256 HOMING WITH THE BIRDS 



"Spring o' year! Spring o' year! " larks cried overhead. 

 " Wet ! Wet ! Wet ! " the gaudy flickers said. 

 "I'll never finish plowing!" cried the discouraged fellow. 

 "What a pity! What a pity!" wailed a bird with throat of 

 yellow. 



" Yankey ! Yankey ! Yank ! Yank ! Yank ! " jeered a nut- 

 hatch grey. 



"Hire old Sam Peabody! Old Sam Peabody!" Bob heard a 

 sparrow say. 



"T'check! T'check! T'check!" came the blackbird's pert 

 refrain : 



"Phoebe'll never have a man who's scared of a little rain." 



"Cheer up! Cheer up! Cheer up, dearie!" the robins sang 



to Bob; 

 "Cheer up, dearie! Cheer up, dearie! we'll help you with 



the job." 

 "Shuck it! Shuck it! Sow it! Sow it!" advised a bird of 



brown ; 

 "Plow it! Plow it! Hoe it! Hoe it! Go it! Hoe it 



down!" 



"Bob, Bob White!" the unseen quail whistled from the 



clover. 

 "I'm plowing," answered Robert, to the saucy mocking rover. 

 "Phoebe! Phoebe! Phoebe!" sweet the pewee cried. 

 "She's coming down the lane," the happy Bob replied. 



"Witchery! Witchery! Witchery!" sang a warbler gay. 

 "She has me worse bewitched," said Bob, "every blessed 



day." 

 "Come to me! Come to me!" intoned a woodland thrush. 

 "Come to me! Come to me!" Bob echoed with a blush. 



