178 



Till'. (HTDK TO NATURE 



Constancy in Bird Life. 



She lias come again to occupy the 

 little weather-beaten house on the 

 arbor. I heard the ecstatic song, which 

 I think no male house wren ever gave 

 with greater unction, and saw the tiny 

 wings Hit by— they had just passed 

 from the doorway of her little mansion. 

 At first there was a hope that she had 

 not. this season, come alone, but that 

 somewhere a little mate were in the 

 back-ground. This, however, was a 

 delusive hope. 



The spring of 1908 was the season 

 of tragedy in the life of the little house 

 wren : her mate was lost to her ; we will 

 never know the circumstances through 

 which his little life drifted out, but 

 we know that she came alone to the 

 wren-box ; renewed the nest within it ; 

 laid the usual number of eggs, which, 

 being unfertile, never hatched. 



Xo male ever sung more eloquent 

 songs : no little mother ever brooded 

 over eggs with greater constancy: and 

 so spring passed, and summer; only 

 the autumn-breath drove her from her 

 nest on the post — though all her hope 

 was unfulfilled — to take refuge in a 

 milder climate. 



Here was constancy indeed, but, in 

 1909, a new nest was woven in the 

 wren-box; a new set of sterile eggs 

 was laid, and the old ecstatic songs 

 were heard among the alders. Con- 

 stant to the little mate of the past, she 

 came again alone ; constant in hope, as 

 in the past, she brooded over the sterile 

 eggs till summer and autumn had 

 passed, and again the little wings 

 drifted away alone. 



Was ever love and hope more con- 

 stant, or was there ever a little bird- 

 home of more pathetic story, though 

 echoing through a long period of days, 

 the music of ecstatic song? 



The Little Tired Loon. 



BY HARRIET H. BREWSTER, SUMMIT, N. J. 



It was a bright August morning on 

 the Rangeleys. One passenger took 

 the early boat on Lake Mooselucme- 

 guntie north from Bemis, and, from the 

 vantage point of the pilot house, en- 

 joyed the beauty of lake, wood and 



mountain, and the captain's hospitality. 



All around the lake were dense 

 woods, except where blackened trunks 

 and hare rucks told the dreary story of 

 forest tires. A tinge of yellow in the 

 birches gave a hint of coming autumn. 

 ( )IV to the north a dashing light on 

 .Mount Aziscohos showed that lookout 

 was kept there for forest fires. 



As we steamed through the narrow 

 channel by Toothaker Island, the cap- 

 tain pointed out a loon, with its little 

 one, swimming steadily along parallel 

 with the course of the boat. For sev- 

 eral minutes they kept their course, 

 instead of diving as loons usually do 

 when frightened. Then the little one 

 grew tired. Jumping on the shoulder 

 of the large bird, it rode comfortably 

 on until they were lost to our sight in 

 the shadows near the shore. 



More Observations of Mice. 



BY NELLIE B. PENDERGAST, DULUTH, 

 MINNESOTA. 



I give them water in an old ink-well. 

 It is rather deep, and I was afraid 

 some of the tiny ones might tip into it 

 sometime when the water was low in 

 the well, and be unable to scramble 

 back up the slippery sides, so put a 

 small pebble in the bottom of the well. 

 Twice when I had forgotten to fill it 

 up, I found the mice had removed the 

 stone to get the last drop of water, and 

 the third time they evidently came to 

 the conclusion that the stone in some 

 way interfered with the water supply, 

 as they removed it so far that I could 

 not find it again. 



Did you ever see a person who was 

 afraid of fire arms try to shoot a gun 

 or revolver? They will grasp it tightly, 

 aim it carefully — but ten to one they'll 

 shut their eyes just as they pull the 

 trigger. And there are others. I have 

 taught many mice to eat out of my 

 hand, and just at that critical time 

 when they are still afraid, but had 

 decided to take the risk, nine out of ten 

 of them would creep very cautiously, 

 nearer and nearer, till, just as they got 

 within reach of the tempting morsel, 

 they would shut their eyes tight and 

 take a bite. 



