with the robins and each other."
THE RACE BETWEEN THE SECRETARY BIRDS
[Illustration: Mongo Got Quite a Bit Ahead.]
"The secretary birds had planned to have some field races," began daddy,
"and the afternoon of the races had come. You know, the secretary birds
have very, very long thin legs. Their legs are so thin that you can
hardly see how it is they can support such big bodies, for the secretary
birds have really fat bodies.
"Well, on the afternoon of the races they all entered, and you never saw
such running in all your life! They simply went like the wind, but the
chief race of all was between one bird named Sandy and one named Mongo.
They were considered the fastest runners of all. They had raced often
and often before and had always come in a tie. But this time Mongo had
been practising very hard and had been very careful not to eat anything
to hurt his wind. Sandy had been practising every day, too, but he
thought it was absurd to give up things to eat. However, Mongo had
always heard that all athletes were very careful of their eating, and,
as he had never been able to beat Sandy yet, he was bound he would try
everything he could so as to win.
"The prize was to be a fine, great, big snake which had been captured
and killed a few days before the races were to take place."
"Do secretary birds eat snakes?" asked Evelyn.
"Yes," said daddy; "they practically live on them."
"I shouldn't think that would be nice food," added Evelyn.
"No, we don't think so," answered daddy, "but you know we eat bacon and
like it, so probably the secretary birds think it is as funny for us to
eat pigs as we do to hear of their eating snakes."
"No," said Evelyn thoughtfully, "I suppose not. They sound
so horrid, though."
At that moment Jack, who was growing very impatient, not caring what the
secretary birds ate, chimed in: "Daddy, please hurry and tell us who won
the race. I can hardly wait to hear. I am sure Mongo did, though."
"No," said Evelyn; "I think Sandy did because he wasn't such an
old fuss as Mongo."
"Well," continued daddy, "during the race all the secretary
birds shrieked in their cackling voices: 'Go it; go it! Win,
Mongo! Win, Sandy!'
"For a few moments Mongo got quite a bit ahead, but Sandy succeeded in
catching up with him, and they passed by the goal side by side.
"It was a splendid race, but it showed that Mongo and Sandy were really
absolutely evenly matched, so they gave a funny cackle, which meant a
laugh, and each, taking an end of the prize, said, 'We'll all have a
taste of the prize, as neither of us can win it.'
"So they all sat down to a very jolly supper party."
THE QUARREL BETWEEN NAUGHTY LITTLE SPARROWS
[Illustration: One Little Bird Found a Crumb.]
Jack and Evelyn had been feeding crumbs to the birds every day
for some time.
"I fancy they enjoy them pretty well, don't they?" said daddy.
"Yes; they love them," replied Evelyn.
"Do they ever scrap over who shall get a crumb first?" added daddy.
"No," said Jack; "they never seem to. They really are very cunning, and
they seem to be very friendly and get along beautifully."
"Well, you know," said daddy, "the other day I saw some birds having an
awful fight. One little sparrow had found a very big crumb and was
trying to keep it all to himself."
"Sparrows are supposed to be rather fond of fighting, aren't
they, daddy?" asked Jack.
"They do seem to be considered crosser and to have more cranky natures
than other birds. But perhaps it's because they're always around us, and
they never have a quarrel that we don't see it. But really we ought to
be very grateful to the sparrows, for we always have them with us."
"Yes; that's true," said Evelyn. "And they're plucky little creatures,
too, never minding bad weather, not even the very worst. But do tell us
more about the fight, daddy."
"Another little sparrow," continued daddy, "was furious when he saw the
selfishness of the first sparrow. He completely lost his temper. He
flew at the first little sparrow and hit him with his wings just as
hard as ever he could.
"Then a number of sparrows came and joined in the fight. Some took the
side of the first sparrow and some of the second sparrow.
"It really might have been quite a serious battle had not an old
sparrow stepped in and pitched his voice way up in the air. He simply
shrieked at the sparrows.
"'Stop; stop at once!' he cried.
"All the sparrows stopped at once, for they were very much afraid of the
old sparrow. He was quite their leader, and, though he was a very jolly
old soul and would enter into all their sports, still he was quite
strict.
"'Aren't you ashamed of yourselves, all of you,' he continued--'you,
little first sparrow, for being so selfish, and you, little second one,
for losing your temper, and the rest of you for joining in?'
"And all the little sparrows hung their heads in shame, and they then
and there promised the old sparrow that they would never again be greedy
and selfish nor would they fight.
"The old sparrow then looked very much relieved, for it always made him
very unhappy when the sparrows were naughty."
THE SUCCESSFUL CONCERT OF THE CHICKADEES
[Illustration: One Little Chickadee Sang a Solo.]
Evelyn was very fond of little chickadees, and she was so
pleased when daddy said that he was going to tell them a story
about them that evening.
"You know," commenced daddy, "the chickadees had a concert the other
evening for the other birds. They sent out invitations on petals of
flowers, and on the petals they made little holes with their beaks. They
made six holes, meaning that the concert would begin at 6 o'clock.
Exactly at 6 they all arrived.
"They were all invited to perch on the nearby apple tree and pear tree,
and the chickadees hopped about on the grass below.
"Then the concert began. First one little chickadee sang a very sweet
little solo, which won a great deal of applause.
"The choruses were enjoyed tremendously, too, and the refrain of
'chickadee-dee-dee' was lovely, the other birds thought.
"But, as you can imagine, the chickadee knew that it was the fashion to
have special features at concerts or at least one special feature.
"So as a surprise, just before the last number, which was a chorus
of all the chickadees, a special feature was announced by the
leader of the concert.
"'We are to have,' said the chickadee leader, 'a different number from
any other on the program.'
"At this all the birds looked at one another with astonishment.
"'We are to have,' the chickadee leader continued, 'a ballet.'
"Now, the birds knew that in 'really real' grand opera there is usually
a ballet, but to have one at their concert was wonderful.
"But before they had time to talk about it out came all the little
chickadees, dancing and hopping and wearing little wreaths of flowers
about their necks. Each carried a little flower in his beak, and every
flower was of a different color.
"For some time they danced in and out of a little circle which they
made. They received constant applause.
"It was something new and different to have a ballet dance at the
concert. The birds were very much impressed with the chickadees for
being so up to date.
"The chickadees were delighted that their concert had been such a
success, for, as a matter of fact, they had been rather nervous in
getting up a concert when the other birds had given such beautiful
ones during the spring. They knew that their voices were not at all
lovely, but the birds had wanted to hear them, and now the chickadees
were very, very happy."
THE COLONY OF STARLINGS GIVE A BALL
[Illustration: They Took Little Flying Trips.]
The birds gave concerts early every morning and sometimes, too, they
would give an extra one just after the sun went down in the afternoon.
Jack and Evelyn loved to hear the birds sing, and they told daddy that
they were really learning to know the various songs of the different
birds.
"I have meant for some time," said daddy, "to tell you a story about a
ball the starlings gave some time ago. Now the starlings are not
singers. They can only chirp and twitter, but they love music and enjoy
hearing all the other birds. They are great friends with the robins,
and when they suggested giving a ball the robins were at once ready to
help them with it."
"I don't believe we know what starlings are. We may have seen them and
not have known what they were," said Jack.
"Starlings," continued daddy, "are about the same size as robins. They
are black, or they appear to be black. In reality their feathers look
different colors in different lights. But they usually appear black, as,
of course, they don't come so very near to people. They are not nearly
so tame as the robins. They have yellow beaks. And another thing about
them is that they are very fond of their own kind. They travel always in
huge flocks, for they love to be together.
"But to continue about the ball. The starlings said that they would like
to give a party, and the robins thought it was an excellent plan.
"So invitations were sent out to all the other birds around. And they
all accepted with great pleasure.
"Ever so many were invited. There were the chickadees, the song
sparrows, the chipping sparrows, the orioles, the thrushes, and
even the catbirds were asked.
"Of course, great preparations were made for the ball. The robins said
that they would give the music, for, of course, the starlings couldn't
have a ball without music.
"And you should have seen the birds dancing. They danced until they were
completely out of breath. The robins sang lovely waltzes and they
whistled for the jigs.
"Then, when the starlings thought that their guests had had enough of
the dancing, they suggested that they should all have some supper. They
had their supper served in little moss cups for each bird, and it did
taste so good out of such a dainty, pretty cup."
"I suppose they had little worms, didn't they?" asked Evelyn.
"Yes, indeed," said daddy, "but that is what they think is delicious."
ROBIN REDBREAST'S AND MISS ROBIN'S WEDDING
[Illustration: In a Few Minutes Mr. Robin Came.]
"Little Miss Robin was preening her feathers and smoothing them down,
for it was the 14th of February and she had received a valentine.
Naturally she was very much excited, and she looked at her reflection
as she stood over the brook.
"'Yes,' she said to herself, 'I am looking well to-day. I do hope Mr.
Robin Redbreast will think so too. My, what a fine bird he is! And, oh,
how lucky I am to have received a valentine from him!'
"Now Mr. Robin Redbreast for a long time had admired Miss Robin and
thought she was the most beautiful bird he'd ever seen. And so he began
to get his valentine ready 'way back in the autumn when the trees had
turned red. He would fly from tree to tree and spend hours each day
looking for the most beautiful and perfect leaf, and he wanted it to be
a real crimson color. At last he found it and put it away in his nest,
very carefully covering it over with moss and straw to keep it well
protected and so it wouldn't fade or shrivel up at the ends. Then a few
days before Valentine's day he got a little stick which he stuck through
the red leaf, which he had pecked off into the shape of a heart, and
this was the valentine he sent to Miss Robin. Of course the stick was to
mean that his heart had been pierced by love.
"Mr. Robin Redbreast sent his valentine by a messenger, and then he
waited what seemed hours to him before he went to call on Miss Robin,
and it seemed hours to Miss Robin, too, who had smoothed her feathers
so many times.
"At last Miss Robin heard him singing the most beautiful song, with such
high notes it seemed as if they almost reached the sky. And, oh, how
proud Miss Robin was to feel that such a beautiful singer was to be her
mate!
"In a few moments Mr. Robin Redbreast came in sight and stood before her
by the brook. Miss Robin was all of a flutter with joy and nervousness.
"'I've come,' said Mr. Robin Redbreast, 'to ask you if you'll be my wife
and come to my new nest in the apple tree.'
"And then he sang another little song.
"'I would love to, I would love to!' chirped Miss Robin.
"'We'll be married to-day, then,' said Mr. Robin Redbreast, 'for I've
invited the guests.'
"Then he gave a long call. At that, from far and near, countless robins
flew down and hovered around.
"Mr. Robin Redbreast and his bride flew to the branch of a nearby tree,
and all the others perched about them singing such merry, happy songs.
"And then they all went back to Mr. Robin Redbreast's nest, where a
banquet awaited them of fat, juicy worms."
THE TAME CANARY BIRD AND HIS MISTRESS
[Illustration: He Walked on Her Hand.]
Daddy had heard that afternoon the story of a very tame canary bird.
The little girl who owned the bird, and who was a friend of Jack and
Evelyn, had told daddy about her little pet. So when daddy got home in
the evening he was ready at once to tell the story of the little bird.
"I am going to tell you about the little bird Elizabeth has. Her daddy
gave him to her several weeks ago, and he is just as tame as tame can
be," said daddy. "She has named him Bubsie, and he knows his name too,
for whenever she calls 'Bubsie!' he replies with a little 'Peep, peep!'
"Every morning, bright and early, he wakes up and begins to sing the
most beautiful songs. He sings so steadily that Elizabeth says it is a
surprise to her that he doesn't burst his little throat.
"After Elizabeth gets up she always gives him a little piece of apple
before she begins her breakfast. She puts it on her finger between two
wires of the cage, and he hops right over on his little bar and takes
it from her finger.
"The next thing is his bath, which he takes soon after breakfast. He
loves that. He spatters the water about and has just the best time in
the world. He acts as if it were the most wonderful game. After his bath
he has a treat of delicious lettuce to eat, and then he sits in the sun
and smoothes down his feathers.
"In his cage there is a swing, and he swings on it and hops from one
perch to the other. In fact, he has a fine romp. He usually does this
right after his bath, for then he feels so energetic.
[Illustration: "IN THE AFTERNOONS ELIZABETH LETS HIM OUT OF HIS
CAGE."--_Page 44_]
"In the afternoons Elizabeth lets him out of his cage. Of course she
sees first that there are no windows up or doors ajar before she opens
the door of the cage. When the cage door is open Bubsie flies out and
makes a tour of the room. How he does enjoy flying around and
perching back of the different pictures and on the window-sill. The
thing he likes more than anything else is to play with Elizabeth. He
perches on her shoulder and walks around on her hand. And he loves to
tease her too, for if there are any flowers in the room he will fly over
to them, peck at them and begin munching at them. Then he won't let
Elizabeth catch him. He thinks this a huge joke, and he always flies to
some high spot in the room and begins to sing.
"Elizabeth told me any number of tales of the tricks that he does, but
she told me to invite you two children to come and see her, and then she
promises you that Bubsie will entertain you."
"Oh, that's fine!" said Evelyn. "Do you suppose we can go to-morrow?"
"Yes, I think so," said daddy, "for, as a matter of fact, I believe I
told her to expect you both to-morrow."
"Hurrah!" shouted the children. "You always think of such nice things
for us to do."
THE PET BIRD OF THE WARD
[Illustration: The Bird Sat on His Hand.]
"Well," said daddy, "I suppose you are ready for your story, and this
evening I am going to tell you about a little boy I saw as I passed by a
ward in a hospital I was visiting to-day."
Jack and Evelyn sat up and listened eagerly, as they loved to hear about
other little boys and girls.
"This little boy," daddy continued, "was in the bed nearest the door I
passed, and I noticed him particularly because on a table near his bed
was a large cage containing a small yellow canary bird. I asked the
nurse if pets were allowed in the ward and why this little boy
especially wanted a bird. She told me that the little boy was an orphan
and had been brought into the hospital one day, having been run over by
a motorcycle. He was very much injured, and they expected he would die
any minute. He was brave and scarcely moaned, but whenever the nurse
would stop by his bed he would beg her to send for his bird, which was
at the orphans' home. The nurse gently would explain that pets were not
allowed in the hospital. One night his fever became very high, and in
his rambling talk he begged for his canary. The doctor, who was a very
kind-hearted man, told the nurse to send for the bird, as the little boy
would not live more than a few days, and if the bird would give him such
great happiness they might be able to break a rule in his case.
"So the bird was sent for, and instead of dying the little boy began to
grow better each day, and the bird's singing entertained and gave
pleasure to the other patients in the ward. The bird was very tame, and
when the little boy opened the cage door he would hop out and over the
bed-quilt and perch on the little boy's hand.
"The canary made friends with every one. He was not at all afraid of the
grave doctors who came in every little while to see how the sick people
were getting along. Especially was he friendly with the little boy's
nurse, who fed him lumps of sugar.
"I stepped inside the room and asked the little boy how long he had had
the bird. 'Oh,' he said, 'a lady who came to visit the orphans' home
gave him to me when I was ill in bed with mumps! That was six years ago,
and he has been such a friend to me ever since. His name is Mumps, too,
as I thought his chest looked as fat as my cheeks, and the name has
always clung to him. He adores flowers, and whenever a patient has any,
Mumps flies over and pulls off the petals and eats them.'"
"Oh," said Evelyn as daddy paused, "I wish I could have a canary!"
"Well, maybe I'll bring you one to-morrow," replied daddy.
"And I'll help you feed him," said Jack.
THE EAGLE'S PRIDE AS THE BIRD OF FREEDOM
[Illustration: The Eagle Was Flying Overhead.]
Of course, as you can imagine, Jack and Evelyn had been buying all
sorts and all sizes of firecrackers.
"I think the Fourth of July is my favorite holiday of the whole
year," said Jack.
"Yes," said Evelyn, "so do I, except possibly Christmas and
our birthdays."
"I suppose," said daddy, "that you two children will be up bright and
early to-morrow morning, and I have my very great suspicions that your
clothes are all ready to be put on in the morning instead of having to
waste any time in thinking what you will wear.
"I hardly think I had better tell a story to-night," said daddy, "for
you two ought to get some sleep. I am afraid by the time I finish you
may suggest that instead of it being the time for going to bed it is the
time for getting up."
"Oh, no," said both the children. "Please tell us a little story."
"Yes," said daddy, "I don't believe I can let a single night go by
without a story, not even the Fourth of July eve.
"Well, once upon a time--"
"Daddy," chimed in Jack, "I never heard you begin a story that way
before."
"You see, this is a special occasion, so I am allowed these favors.
"But, to continue, there was once a great big eagle who was flying
overhead on the Fourth of July, and when he saw all the firecrackers
going off and heard all the noise and saw the parade with the flags
flying and the band playing, he said:
"'To think that I belong to the family that is taken as the
representative of all that. I mean freedom and liberty and all those
wonderful things. My great-great-grandfathers may not have fought for
freedom as the great-great-grandfathers of the little boys and girls
who are to-day firing off firecrackers did, but they flew overhead and
said to the winds, which whispered it to the soldiers:
"'"The eagles are free--you must be free." And the soldiers whispered
back to the winds:
"'"Yes, as the eagles are free in the air above, so will we be free on
this land below."'
"So, no wonder the eagle is more than proud of being the bird of freedom
and the emblem of the United States."
WHAT THE BIRDS THOUGHT OF THE FOURTH OF JULY
[Illustration: They Fired Them Off Quickly.]
It was the day after the Fourth of July, and daddy told the children
that he must surely tell them about the little birds and what they
thought of the wonderful Independence Day.
"Didn't they like it?" asked Evelyn.
"No," said daddy. "They were not so very happy yesterday, but I will
tell you all about it, for it is quite a long story.
"You see, some of the older birds knew what the Fourth of July meant.
They thought it was splendid to belong to such a fine, free country
during all the other days of the year, but on the Fourth of July they
did not feel so patriotic. They would have liked it very much if all the
little boys and girls had sung songs, but the noise of the firecrackers
they thought was most disturbing.
"There were no places where they could go that they didn't find children
with firecrackers. Even in front of the farm-houses the children seemed
to have firecrackers enough to last them for years.
"The old birds decided that if they went way off in the woods for the
day they might get away from all the noise, so they planned to start
before dawn. They went, but at the first place they thought of stopping
and giving a nice little bird concert, they found a picnic party of
children. They waited for a moment until the children unpacked their
baskets. But the goodies were not nearly so numerous as the
firecrackers.
"So the birds moved on again, and again they found a picnic party and
were at a loss what to do.
"The old birds were grumbling and making every one around feel just as
'grumbly' as they were, when a little song sparrow, who had been keeping
very quiet during all the fuss, said: