3860 GRAY LADY AND THE BIRDS 
fully now when the birds are building, and associate the 
various nests with the birds that build them, in autumn, 
when the young have flown, you can collect many of these 
nests and study their beautiful workmanship. But pray 
keep your hands off them while they are in use, for it is 
not being either kind or polite to meddle. 
“How do you think your mother would feel if some- 
body climbed in at the window and tumbled up your 
baby brother’s crib, perhaps spilling him out on the floor, 
or at least frightening him badly, in order to find out if he 
slept on a mattress or a feather bed, or if the crib itself 
was made of wood or metal? 
“At the time of the spring migration the birds that 
have been living in flocks all winter put on fresh feathers, 
and court and separate into pairs just as people do when 
they marry and begin housekeeping. Naturally they feel 
very happy, and have a great deal to say to each other, 
and this is what makes birds break into song when the 
spring comes to give them new life. 
“Though some few females can sing, it is the males who 
make the beautiful music that we hear in the spring 
mornings. The female is too busy with her housekeeping 
to do more than answer, but her husband’s song cheers 
her while she is brooding, and he probably tells her how 
pretty her new feathers are, and how much he loves her, too. 
“Among our gayly coloured birds, unlike people, it is 
the male who wears the brightest clothes. You have 
heard of this all through our fall and winter lessons, and 
you have seen the difference in pictures; now that the 
birds themselves have come, you will have a chance to 
see how well youremember, and if you can name the birds 
