THE REDSHANK 
Our legs are so red, 
And such mere skin and bone, 
That it might well be said 
They are cold as a stone. 
Since it’s clear not a shred 
Of a stocking we own ! 
Though our tails are quite short. 
Our wing feathers are strong. 
So that when we all start — 
An adventurous throng — 
For the North, in good heart 
We go flying along ! 
It may be that when Mrs. Redshank is guard- 
ing her young in the nest she tells them interesting 
tales about the life they will lead when they are grown 
up, and how, when the summer is over, they will go 
southward, and live by the seashore, where they will 
be able to wade to their hearts’ content over sand 
and mud. They are well able to do this, because of 
the long, thin, red legs, from which they take their 
name. 
‘‘ Oh, Mother,” one might imagine the young 
