390 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [12:9— Dec, 1916 



the well known call, "Kruuk-kruuk," Friend Friend, is heard 

 from the highest point of a great pine tree, she wings her way 

 across the road and flutters around Miss Mary in a transport of 

 joy. She is once more in hand, what is to be done ! It takes but 

 a moment to decide; she is carried back to the cage in the lilac- 

 tree, and the door is left open, she eats some bread and milk, takes 

 a bath, then away she flies into the garden! Some days she is so 

 busy in the fields and orchards she almost forgets to return, but 

 one may see her coming back every evening to her supper and to 

 the maple-tree in front of the Friend's door, where she spends the 

 night. "Kruuk, te-de, tweet," she calls from the shrubbery near 

 the house, Friend, let Tee Dee come in. "No, Tee Dee must live 

 out of doors and be a wild bird," is the reply. 



Occasionally she has a bird party and treats her guests to 

 crumbs; the blue-bird and the wren, the chick-a-dee and the nut- 

 hatch are sure to be there; once Mrs. Vireo came and brought her 

 four little ones. 



There comes a day when Tee Dee returns oftener than usual, 

 she eats as she never ate before, each feather is oiled and laid in 

 place, she lingers long at the cage door looking around as if 

 undecided, but at length flies to her tree, in the morning she is 

 nowhere to be seen nor can any other oriole be found. 



Sweet bird! In all flower-land to which you have gone, there 

 will be no rarer gem than your own beautiful self. Next May, 

 when Spring has trimmed your tree with tender green come back 

 and bring your mate with you, sit on its bough and sing to us 

 the story of your wandering during your long absence. 



Almost a year has passed and it is ten o'clock in the morning, 

 Miss Mary is writing at her desk, she hears the twitter of a bird 

 and looks toward the snow-berry bush. What does she see? 

 Can that be Tee Dee feeding her baby oriole? Several persons 

 who knew Tee Dee and are interested in bird life are called to 

 witness. "Certainly it is she for what other bird would come to 

 that same bush and that same tree, she is not the lea t bit afraid," 

 they say. What a diligent mother ! At short intervals she returns 

 to feed the downy one, it remains on that same twig all of the 

 morning and then moves into a maple bough that overhangs the 

 bush, there it stays until the sun goes down and in the after-glow 

 the mother leads her to the old time resting place and hides her 

 under the leaves. 



