A TRIBE OF WEED WARRIORS 241 



give them the care they need. Put the cage under 

 those bushes, Nat. 



" I began by asking, Where do we find this bird ? 

 Living in Florida in sunshine, among the shady red- 

 woods of Kentucky, and in all the bitterness of our 

 northern winters. He varies his habits to suit his sur- 

 roundings, and roves about after the nesting season ; in 

 mild climates he sings for six months of the year — 

 from March until August. But one of the strangest 

 things about him is that he wanders most when the 

 trees are bare and he can be so easily seen that hun- 

 dreds of his kind are shot for their gay feathers, or 

 trapped to sell alive for cage birds. When snow is on 

 the ground he is very conspicuous." 



'' Why doesn't he get into evergreens or cedar 

 bushes ? " asked Rap. 



" He does when he can and often sings when so 

 hidden; but he is not a very quick-witted bird and 

 seems to move awkwardly, as if his topknot were as 

 heavy as a drum major's bearskin. 



'' But no one can find fault with his song ; it first 

 rings out loud like a shout, then ends as clearly as the 

 bubbling of the stream near which he likes best to 

 live — ' Cheo-cheo-chehoo-cheo-qr-qr-qrr-r-r.' " 



"Isn't it time to let them out?" whispered Dodo. 

 "Mrs. Cardinal is coughing again dreadfully I " 



"In a moment. Turn the cage sideways, Nat, so 

 that we can watch them through the bushes — so, and 

 please keep quite still. Now, Dodo, open the little door 

 — carefully." 



For two or three minutes there was perfect silence. 

 Four young people squeezed behind a tree, and a Wise 



