154, 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[April, 
THE OLD BIRD AND HER LITTLE ONES THAT LIVED IN A SHOE 
®f a high officer in the church.—No. 16. The flower of 
this is bell-shaped; perhaps it is not wort(h) while to 
Speak further of this.—No. 17. Old neglected cultivated 
grounds and places in meadows and pastures not occu¬ 
pied with a turf generally abound in this plant, which 
grows into a bushy herb with a great abundance of small 
flowers produced through all the season. After the flower 
Comes a pod of small size, the shape of which suggests a 
part of the name.—No. 18. When a name is so generally 
applied as to include a number of kinds of plants, it be¬ 
comes difficult to describe it—but it is safe to say that 
it is a rough looking plant with a head of flowers on 
the same plan as the sunflower, only much smaller.— 
No. 19. The tour among the plants of the flower bed is 
Closed with the notice of the most poetical member of 
the collection. Though small as a plant., its flowers are 
large and particularly striking in their appearance, sug¬ 
gesting the human face to those who are at all imagina¬ 
tive. It probably has more common names than any 
Other flower, ana one of these implies that it can bring 
(juiet to an important organ of the human body. 
Birds and Nest Bwiltliiig. 
The first fresh note of the earliest bird, as it comes to 
One’s ears on the still morning air, is full of joy and glad- 
hess. After a long and cold winter, anything that tells ns 
that spring is at hand, is very welcome. The spring birds 
tnark a place on the memory of every farmer’s child; and 
If I am not entirely mistaken, the farmer himself is 
touched and made glad by the sweetness and new life 
which the returning sougsters bring from their Southern 
winter homes. The Chickadees, Snow-birds, and a few 
others, remain with ns through the winter, and all are 
thankful for their cheering presence; but it is only when 
the warm spring days fill the air with the voices of the 
new comers, that bird life is at its best. The twittering 
Swallows, the pretty Blue Birds, the sprightly Thrushes, 
the noisy Bobolinks, and the whole list, bring back the 
realities of a growing season. After the return, and the 
general, and generous serenade is over, the active duties 
of bird house-keeping are uppermost in the minds of the 
members of the feathered tribe, and in these, and the 
busy preparations for the same, the greatest charm of 
bird life consists. In nothing do birds show more tact, 
skill, forethought, intelligence, and all the other qualities 
which make them take such a rank, than in the building 
of their nests, and the rearing of their young. Each kind 
of bird has its own peculiar way of forming its nest, se¬ 
lecting those materials best adapted to its wants. The 
Eagle finds some crag, hiuh up out of the reach of its foes, 
and then in the solitude of the upper air, builds its coarse 
nest of sticks and moss, and brings forth its well pro¬ 
tected young. The little Humming-bird constructs her 
thimble-like nest, with the greatest nicety, using only the 
softest of materials ; and with a nature very unlike that 
which we should look for in so small a creature, defends 
her home with a courage and success, that would put to 
shame many another two-legged animal, not graced with 
fine feathers, or fine feelings. The black, unmusical, 
hated, hunted bird, familiarly known as the Crow, loved 
by none, shot at by all who can get within its range, poi¬ 
soned by many, and a great lover of 
early corn, does not build its nest 
upon the ground, or within the easy 
reach of man. The school boy who 
Would rob Crows’nests, can spend 
much time in climbing large and 
lofty trees, and must possess a great 
degree of courage, to insure success. 
It is better for him to go after 
school if be goes at all, as he will 
then be sure of the day’s schooling. 
If boys will confine their nest- 
robbing, and bird-hunting, to such 
kinds as the Crow, but very little 
harm will be done to our birds. 
To any who will put a cruel hand 
to the home of the many innocent 
and useful birds, I would suggest 
that they receive from their parents 
that impressive instruction that 
the meanness of their conduct de¬ 
mands. A bird in a boy’s hand, is 
not worth two that are out of his 
reach. If children were not so in¬ 
quisitive—did not have such a 
strong desire to see and know 
things—it might be, in some cases, 
all the more pleasant for the birds. 
This I know from my own experi¬ 
ence. The innocent “ground 
birds,” unsuspectingly find some 
place at the foot of a bush, or under 
the edge of a sod, and out of grass, 
hairs, feathers, thread, wool, cloth, 
etc., make a nest that, the feet of 
passing cattle, or the hands of evil 
boys can quickly destroy. The 
Robin—a bird loved at all seasons, 
except when the cherries and other 
small fruits are ripe—builds its nest 
in a variety of situations. In my 
boyhood days, it seemed to have a 
peculiar liking for the corners of 
old rail fences, and very good places 
they were in more senses than one. 
I have watched the whole process 
of nest-building, from the simple 
mud foundation, up to the gener¬ 
ous, and well-shaped completed 
home. Then climbing up, with 
the old bird dashing at my head, 
saw that there was one egg, then 
the two, the three, and finally the 
four—frequent calls being made just 
to see how everything was getting 
on. Twelve days later, the little 
robins broke the thin blue walls 
of their prison, and the light of 
a new world came into their inex¬ 
perienced eyes. I confess to aiding 
them a little in this transformation 
scene, and to helping the mother 
bird feed these great-headed, big¬ 
mouthed, piping, hungry, home¬ 
ly, half-covered younglings, while 
the harassed mother cried (we 
may suppose) in a loud voice; “ These are my little ones: 
torment me no more.” I have a weakness for nest build¬ 
ing, and no longer ago than last spring, a pair of birds 
built a nest in a pear tree, but a few feet from one of my 
windows, and if the truth was told, some one kept well 
posted on the progress of the work; and for this the 
owners may have reason to be grateful, as one day a boy 
was found molesting their quiet reign, and the youth was 
soon led to see the error of his way—and that to his own 
home. Luckily the birds and nest were unharmed, and 
in due time a family was raised. One ambitious fledgling 
was saved from the “jaws of death” (cat), by human 
hands, and the wisdom of not leaving home too early in 
life, was impressed upon the other members of the house¬ 
hold. The nest to-day is in the leafless branches of the 
tree, waiting, it may be, to be refitted in a few days, and 
occupied by its former owners. 
The accompanying engraving shows but one of the many 
ways in which old things are turned to good account, by 
the ingenuity of birds. An old shoe has made a most ac¬ 
ceptable home for a little feathered family. Having 
served its day as a cover for some foot, it now becomes 
a protection to a number of little feet, along with the 
bodies attached to them. Unlike the old woman who 
dwelt in the same style of a home, the mother bird, with 
a goodly brood, seems to know what to do with her chil¬ 
dren. She may experience more trouble a little later in 
the season, whan they become more independent, and are 
out from under her wings—When they get out of the 
shoe, I suppose they step in by the way of the in-st^p ; of 
course, one can not be shoe-r of this. Unclk Hal. 
