56 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



MISCELLANEOUS 



SWALLOWS. 



The following life-like article is from the pen of 

 Mrs. Cliilds:— ° 



'J here are difTerent theories on the subject of 

 instinct. Some consider it a special revelation to 

 each creature ; others believe it is founded on tra- 

 ditions handed down among animals, from genera- 

 tion to generation, and is therefore a matter of edu- 

 cation. My own observation, two years ago, tends 

 to confirm the latter theory. Two barn swallows 

 came into our wood-shed in the spring time. Their 

 busy, earnest twitterings led me at once to suspect 

 they were looking out a building spot; but as a 

 carpenter's bench was under the window, and fre- 

 quent hammering, sawing and planing were going 

 on, I had little hope that they would choose a lo- 

 cation under our roof. To my surprise, liowever, 

 they soon began to build in the crotch of a beam 

 over the open door-way. I was delighted, and 

 spent more time watching them than "penny-wise" 

 people would have approved. It was was, in fact, 

 a beautiful little drama of domestic love. The 

 mother bird was so busy, and so important; and 

 her mate was so attentive ! Never did any newly 

 married couple take more satisfaction with their 

 first nicely arranged drawer of baby clothes, than 

 did they in fashioning their little woven cradle. 



The father bird scarcely ever left the side of the 

 nest. There he was all day hmg, twittering in 

 tones that were most obviously the outpourings of 

 love. Sometimes he would bring in a straw or 

 hair to be interwoven in the precious little fabric. 

 One day my attention was arrested by a very unu- 

 sual twittering, and I saw him circling round with 

 a large downy feather in his hill. He bent over 

 the unfinished nest, and offered it to his mate with 

 the most graceful and" loving air imaginable ; inid 

 when she put up her mouth to lake it, he poured 

 forth suck a gush of gladsome sound ! It seemed 

 as if pride and affection had swelled his heart, till 

 it was almost too big for his little bosom. 'J'he 

 whole transaction was the prettiest piece of fond 

 coquetry, on both sides, that it was ever my good 

 luck to witness. 



It was evident that the father bird had formed 

 correct opinions on "the woman question;" for 

 during the process of incubation, he volunteered 

 to perform his sliare of household duty. Three or 

 four times a day would he, with coaxing twitter- 

 ings, persuade his patient made to fly abroad for 

 food ; and tliR moment she left the eggs, he would 

 take the maternal station, and give a loud alarm 

 whenever cat or dog came about the premises. He 

 certainly perf)rmed the office with fur less ease 

 and grace than she did ; it was something in the 

 style of an old bachelor tending a babe ; but nev- 

 ertheless it showed that his heart was kind, and 

 his principles correct concerning division of labor. 

 When the young ones came firth, he pursued the 

 same equalizing policy, and brouglit at least half 

 the foot! for hia greedy little family. 



But when ihey became old enough to fly, the 

 veriest misanthrope would have laughed to watch 

 their manoeuvres. Such a chirping and twittering! 

 Such diving down from the nest and flying up 

 again! Such wheeling round in circles, talking 

 to the young ones all the while ! Such clinging 

 to the sides of the shed with their sharp claws to 

 show the timid little fledglings that there was no 

 need of falling ! 



For three days all this was carried on with in- 



creasing activity. It was obviously an infant fly- 

 ing school. But all their talking and fussing was 

 of no avail. The little downy things looked down, 

 and then looked up, and alarmed at the infinity of 

 space, sunk down into the nest again. At length 

 the parents grew impatient and summoned their 

 neighbors. As I was picking up chips one day, I 

 found my head encircled with a swarm of swallows. 

 They flew up to the nest, and jnbbered away to 

 the young ones ; they clung to the walls, looking 

 back to tell how the thing was done; they dived, 

 and wlieeled, and balanced, and floated, in a man- 

 ner perfectly beautiful to behold. 



The pupils were evidently much excited. They 

 jumped on the edge of the nest, and twittered, and 

 shook their feathers, and waved their wings, and 

 then hopped back again, saying, "It's pretty sport, 

 but we can 't do it." 



Three times the neighbors came and repeated 

 their graceful lesson. The third time, two of the 

 young birds gave a sudden plunge downward, and 

 then fluttered and hopped till they lighted on a 

 small upright log. And oh, such praises as were 

 warbled by the whole troop! The air was filled 

 with their joy ! Some were flying around, swift as 

 a ray of light ; others were perched on the hoe- 

 handle, and the teeth of the rake ; multitudes clung 

 to the wall, after the fashion of their pretty kind, 

 and two wore swinging, in most graceful style, on 

 a pendant hoop. Never, while memory lasts, shall 

 I forget that swallow party. I have frolicked with 

 blessed Nature much and often; but this, above 

 all her gambols, spoke into my inmost heart, like 

 the glad voices of little children. Tho beautiful 

 family continued to be our playmates, until the 

 filling leaves gave token of approaching winter. 

 For some time the little ones came home regularly 

 to thi'ir nests at night. I was ever on the watcli 

 to welcome them, and count that none were miss- 

 ing. But at last they flew away to more genial 

 skies, with a whole troop of relations and neigh- 

 bors. It was a deep pain to me that I should nev- 

 er know them from other swallows, and that they 

 would have no recollection of me. We had lived 

 so friendly toijether, that I wanted to meet them in 

 another world, if I could not in this ; and I wept 

 as a child weeps in its first grief. 



There was somewhat too, in their beautiful life 

 of loving freedom which was a reproach to me. 

 Why was not my life as happy as theirs ? Be- 

 cause they were innocent, confiding, and uncon- 

 scious; they fulfilled all the laws of their being 

 without obstruction. 



A promising poet down east, who rejoices in e 

 classical name of " S. Olympus Hubbard," afr 

 returning from a visit to Mount -Aganientici, 

 " bust" out in a poetic strain, concluding thus — 

 " \Vhen I came down, the streets they wore 

 A different aspect from what they did when I wenin 

 a little while before !" 



Heavy Dose. — Have you no pen and ink ? said a 

 doctor to a poor woman whose child he was tend- 

 ing. 



No, said the poor woman. 



Well, I hav'e lost my pencil — give me a piece 

 of chalk. 



And the doctor chalked a prefcription upon the 

 door, telling the afflicted mother to give tkat to her 

 son when he woke. 



Take it, my boy, take it — said the old woman, 

 lifting the door from its hinges and carrying it to 

 the sick youth when he opened his eyes. I do n't 

 know how you are to do it, I am sure; but the 

 doctor says it is good, and you had better try it! 

 —SiUcteil. 



" Never strike the wife of thy bosom, even with 

 a blossom," says a Hindoo maxim. 



Dutch Jicumen. — " I 'm pound to decide dis cas 

 said a Dutch justice, " py de weiglitof de desdir,. 

 ny — dat ish de law. Vel, here ish Hans Van P ; 

 Nechlas Vebber, Brom Vander, and Helger \t, 

 Brunt who shwears dey tid not see de prison 

 take de poofs, and only dree shwears dey tid .i 

 him take de poots. De weight of de desdimtf 

 ish in his favor. He may go away, and lie goiu 

 stable shall pay for de poots .'" — Mohawk Courier 



*W. 



GRBKN'.'; PATKNT STUAW CUTTER. 



JOSEPH BRECK & CO. at the New England A^tu 

 tuial Warehouse and Seed Store Nos. 61 and .'sa North B 

 ket Street, have for sale, Green's Patent Straw, H.av 

 Stalk Cutter, operating on a mechanical principle not i-e 

 applied to any implement fortius |mrposc. Tlie most | k 

 inent effects of Itus application, and some of the coii'-. 

 peculiarities of Ifie machine are : 



1. So great a reduction of the quantum of power re, 

 to use it, that the strength of a half grown liny is siil,,, 

 to work it efficiently. 



2. With even this moderate power, it easily cutstwo l,i 

 els a minute, which is lull twice as last as has lieeu clan 

 fiy any other machine even when worked hy horse or Mt 

 power. 



3. The knives, owing to the peculiar manner in which t 

 cut, require sharpening less often than those of any oi 

 straw cutler. 



4. The machine is simple in its construction, made and 

 together very strongly. It is therefore not so liable as 

 complicated machines in general use to get out of orde: 



AGRICULTURAl. IMPI.EMKRTS, &c. 



The Proprietors of the New England Agricultural W; 

 house and Seed Store No. 61 and 52 North Market sir 

 would inform their customers and the pulilic sjcnerally t 

 they have on hand the most extensive assortmenl of A 

 cultuial and Horticultural Tools to he found m the llni 

 States. Part of which are the following: 



