6 CITIZEN BIRD 



' Cousin Nat, father won't let you shoot birds here or 

 do anything to frighten them away, for he loves them 

 and has spent half his life watching them and learning 

 their ways, and they have grown so fearless hereabouts 

 that they are like friends.' 



*' But Nat said, ' Do let me shoot some, Cousin Olive. 

 I don't see why Uncle Roy likes them. What good 

 are birds anyway? They only sit in the street and 

 say "chuck, chuck, chuck" all day long.' 



" ' You say that because you have always lived in the 

 city and the only birds you have watched are the Eng- 

 lish Sparrows, who are really as disagreeable as birds 

 can possibly be,' said the big girl; 'but here you wdll 

 see all the beautiful wild birds.' 



" Then the little girl said, ' Why, brother, }-ou always 

 loved our Canary I ' 



" ' Yes, but he is different; he is nice and yellow, and 

 he knows something and sings too like everything; he 

 isn't like these common tree birds.' " 



"Common tree birds indeed! " shrieked the Catbird. 



" That is what the boy called us," said the Chimney 

 Swift, who then went on with his story about what he 

 had heard the children say. 



" 'Why you silly dear! ' cried the big girl, laughing 

 a sweet little laugh like the Bobolink's song, ' that only 

 proves how little you know about wild birds. Plenty 

 of tliem are more brightly colored than your Canary, 

 and some of those that wear tlie plainest feathers sing 

 more beautifully than all the Canaries and cage birds in 

 the world. Tliis summer, when you have made friends 

 with these wild l)irds, and they have let you see their 

 homes and learn their secrets, you will make up your 



