BETH AND THE BIRDS 



Little Beth was snugly seated in a big 

 arm-chair before a cheery grate-fire. 

 A little earlier she had watched Uncle 

 Ed go plowing through the snow. 

 His parting words had been, "Well, I 

 guess you and Auntie will have to stay 

 indoors today: there will not be much 

 going out for pleasure until some of this 

 snow is out of the way." And then Beth 

 had taken Auntie's new book about birds 

 and was soon absorbed in its contents. 



"Beth, Beth," it was Aunt Mary's 

 cheery voice calling, "Don't you want to 

 come and help Auntie fix some refresh- 

 ments for some of her little friends?" 



"Why, Auntie!" exclaimed Beth run- 

 ning into the kitchen, "You can't be ex- 

 pecting company this kind of a day. The 

 snow comes most to the top of Uncle 

 Ed's big boots." 



"Oh, my little friends are not afraid 

 of snow," said her Aunt. "They come 

 'rain or shine,' in fact they are particu- 

 larly glad to come when the snow is on 

 the ground although they never wear 

 boots." Then seeing the puzzled look 

 on Beth's face she added, "Their coats 

 and hoods are made of feathers." 



"I know! I know!" exclaimed Beth, 

 "they're the little birdies, aren't they, 

 Auntie? But I thought the birds all 

 went south in the winter, just except 

 a few sparrows, perhaps." 



"That is what a great many people 

 think, dear," replied her Aunt, "and 

 most of the birds do go, and yet there 

 are ,some that stay behind each year 

 and many birds, that might live through 

 the winter if fed, perish for lack of food. 

 You will be surprised when you see some 

 of my visitors. When you have 

 crumbed this bread and I have chopped 

 this bit of suet, we will go and spread 

 a table for them." 



"Oh, let me chop the suet," cried Beth 

 eagerly. "Does it have to be cooked?" 



"No, I don't cook the crumbs and suet, 

 but here is a little stewed canned corn 

 which we will add to the bill of fare this 



morning, and you may break up this 

 milk cracker; we will give them a good 

 feast such a cold day." 



Beth entered into the preparations 

 with enthusiasm and a little later fol- 

 lowed her Aunt upstairs carefully carry- 

 ing the feast. Aunt Mary took a board 

 out of the hall closet and let Beth ar- 

 range the food to suit herself. It was 

 placed out on the snowy roof of the 

 piazza. Then they sat down at a little 

 distance to watch. It was not many 

 minutes before a pretty woodpecker 

 was hopping across the snow. 



"Oh!" exclaimed Beth, almost under 

 her breath, "A woodpecker in winter. 

 Just see his little red cap! And here 

 comes another! Why doesn't that one 

 have a cap too, Auntie?" 



"Why, that is the little wife" ex- 

 claimed Aunt Mary, "only the male bird 

 has the red cap. This little couple come 

 to see me very often." 



"And what is that bird with a long 

 bill and short tail. Auntie?" 



"That is a nuthatch ; just see him carry 

 off that big piece of suet." 



Beth was charmed with the little visi- 

 tors and although her Aunt was called 

 away, she sat and watched until the 

 crumbs were gone and the last little bird 

 had flown. Then she ran down to her 

 Aunt full of questions. 



"How did you know there were birds 

 in winter when other people didn't? 

 How do you know what kinds they are, 

 and how do you know what to feed 

 them?" she asked without stopping to 

 take breath. 



Aunt Mary laughed at the number of 

 questions but was delighted to find how 

 interested her little niece had already be- 

 come, for she was a most enthusiastic 

 bird lover. Then she told Beth many 

 things about her study of birds. 



"I never fed the birds until last win- 

 ter," she said. "I was reading about the 

 people of Norway and Sweden, and I 

 learned that they have a very beautiful 



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