THE RESPLENDENT TROGON. 



A Letter to Litttle Boys and Girls of the United States* 



Is it cold where you live, 

 little boys and girls ? It is not 

 where I live. Don't you think 

 my feathers grew in the bright 

 sunshine ? 



My home is way down where 

 the big oceans almost meet. 

 The sun is almost straight over 

 head every noon. 



I live in the woods, way back 

 where the trees are tall and 

 thick. I don't fly around much, 

 but sit on a limb of a tree way 

 up high. 



Don't you think my red breast 

 looks pretty among the green 

 leaves ? 



When I see a fly or a berry I 

 dart down after it. My long 

 tail streams out behind like 

 four ribbons. I wish you could 

 see me. My tail never gets in 

 the way. 



Wouldn't you like to have me 

 sit on your shoulder, little boy ? 

 You see my tail would reach 

 almost to the ground. 



If you went out into the street 

 with me on your shoulder, I 



would call whe-oo, wke-oo, the 

 way I do in the woods. 



All the little boys and girls 

 playing near would look around 

 and say, "What is that noise ? " 

 Then they would see you and 

 me and run up fast and say, 

 u Where did you get that bird?" 



The little girls would want to 

 pull out my tail feathers to put 

 around their hats. You would 

 not let them, would you? 



I have a mate. I think she is 

 very nice. Her tail is not so 

 long as mine. Would you like 

 to see her too? She lays eggs 

 every year, and sits on them till 

 little birds hatch out. They are 

 just like us, but they have to 

 grow and get dressed in the 

 pretty feathers like ours. They 

 look like little dumplings when 

 they come out of the eggs. 



But they are all right. They 

 get very hungry and we carry 

 them lots of things to eat, so 

 they can grow fast. 



Your friend, 



R. T. 



