HOW WE SAW THE BIRDS. 



II. 



" Man's reach must exceed man's grasp, 

 Else vvhat's heaven for?" 



V. 



The last day of May the weather was 

 somewhat more propitious for bird lovers 

 than was May I. "King-bird day" it was 

 called, owing to the number of those au- 

 tocratic friends who were seen. To 

 the children it was the day of 

 the strawberry party. They had found 

 wild berries which they picked in 

 glee and which they afterward ate 

 sitting at a park table. The table 

 was laid in green and red, leaves serving 

 both as cloth and as plates, while the 

 decorations were red clovers. Bread and 

 butter sandwiches had been brought from 

 home, hence the feast was all one could 

 desire. After the manner of such func- 

 tions, it occupied so much time that little 

 was left for studious pursuits. However, 

 upon this day a nest was discovered 

 which for weeks after was the center of 

 interest. 



The nest was a delicate little cup, sus- 

 pended from a small branch of an elm, 

 about twelve feet from the ground, easily 

 visible from the ground; but otherwise 

 concealed by the foliage, which grew 

 denser every day. 



The owners of the nest were two trim 

 little birds, olive gray above, cream be- 

 low, no distinct markings save a black 

 arched line over the eyes. The bills were 

 good length and slightly hooked, and 

 served the birds for obtaining food from 

 the under-side of twigs. The song was 

 clear and loud, not to say shrill — indeed, 

 the voice seemed too big for the bird. 

 All this was not discovered in one visit, 

 but in several. 



Upon June 2 the nest contained one 

 white Qgg, which was discovered by 

 climbing into a neighboring maple tree. 

 Upon June 5 there were three eggs, 



which were sat upon at intervals. The 

 instant the female left the nest she was 

 joined by the male — as if they met by 

 prearrangement, as perhaps they did. 

 When they met they flitted round and 

 round each other in merry greeting. The 

 two birds did not hesitate to take low 

 and conspicuous perches, notwithstanding 

 which they were not certainly identified. 

 They were vireos doubtless ; but what 

 kind? Their song and plumage pro- 

 claimed them to be "preachers" or red- 

 eyed vireos ; but where were the red 

 eyes? 



Fortunately they were not greatly dis- 

 turbed at the noise of the children, though 

 some lively games were played with 

 sticks just beneath their nest. One day a 

 dead robin was found on the ground 

 close by and the children moralized for 

 an hour about "the poor robin whose 

 mamma didn't take care of it." This view 

 of the situation was as surprising to the 

 children's mother as it was uncompli- 

 mentary, for she had upon a previous 

 occasion made a point altogether different 

 from theirs, telling them that when a 

 dead bird was found it had met death 

 in disobedience, persisting in flying when 

 its parents said it was not strong enough 

 to leave its nest. 



June 5 was succeeded by many days 

 of rainy weather, but upon June 12 the 

 bird students undertook a journey to see 

 how their vireos were faring. Being 

 overtaken by a heavy rain the family had 

 to stop under a bridge. The father, how- 

 ever, stole a visit to the pendant nest and 

 brought the comforting news that in spite 

 of floods, nest, eggs and birds were still 

 there. 



On June 16, when the observers took 

 their stand, they found the female bird 



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