BIRDS ABOUT THE HOUSE. 171 



three kinds of strings, strips of cloth used in tying 

 up grapevines, shavings from a neighbor's sho[), a 

 piece of cornstalk, a small quantity of cotton, bits 

 of paper evidently from my study, straw, thread 

 and horsehair. The bird certainly was a practical 

 architect, and built her house for use and not for 

 beauty. 



A sad tragedy occurred one day in the same 

 spring. A boy's kite having lodged on the roof 

 of the house, a loop of the cord hung over the 

 eaves, held firmly above at each end. Somehow a 

 robin got entangled in this cord, and was seen 

 dangling by its neck and one foot, still struggling 

 to get free. A ladder was quickly procured, while 

 a member of the family rushed upstairs with a 

 pole, hoping to break the cord through the window ; 

 but the poor bird wrenched its foot loose before it 

 could be reached, causing the string to tighten 

 about its neck, and thus it was literally hung be- 

 fore our eyes. Our neighbors and ourselves felt 

 very sad over the tragedy, and the children sol- 

 emnly buried the dead bird in the back yard. It 

 seemed too bad that an innocent robin should have 

 to be hung like a criminal. 



Besides the robins, I have been much interested 

 in a pair of bluebirds which took a fancy to my 



