MY WOODLAND INTIMATES 



At its terminus we come upon another instance 

 of a vine and tree alliance. Here honeysuckle 

 arms encircle and weigh down an entire pear- 

 tree. It is slowly dying in their embrace; but 

 even in its apparently missed vocation, what a 

 wide sphere of usefulness it has, and how much 

 symmetry and beauty result from the thwarting 

 of its life-plan. For the dead and dying branches 

 are the supports on which the green canopy rises 

 and the fragrant blossoms rest, and to the vine- 

 covered boughs are confided the beautiful secrets 

 of many a precious bird-home. 



Step into the little arbor which the strange 

 union forms, and look up among the vine tangles 

 at the nests which have been built in this sheltered 

 maze. This is a robin and catbird co-operative 

 establishment. Here, during nesting-times, rep- 

 resentatives of both families dwell happily side by 

 side ; and in the kindergarten of the old pear-tree, 

 all the robin and catbird youngsters of the arbor 

 receive their Froebel preparation for life's harder 

 lessons. 



I have often heard that catbirds act as valua- 

 ble sentries among their feathered neighbors, and 

 opportunities for verifying this statement have 

 been numerous during my visits to the pear-tree 



[48] 



