80 THE LIFE OF A BIRD. 



widower, sat forlorn. When the trees were in full 

 spring-verdure he built a third nest in a thorn 

 bush. During the time he was engaged in these 

 three nests he would continually perch in one of 

 the highest trees in the orchard, and send forth 

 his rich and melodious song, as if to invite a 

 partner to join his family cares, but always without 

 success. The further history of this unfortunate 

 bird we are not informed of; but it is to be hoped 

 that his hard case at last excited the pity of some 

 of his species, and that his neatly constructed 

 home was in due time shared by a mate. 



Every reader of this little book will be familiar 

 with the fact that St. Valentine's day is sacred to 

 birds. Chaucer expresses this idea thus : 



" .Nature 



la voice began to speak and say 



Foules, take hede of my sentence, I pray. 



Ye know well, how on St. Valentine's day 



By my statute and through my governaunce 

 Ye doe chese your mates, and after fiie away." 



The first duty is then the construction of the 

 nest ; and in this task birds are in some instances 

 almost as rigidly punctual to the time, as the 



