308 GRAY LADY AND THE BIRDS 
criminals is not a matter for the people in general to decide 
and put in execution. 
“Yes, boys,” Gray Lady continued, “I wish every one 
would feel responsible in this matter. No farmer will 
raise more poultry or calves or colts than he can feed 
and then turn them loose to either starve or prey upon 
his neighbours. Why, then, should he allow his cats to 
straggle about and kill the song-birds that even much 
money cannot buy or replace? But come, we must go 
on; the others will be wondering where we are. 
“T want you all to look at something at the lane end, — 
that great beech tree with the gray streaked trunk. Do 
you see the sunbeams playing checkers on the bark, this 
side? Do you know what this means? I will tell you. 
It means that the tide of winter is turning toward spring, 
that February is here. We should not know it unless we 
looked at the day in the calendar. It is quite as cold as 
it has been all through the winter, but the days are growing 
longer, and now, once more, the sun slips by the barn in 
the morning and lies upon the beech trunk that has 
been in shadow all winter long. 
“My father showed me this when I was a child; and 
whenever I grew tired of winter, the earth seemed dead, 
and it seemed as if spring would never come back, he would 
say, ‘Go up the lane and see if the sun’s message is written 
on the beech tree.’ So, while it is still winter here, down 
in the South the flocks of Robins and Song Sparrows and 
Bluebirds are reading the sun’s message, and, far away 
as spring seems, they are planning their return. Mean- 
while we have the brave winter birds to keep us cheerful. 
See the flock of Juncoes alighting yonder. They are as 
