good ideas about gardens as birds. Now 

 birds would get trees that have fruit on 

 in the winter, or all the year around ; but 

 in this garden the figs and apricots and 

 cherries and things all come in the sum- 

 mer when we would just as soon travel 

 as not, and in the winter when it is 

 rainy and cold — just the kind of weath- 

 er to stay at home — we have to go out 

 and hunt for something to eat, not even a 

 leaf left on those trees. Such shocking bad 

 planning ! The only trees they do any- 

 thing with in the winter are the orange 

 trees, and it does amuse us birds so to 

 see them fuss and work over them. You 

 know of course that oranges have great 

 thick ugly skins and don't amount to 

 anything. Why, even chickens know 

 that they aren't fit to eat, and chickens 

 (but I would not want this repeated) 

 are not very smart either. 



I notice that there are no purple roses 

 here either, and to an artistic bird like. 

 myself that seems a great pity. Purple 

 is a favorite color of mine, except for 

 violets. I would prefer them pink. How- 

 ever, I make it a point never to find 

 fault; and I dare say the people who 

 made this garden did the best they knew 

 how. In any case a very sensible wom- 

 an lives here now. She never keeps a 

 cat or dog, and I heard her tell the girl 

 to be sure and save all the crumbs and 



bits of bread and throw them out for the 

 birds. She is probably anxious to have 

 so brave a bird as I am stay in her gar- 

 den to protect her. 



Why one day as I was flying from the 

 lettuce bed — I find a little lettuce very 

 refreshing in the morning — what do you 

 suppose happened? A great big black 

 spider, 



Here I am, up here in the tree above 

 you. My voice may sound a little faint, 

 because you see I am some distance off. 

 and then there doesn't seem to be much 

 of my breath left. I'm afraid I will 

 have to finish that story some other time. 

 You see while I was talking, one of 

 those disgusting cats from the white 

 house on the corner came into the yard. 

 and it brought on a bad spell with my 

 heart. My heart flutters and throbs so 

 that I have to fly to the highest branch 

 of the tallest tree before I can get my 

 breath again. It is very provoking that 

 these spells always happen when I see a 

 cat; otherwise I should pick their eyes 

 out as I have often threatened. We 

 are a very brave family, and frequently 

 make larger birds shudder telling what 

 we intend to do if any of those hateful 

 creatures cross our path, and if I can 

 only get over this heart trouble, I tell 

 you plainly it will go hard with the cats, 

 very hard indeed. 



M. Carolinensis. 



SWEET PINKS. 



When sky first dropped her sweetest dew 



Upon the earth at break of May, 

 The aromatic fragrance flew 



To every pink, that sunny day ; 

 Till now the humblest plot of soil 



May feed its blessing to us all, 

 Scenting the air with honeyed oil, 



At purest passion's silent call. 



Willis Edwin Hurd. 



73 



