lating 



want to see a pretty bird, look here." The 

 children, however, had abundance of faith 

 and could always hear any set of words 

 for which they were listening. 



They enjoyed their father's story re- 

 how a catbird had led him with 

 a beautiful song way down among some 

 bushes in the belief that he was about to 

 find a bobolink and had then made sport 

 of him by saying, "Mew, mew !" The bov 

 showed his appreciation of the tale by 

 saying, "tell it agiin," while the little 

 girl made the very wise observation : 

 "Birds have a great many habits." 



The two-year-old, albeit he had gone 

 on many excursions to woods and fields, 

 had never really seen any bird of bril- 

 liant plumage. Red-headed woodpeck- 

 ers had become very common and not at 

 all shy. One day the boy was repeatedlv 

 lifted to see a woodpecker flattened 

 against a tree trunk; but either his sight 

 or his patience was not sufficient, perhaps 

 he saw the object but did not know what 

 it was. At any rate he shortly informed 

 his elders that he did not have time to 



see a red-headed woodpecker. He was 

 not aware of the real beauty of birds till 

 one day when, by good fortune, a flock 

 of scarlet tanagers presented themselves. 

 Not to see them was impossible, so won- 

 derfully clear was their scarlet and black 

 plumage in the sunshine as they flitted 

 about from tree, to tree and even to the 

 ground. The sight was thrilling to the 

 narents, who expected to see the children 

 in an ecstacy ; but not so, those calm phil- 

 osophers ! The daughter was pleased but 

 not surprised. To her childish mind — un- 

 accustomed to disappointments — a bird 

 which was pictured in a book was to be 

 expected in a tree. A flock of parrots or 

 birds of Paradise would have surprised 

 her no more. The boy was very sober 

 and kept his eyes fixed constantly upon 

 the objects of his wonder. But it was not 

 emotion which held him spell-bound, and 

 when the birds had flown he betrayed his 

 whole mental state in the question : "How 

 did they get that way?" 



Mrs. Charles Norman. 



HEAVENLY VISITANTS. 



So blue the sky, for boisterously 



Was heard at work last night, 

 The merry wind, Old Nature's broom, 



Sweeping the clouds from sight. 

 And can it be those scraps of blue 



On yonder naked tree, 

 Were swept to earth, yet still of heaven 



They sing their "pu-er-ly?" 

 That bits of snow clouds, from the pan 



So heaped with clouds fell through — 

 Were given wings, and missing heaven, 



Straight to the earth they flew? 



Dear blue-birds, snow-birds, passing strange 



To meet you thus together, 

 Spring's harbinger with winter's linked 



In crisp November weather ! 

 Two visitants from out of heaven, 



Perhaps celestial birth 

 Has rendered sweet to souls like yours 



Chance meetings upon earth. 



Bessie Andrews Dana. 



152 



