Music of the Wild 



finds ill his do(jryar(l or orchard is worth five dol- 

 hirs to him ahove all the hirds possihly can destroy, 

 and the nnisic they make, especiallj^ the song they 

 sing in the rain, should l)e aliove jJrice. Rollins are 

 the alarm clocks of the fields, for almost without 

 exception they wake the morning and all hirds 

 with their glad cry, 'X'heer u])!" 



These old orchards liome manj^ big night moths, 



one that reminds me of the robin. The caterpillar 



An feeds on apple leaves, and its cocoons frequently 



Orchard .^^.^ j;p„jj ^j^ (,],j trees either on a water sprout at 

 Moth ^ 



the base or high among the branches. The pre- 

 dominant color of this moth is the steel-gray of 

 the robin, shading darker and lighter, and it has 

 prominent markings, half-moon sha])ed, on its 

 wings, almost the color of the robin's breast. It is 

 more gaudy than the bird, however, for it also has 

 lines of white, faint lines of black, wider ones of 

 tan, and dark-blue circles. It is the commonest of 

 all large motlis, and is around almost every coun- 

 try honie at night, and frequents cities as well; 

 but because it is a creature of darkness, many peo- 

 ])le live a lifetime where it is oftenest found and 

 never make its acquaintance. 



Of all the birds that frecjuent orchards near 



Majesty homes, and those rarer ones that settle in my de- 

 in the .^gj-ted orchards, the kino])ird is most appropriately 



Orchard ^ . . ^ . . 



named; for he is king, and his mate is queen, and 

 tlie a])2)le tree they select is a palace, and the nest 



258 



