LADIES 7 DEPAF 1MENT. 
161 
Cables’ ^Department. 
TO THE GIRLS. 
For a long time I have wished to have some com¬ 
munication with my young friends, the country 
girls, and bespeak their aid in the protection of our 
mutual pets, the birds, that are inviting our atten¬ 
tion and kindness by their sweet songs, and gentle 
and coquettish ways. They flock around our 
dwellings, and, if properly invited and noticed, ac¬ 
cept our hospitality and repay us a thousand fold 
for all that we bestow upon them. When we take 
the trouble to provide a few houses for them, how 
readily are they taken possession of, and how 
fiercely guarded, should an intruder dare to rob 
them of their home ; showing how dear to them is 
their possession, and giving us the assurance that 
nothing is required but shelter and protection to 
have flocks around us, and they sufficiently tame to 
be our household friends and companions. But 
especial care should then be taken to guard against 
the thousand dangers that beset them in the shape 
of boys and cats, their mortal enemies ; and worse 
than useless will have been all our trouble, if these 
deadly foes are suffered to molest them. In addi¬ 
tion to all you already feel on the subject, I will 
offer a few extracts from the invaluable journal of 
the Old Lady, which, for some time, has been my 
constant study. The following notes were taken 
in June ; but I offer them to you now, that you may 
be in time to prepare the houses, get rid of the cats, 
and persuade the boys by kind entreaty and gentle 
remonstrance to suspend their hostility, for their 
own interest as well as your gratification. 
June 12th.—This day has been one of peculiar 
interest. As usual 1 rose at 4 o’clock, and while 
standing at my window to watch the gradual ad¬ 
vance of day, and inhale the fragrant air, and listen 
to the rich melody that poured from every bush, 
like hymns of praise from the good spirits that had 
protected us during the night, my attention was at¬ 
tracted to a tree close by my window, where a little 
song sparrow had built her nest. The male bird 
was seated on a far-off branch, singing his sweet 
and merry strains over and over again, as if in love 
with his own melody, while the mother-bird was 
attending to her duties in the nest; presently she 
flew to have some communication with her mate, 
when his song ceased, and off they went in different 
directions, but in a few minutes one of them re¬ 
turned with a worm which he gave to the rest, and 
instantly departed ; after a short interval the other 
came in, and like her mate lost no time. The serious 
business of the day appeared to have set in, and not 
a moment was to be lost; so I took the hint and 
went about my morning task, but determined to 
take my sewing as soon as possible with my seat 
close to the window, and make myself more inti¬ 
mately acquainted with the family arrangements of 
my sweet neighbors. They had for a long time 
been so familiar with my appearance, that they 
took no other heed of me than a bright cheerful 
chirrup as they rested for a moment on a branch 
close by, and then off to their task again. At 
8 o’clock, A. M., I began to note down their arri¬ 
val, by making a stroke with a pencil each time 
they entered the nest, and never quitted the window 
until 8 in the evening, when the birds went to roost 
for the night—the mother on the nest, the father on 
a branch close by. On counting the pencil strokes, 
I find, to my amazement, that they averaged a worm 
every three minutes during this long day; for I took 
care to be certain that they were as diligent before 
I took my seat by them as they were afterwards. 
The day has been sixteen hours long, my pets have 
consequently destroyed 320 worms in one day ! In 
one week this single family will have killed 2,240, 
and in one month nearly 10,000, unless some cat 
should discover the nest. Surely I need have no 
further anxiety about my grape vine, whose wormy 
appearance troubled me so yesterday, when I found 
tbe worms so far out of my reach, and the boys too 
busy to attend to it. I will trust to my little spar¬ 
rows, and take care that nothing shall molest them. 
13th.—To-day I have spent both painfully and 
pleasurably in the garden, looking after my fruit, 
flowers, and birds. The fruit I find sadly injured by 
the insects, and must be closely watched, and all 
that is infested by the worm carefully gathered and 
destroyed, or I shall have little or none next year. 
Some fine flowers and rare strawberries are killed 
by the cut worm, whose history I must inquire into; 
and, saddest of all, I find that fifteen birds’ nests 
have been destroyed by the cats, since last I counted 
them. At any time this would have grieved me, 
but, since yesterday’s investigation, I feel that it is 
a loss too serious to be borne with impunity; for, if 
one family of birds requires 2,240 worms in one 
week, fifteen families would take 33,600 ! Had 
my birds’ nests remained, would my fruit and flow¬ 
ers have suffered as they have done ? Alas, no ! 
and all this from my ungrateful cats—so the cats, 
petted and beloved as they have been, must die, all 
but Tabby, who shall be taught better things it 
possible. I will try what can be done. 
In another part of the Journal I find this memo¬ 
randum : I am now satisfied that I have been able 
to teach Tabby the laws of kindness and forbear¬ 
ance, for she has been in the bird cage to eat the 
bread and milk, while the bird remained unmolested 
on the perch; the doves, squirrel, and cat, shared 
their meal out of the same dish, and at night my 
little white rabbit shared her box with pussy. 
This has been brought about by caressing puss 
while I fed and handled the other pets, and by 
showing displeasure without severity when she at¬ 
tempted to injure them. 
Now, my dear girls, can any of you read this ex¬ 
tract and not feel grateful, not only to the Old Lady, 
but the sweet birds who are rendering you so much 
service whether you do anything for them or not ? 
A little study of their history will teach you their 
immense value on the farm as well as in the gar¬ 
den, and you will feel that if you successfully pro¬ 
tect and cultivate them, you will be of more real 
service to your country than many a general whose 
name is written in history. The wrens, sparrows, 
blue birds and swallows, you will find most willing 
to accept your hospitality; but most of all the 
sparrow, who soon learns that she may not only 
hop into the room, but share the crumbs on the 
tea-table. 
I had a little family so tame that they gratified 
me by sharing my meal whenever I left the door 
open, and invited them by throwing a few crumbs 
