THE AUNT JANE STORIES. 



I. SOME CURIOUS BIRDS. 



The pet canary "Sir Roger de 

 Coverley," was dead. To console the 

 children for their heartfelt loss, Aunt 

 Jane ordered the 'carry-all" to be 

 brought out that she might take the 

 children to visit the bird stores in the 

 city in order/if possible, to replace the 

 lost darling. 



"We shall never find another bird such 

 a pretty shade of yellow," said Madge. 



"Or one with such cute, bright ways," 

 cried Birdie. 



"Nor one that can both sing and 

 whistle as Roger did," mourned Alice. 



"We will try to find his exact counter- 

 part," responded Aunt Jane in a reas- 

 suring tone. "On our way through the 

 woods, and beside the meadows, we will 

 study ornithology. Now, get ready and 

 we will be off at once." 



When the last shoe was buttoned and 

 the last sash properly adjusted, ana the 

 party were well on their way some one 

 suddenly recollected that Aunt Jane had 

 promised to tell them about "curious 

 birds" or something "curious" about 

 birds, she was not quite sure which, but 

 either would do. 



Thereupon Aunt Jane declared she 

 would be obliging and do both. "Let us 

 begin with the peculiarity of bird struc- 

 ture. Do any of you know how 

 strangely birds are built?" 



"I know something of that." said 

 Frank, "you just take a skylark ; why, 

 he's a regular little balloon ! Every one 

 of his bones are hollow and he can inflate 

 them from his lungs." 



"I talked with the taxidermist who is 

 to stuff 'Sir Roger,' " said Alice, "and 

 he told me that the eyes of birds are 

 enormous in proportion to the size of 

 their brains. Many of them have eyes 

 equal to telescopes, and what is more, 

 they can in a few seconds focus the eyes 

 so as to change from a telescope to a 

 microscope, and the other way." 



"That's what's the matter with the 

 kestrel," cried Howard. "When he is 

 away up in the air he can sight a field 

 mouse, just as easy though the poor little 

 mouse is very much the same color as 

 the soil." 



"The eagle has the same power, too," 

 Aunt Jane rejoined. "He has also this 

 peculiarity among birds, that he has no 

 gizzard. His food is flesh and the coat 

 of the stomach is strong enough to di- 

 gest it. But, Alice, did the taxidermist 

 tell you that a bird's brain is larger in 

 proportion to the size of its body than a 

 man's brain is, and that the singing birds 

 have larger brains, proportionately 

 than do birds of prey?" 



"No, he did not, and I am glad to 

 learn this fact. Auntie, I have often 

 \\ondered why among all living things, 

 only men and birds sing." 



"Pshaw, Alice," cried Johnnie, "birds 

 don't sing; they only whistle!" 



"Please stop the 'carryall' and put 

 John out for his shnder upon the birds," 

 cried Alice, indignantly. "You naughty 

 boy ! there never lived a musician upon 

 earth who could reproduce the sweet, 

 wild, weird tones of the birds." 



"Not sing, indeed! why the mocking- 

 bird with the same notes can make end- 

 less combinations. He has been known 

 to sing 'Dixie' and to imitate airs played 

 on the piano. He can produce all the 

 sounds used by other birds and many 

 that are common to animals." 



"He is pretty good on bugs," re- 

 sponded John to this musical outburst. 

 "They say he eats a hundred a day. 

 You may admire him as a musician, but 

 I praise him for his exterminating quali- 

 ties." 



"If that's all the practical work your 

 mocking bird can do, just think of the 

 little sparrow," said Howard. "It is 

 said that he eats 3,3CX) caterpillars per 

 week, besides numerous, insects by the 

 way of dessert. I do wonder who took 

 the trouble to do up this arithmetic in 

 his behalf." 



"I can give you an idea of the vora- 

 city of some young thrushes from actual 

 observation," Aunt Jane said. "I saw 

 two thrushes feed their young two hun- 

 dred and six times in one day!" 



"The little gourmands!" cried the 

 children in a chorus. 



"Well," said Howard. "I always 

 thouerht I'd like to be a bird and have 



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