40 NEWS FROM THE BIRDS. 



a tall tree and sings his piercing melody, is no 

 indication that he builds his nest on trees, any 

 more than it is an indication that the flicker 

 builds on the ground because he often goes 

 prancing about in the grassy fields. 



Have you read Mrs. Margaret E. Sangster's 

 beautiful poem, The Building of the Nest ? 

 Flow your blood never so sluggishly, it will 

 quicken its pace if you read this stanza: 



They'll come again to the aj^ple tree — 



Robin and all the rest — 

 When the orchard branches are fair to see 



In the snow of the blossoms dressed, 

 And the prettiest thing in the \Yorld will be 



The building of the nest. 



It takes human children several years to 

 learn to help themselves to their food, but 

 bird children learn it in a few weeks. Does 

 that prove that birds are smarter than ]3eo23le ? 

 Perhaps it would not be safe to say that, but 

 still it is true that, while birds have not so 

 much to learn in life as people have, they learn 

 their lessons much more quickly. 



Queer — isn't it? — what devices Nature 

 makes use of for carrying on her work in all 

 the various parts of her domain. No sooner 

 has the little bird got well out of the shell 

 than it begins to open its mouth as wide as it 



