184 • lli.isissippi Valley Horticultural Society. 



The blackbird comes soon after the robin. He is not a favorite bird, but 

 he has a mission to perform, and he does it Avell. He devours myriads of in- 

 sects. His food consists largely of spiders, beetles and larvte. They are very 

 social birds, and the only polygamists, I believe among our Northern birds. 

 They build poor nests, and as they dislike the cares of life, sometimes deposit 

 eggs in the nests of other birds. 



Of sparrows we have many varieties. They are a very interesting family 

 of birds. Most of them are early comers. The chipping sparrow, or hair 

 bird, is the most common. They are so familiar that we can nearly ap- 

 proach them on the ground, but if we take a look at the beautiful speckled 

 eggs when the old ones are in sight the nest is deserted and the eggs de- 

 stroyed. The only exceptional case I have ever known was at the home of 

 President J. M. Smith, of Wisconsin. In the vines that covered his porch a 

 pair of sparrows had chosen their home. The old birds came in and out of 

 the vines with perfect freedom, although busy feet were passing to and fro- 

 all day. Many times we were within a yard of the nest, but the mother bird 

 showed not the least sign of disquietude. I found birds' nests abounding in 

 this charmed spot. A phebe bird had built under a little bridge; ground 

 birds were hatching in the strawberry beds, and over them shields con- 

 structed to keep the berry pickers from treading upon the young birds. 

 Other nests had been transferred by the men to more favorable quarters, and 

 from a nest in the eaves an old bird looked complacently down upon us 

 among the pines, and while attending to her maternal duties seemed to be 

 listening with us to the eloquent words spoken on that eventful day. These 

 birds paid daily for their keeping, not only by destroying obnoxious and in- 

 jurious insects, but by giving sweet song, grace and beauty to the world about 

 them. Perhajis St. Guthlac meant such as these when he said, " Know ye 

 not th:it he who hath his life according to God's will, to him the Avild beasts- 

 and wild birds draw most near." 



No bird is so strongly associated with my early childhood as the song spar- 

 row. That sweet religious song, I seem to hear it now, as I heard it those 

 years ago on the banks of a swift flowing river; sometimes the song will be 

 repeated the same for a hundred times, then will begin variations most nu- 

 merous. These birds dress alike in russet and gray, and come to us very 

 early in the spring. 



The white-throated sparrow calls upon us for about two weeks in the early 

 spring, and again in the autumn, and while they remain are brim full of 

 frolic and song. Many of their notes are like the song sparrows. They nest 

 in the far North. 



The vesper sparrow has a song never to be forgotton by the bird lover. 

 The notes are soft, sweet, plaintive and fiute-like, and it ends with trills and 

 quivers. This bird sings most sweetly after sunset— hence the name of ves- 

 per sparrow. One night, as the shades began to gather in the pine woods of 

 the far North, a vesper sparrow began to sing, another answered, then the 

 song was taken up by voices far and near over hill and valley. Just at this 



