THE CHILDREN'S CORNER 131 



up in silk threads which seems to come from nowhere and aided 

 by dry leaves and small twigs, the cocoon is finished and the 

 contented little caterpillar settles down in its winter quarters. 



When Summer comes again and the flowers are peeping forth ; a 

 beautiful moth is flying about and this moth was once the creeping 

 crawling caterpillar who lived on the green leaves of the oak tree. 

 Perhaps this is a mother moth, then she will lay her eggs carefully 

 away until next Spring, when the little caterpillar will crawl out 

 and begin life, first a creeping worm, second a cocoon and third the 

 moth. 



Ruth Callahan, 7 A Grade, Nov. 17, 19 19 



birds' nests 



1 — Purpose. 



2 — Material. 



3 — Shape. 



4 — Places. 



Examine some birds' nests with me. What wonderful work- 

 manship — yes — but did you ever think of the purpose back of those 

 many hours of painstaking labor? The very same idea prompts 

 these feathered friends to build homes that prompts humans to 

 construct houses. 



In Spring the papa bird chooses a plump little wife to help him 

 and together, with soft loving coos and sometimes angry pecks, 

 they build their home. Into it are woven with infinite care strings, 

 twigs, hair, moss, — anything to make it comfortable and substan- 

 tial. The inside is always softly lined with feathers or hair to 

 keep the babies warm and comfy when they arrive. 



The shape of these snug little homes widely differ. Some are 

 small and round signifying that its inhabitants are small and 

 plump, while others are large and rather flat showing that its 

 owners are large and muscular. The perfect little swing downin 

 the orchard belongs to Mr. Oriole and family. Mr. Kingfisher 

 is not so particular in his location and build for he selects a high 

 sandbank and merely makes a hole large enough to shelter him and 

 his family. Little Mrs. Ovenbird builds her nest flat on the ground 

 but hides it so well that you will have considerable trouble in 

 finding it. 



Every bird according to his nature has his particular favorites 

 in shape, size, material and location. But no matter how built or 



