142 Birds Every Child Should Know 



travelling northward, pause to rest in the 

 marshes. Wholesale courting takes place short- 

 ly after and every red-wing in a black uniform 

 chooses one of the plain, streaked, matter-of- 

 fact birds for his mate. The remainder con- 

 tinue their unmaidenly journey in search of 

 husbands, whom they find waiting in cheerful 

 readiness in almost any marsh. By the first 

 of May all have settled down to home life. 



Then how constant are the rich, liquid, 

 sweet o-ka-lee notes of the red-wing! Ever 

 in foolish fear for the safety of his nest, he 

 advertises its whereabouts in musical head- 

 lines from the top of the nearest tree, or circles 

 around it on fluttering wings above the sedges, 

 or chucks at any trespasser near it until one 

 might easily torture him by going straight to 

 its site. 



But how short-lived is this excessive devo- 

 tion to his family! In July, the restless yotmg 

 birds flock with the mothers, but the now 

 indifferent fathers keep apart by themselves. 

 Strange conduct for such fussy, solicitous 

 birds! They congregate in large numbers 

 where the wild rice is ripening and make short 

 excursions to the farmers' fields, where they 

 destroy some grain, it is true, but so Httle as 

 compared with the quantity of injurious insects 

 and weed seed, that the debt is largely in the 

 red-wings' favour. 



