his head with their wings. At the end 

 of the journey the king- inquired in what 

 way he could reward them for the service 

 rendered to him. The king and queen 

 of the hoopoes called a council but found 

 that each hoopoe wanted something 

 different. One wished for a longer tail, 

 another for blue or green feathers, some 

 wished to be as large as the ostrich. 

 Finally the king and queen decided as 

 they had saved the king's head from the 

 heat they would ask for crowns of gold 

 in order tO' be superior to all other birds. 

 King So'Iomon warned them of the folly 

 of their request but granted it. Soon 

 the vain, foolish hoopoes found to their 

 dismay that they were being constantly 

 caught by the fowler who sold their 

 golden crowns to the jeweler. The king 

 of the hoopoes flew by stealth to Solo- 

 mon and told him the story of their great 

 misfortune, whereupon the king changed 

 the crowns of gold tO' crowns of feathers 

 and the persecution of the hoopoes 

 ceased." 



'We all know a case- where fine 

 feathers got some birds into trouble," 

 said Frank, ''for don't you all remember 

 our peacocks, Jupiter and Juno, the night 

 of the big sleet storm ? How they were 

 roosting on the top of a tall pine tree 



when their weight added to that of the 

 ice broke the limb and brought them to 

 the ground, but they continued to cling 

 to the fallen branch. Their long beauti- 

 ful tail feathers froze fast to the ground 

 and it took several buckets of hot water 

 to liberate the prisoners. 



"The feathers were so badly damaged 

 the poor creatures seemed ashamed to be 

 seen and skulked about in the most dis- 

 consolate manner." 



"I know," said Howard, "one case 

 where fine feathers — to which the bird's 

 name is due — saved the life of the bird. 

 Some Indians in the Territory will not 

 shoot the 'Texas bird of paradise' or 

 'scissor-tailed fly catcher' because of their 

 superstition that it is the 'bird of 

 heaven.' I once saw four Indians with 

 guns run one down until they caught it. 

 They then pulled out the long feathers 

 of the tail to be used by the medicine- 

 man in his incantations over a sick 

 Cherokee. But they at once liberated 

 the bird. 'Why did you not shoot it?' I 

 asked. 'We could not have killed it. 

 Don't you know it is the heaven bird?' 

 was the response." 



"Well here we are at home," cried 

 the children, "let us hasten in and show 

 our canary." 



Belle Paxson Drury. 



EVENING. 



The shadows lengthen on the shimmering lea. 

 And fast the darkness creeps along the glade; 



Objects rem.ote the eye now fails to see, 



And scenes less distant, lingering, slowly fade. 



The weary laborer loves to greet this hour, 

 To lose the cares of life in balmy sleep; 



To rest his body and renew its power. 



Then to awake refreshed at morning's peep. 



All greet thee. Night, when peace and quiet reign; 



When labor rests and all the world is still. 

 All love to launch into thy sweet domain, 



To ease the mind of cares which only sleep can kill. 



-George Gee. 



