OUR FRIENDS, THE BIRDS. 109 
who shut all sunshine out of their lives and then go 
around complaining and expecting folks to pity them. 
She thinks he has little to recommend himin any way, 
as he quarrels with his relatives and neighbors and is 
not even good-looking or graceful.” 
“She is rather hard on the poor little bird,” said 
the boy who had been the first to compare birds to 
people. “I know he is asad-looking bird with droop- 
ing wings and tail, but if you sit and watch this forlorn 
little fellow and listen to his doleful song, you will be 
surprised to see him rouse up suddenly and perform 
his remarkable gyrations. When a fly comes near— 
Whizz! he goes after it, turns a somerset, catches it, 
and is back again in a second. I think he is very 
interesting.” 
“T can hardly tell the Pewee, the Phoebe and the 
Chickadee apart,” said one of the girls. 
“Even the poets sometimes mistake them,” replied 
Miss Sweet. ‘ The Pewee’s song is more drawling and 
sad than that of the Phoebe; while the Chickadee’s is 
more lively than either, and contains more notes. Of 
the three, the Chickadee is the most sociable and fear- 
less.” 
“J like to hear them after all the other birds 
are still,” said Laura, “it makes me think of the 
‘Amen’ at the close of an anthem.” 
“Do they always come at the same time in the 
spring, Miss Sweet ?” asked “Querist.” 
“No! there is a great variation in their time of 
