4 THE FIRST BOOK OF BIRDS 
know that summer is coming, for these are the 
first birds of spring. 
Day after day, as the snow melts away and 
the sunshine grows hotter, more birds will come. 
One day a catbird or two, another day an oriole 
in black and gold, and another day a peri little 
wren. So it will go on, till by the time June 
comes in, all our birds will be back with us, very 
busy, hopping around in our bushes and trees, 
making their nests all about, and singing the 
whole day long. 
Almost the first thing every bird thinks of, 
when he comes to us, is making the nest. For 
summer is the only time in his life that a bird 
has a home. 
He does not need a house to live in. He 
cares nothing for a roof to cover him, because 
when the sun is hot, he has the broad green 
leaves on the trees to shade him. And when it 
rains his neat feather coat is like a waterproof 
that lets the drops run off, leaving him warm 
and dry under it. 
He does not need a dining-room, because he 
eats wherever he finds his food, and he wants no 
kitchen, because he prefers his food raw. 
He has no use for a bedroom, because he can 
sleep on any twig; the whole world is his bed- 
room. 
