AROUND THE OLD BARN 177 



" I was looking at the Barn Swallows most of the 

 time," he answered, " and thinking there must be a 

 good many different cousins in their family ; then I 

 went down to the pasture and saw a bird I never 

 noticed before, who flew over from the potato field and 

 went into a tliorn bush. He was bigger than a Robin 

 and had a thick head and beak. He was black and 

 white on top, but wdien lie went by I saw he had a 

 beautiful spot on the breast like a shield — sort of pink 

 red, the color of raspberries, you know." 



" That was the Rose-breasted Grosbeak," said the 

 Doctor. " Xow, we have pockets full of material for 

 bird stories, — enough to last a week. By the time 

 you have heard about these six birds and some of their 

 near relations, such as the Butcher Bird, you will have 

 been introduced to the chief of the Birds that Sing and 

 be on the way to those that only Croak and Call. We 

 will begin with Dodo's 'Talking Bird.'" 



THE RED-EYED VIREO 

 (The Talker) 



" This bird is the most popular member of his family 

 — and he has twenty brothers, all living in North 

 America." 



"Isn't he a Warbler?" asked Rap. "I always 

 thought he was one, for he fusses round the trees the 

 same as they do, though of course he has much more of 

 a song." 



" He belongs to a family of his own, but yours was an 

 easy mistake to make, for the difference is not readily 

 seen except in the beak, and you have to look at that 



N 



