116 OUR NATIVE BIRDS 



3. But most emphatically do I disown 

 That laziest of all the birds, 

 That rascally fellow with a smart cap in brown 

 As cowbird you've known him long. 

 He raises his children by hook and by crook, 

 Is too lazy to build a nest, 

 Imposes on warblers and little folk, 

 As a self-invited guest. 



[Boy of eight to twelve, light brown collar, vest black, coat 

 white, trousers black, wings black with a large white spot.] 



The Tanager and the Redbird 



Our Father endowed us with color, 

 He denied us the music of voice, 

 But when you see the redbird's glow 

 And the bluebird's azure hues, 

 The tanager's scarlet, the indigo's sheen, 

 The oriole's orange beneath, 

 Thank him for the gems of Nature, 

 The gems of her bridal wreath. 



[Tanager: girl, waist red, skirt black, wings black. Redbird: 

 girl entirely in red, with red cap. One or both may speak. 

 If both speak, they must be careful to keep time together.] 



The Quail 



1. In summer I sit on the post and call : 

 Be bright, be bright, love light ! 

 In winter, dark winter, when the snow does fall, 

 Forget not your little Bob White. 



