Music of the Wild 



finds in liis doorvard or orchard is Avortli fi\'e dol- 

 lars to him ahove all the birds possibly can destroy, 

 and tlie music they make, especially the song they 

 sing in tlie rain, should be above price, llobins are 

 the alarm clocks of the fields, for almost without 

 exce2)tion tliey wake the morning and all birds 

 with their glad cry, "Cheer uj)!" 



These old orchards liome many big niglit moths, 



one that reminds me of tlie robin. Tlie caterpillar 



An feeds on apple leaves, and its cocoons frecjuently 



^'^'i^^^^ are spun on old trees either on a water siirout at 

 Moth / ^ 



the base or high among the branches. The pre- 

 dominant color of tliis moth is the steel-gray of 

 the robin, shading darker and lighter, and it has 

 prominent markings, half-moon shajied, on its 

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

 more gaudy than the bird, hoAvever, 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 moths, and is around almost every coun- 

 try home at night, and frequents cities as well; 

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

 ple live a lifetime Avhere it is oftenest found and 

 never make its acquaintance. 



Of all the birds that frequent orchards near 



Majesty liomes. and those rarer ones that settle in mv de- 



o ' V^d ■''^'''^^*^^ orchards, the kingbird is most approjiriately 



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



the apple tree they select is a palace, and the nest 



258 



