Chapter XVI 

 IN THE ORCHARD 



"I once knew all the birds that came 

 And nested in our orchard trees, 

 For every flower I had a name — 

 My friends were woodchucks, toads, and bees; 

 I knew where thrived in yonder glen 

 What plants would soothe a stone-bruised toe — 

 Oh I was very learned then. 

 But that was very long ago." 



— Eugene Field. 



To many of our feathered friends there are 

 few places more attractive than an orchard, if 

 its location be somewhat secluded, and the tree- 

 tops thick enough to afford good shelter. Dur- 

 ing the spring migration the weary travelers 

 halt here for food and rest; as the nesting season 

 approaches many seek its friendly shade as a 

 suitable situation in which to rear their young; 

 in autumn, with the coming of the time for the 

 southward march again, it is a favorite rallying 

 place for the families of the neighborhood while 

 making ready for the journey. 



Here, too, during the late summer and early 

 fall may be seen many strangers that nested 

 in the Far North, in distant Labrador, or on the 

 shores of Hudson Bay, leisurely working their 

 way back to winter homes in sunnier climes. 

 At this time there is little evidence of the haste 

 which marked their northward passage, for the 



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