BIRD PARADISE 55 



awaken them and I don't know how anything can 

 sleep and awake without being alive. I saw 

 some small insects tossing up and down outside 

 my study window and very likely the warm sun- 

 beams had quickened them into life as they lay 

 dormant in the thick mat of grass. What a 

 multitude of little fellows are tucked away in the 

 great carpet of grass and how nicely they are 

 preserved. Someway they die and at the same 

 time live. The entire surface of the ground with 

 the covering of grass forms Nature's vast refrig- 

 erator. For the needs of a great host of crea- 

 tures this kind of food is always ready for use. 

 The crows revel in the feast and I judge never 

 fail to partate when the opportunity offers. 

 Dining out is without any question the real forte 

 of most of our birds. 



One of my real favorites among the field birds 

 is the meadow-lark. He has a way of living 

 bird life that recommends him highly. His ar- 

 rival from the South in the spring is a sort of 

 challenge to his fellow birds, inciting them to 

 new endeavor in the affairs of life. Their song is 

 given shape in a sort of ringing cheer that seems 

 to give the stirring greeting of the meadows 



