For Moore's Rural New-Torker. 
THE WILD ROSE’S LESSON. 
Written for Moore's Rnral New-Yorker. 
HOUSEHOLD BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND 
NUMBER II.-HABITS, &C. 
I wish to preface my remarks on the habits 
of our summer songsters with some general 
observations. 
“Happy as a bird,’’ says one, delineating a 
joyous care free temperament, undepressed;by 
regret for the past, apprehension for the future, 
or sorrow in the present. By those uninitiated 
in the vicissitudes of bird-life, this phrase is 
considered sufficiently descriptive of that por¬ 
tion of animated nature from which it Is derived. 
A bird is to them the incarnation of liberty and 
music., His Maker has presented him with the 
freedom of the globe. He goes where he pleases, 
sings when be wills, and pays do taxes. But a 
patient observer of birds soon becomes con¬ 
vinced that their seemingly erratic actions are 
influenced by the same inexorable laws of neces¬ 
sity that control the graver demeanor of other 
creatures. Nor is it probable that even the ex¬ 
ercise of their musical powers is merely the 
overflow of animal happiness. As it is rarely 
extended much beyond the period during which 
they arc occupied in the discharge of their 
parental duties, it doubtless subserves some 
important purpose in the economy of their 
existence in reference to the propagation of their 
kind, and though we cannot assume that their 
“ sweetest songs are born of saddest thought,” 
neither would it ho safe to affirm “they have no 
sorrow in their songs.” The gift of song, or at 
least its exercise, appears to appertain chiefly, 
though not exclusively, to the male bird. Be¬ 
sides their songs, birds have au almost infinite 
variety of notes adapted to express the varied 
exigencies of their lives. These, Indeed, are so 
diversified that a person very familiar with the 
voices of different species, is often surprised by 
some new note, or combination of notes. TIUp, 
with their frequent change of p1t>ce, and the fact 
that the smaller birds seem disposed to congre¬ 
gate in the vicinity of human habitations, tend 
to give the impre6ssion that the individuals of 
each species are more numerous than they really 
are. Auy one who has visited the interior of a 
considerable forest, can scarcely have failed to 
notice its voiceless and wingless silence, rarely 
broken but by the shrill note of the woodpecker, 
®r the clear whistle of tbc nqthatch. Its soli¬ 
tude is in Btrong contrast to the music and 
motiou that greet yon on the outskirts, in the 
open groves, and especially in the shrubbery 
surrounding a dwelling. 
CALAMITIES OF EGOS AND NESTLINGS. 
From the untiring Industry of birds in ncst- 
building, and the large number of eggs depos¬ 
ited, one would supposo there must be a great 
increase anuually, ami we wonder thatJTbey are 
not tronblesomely multiplied. But when wc 
become aware of the many and destructive 
enemies, reptile and quadruped, that preyjupou 
the eggs and young, we are surprised rather that 
they are not exterminated. From several years’ 
observation, I think that over one-half of the 
eggs deposited aro destroyed, and less 'than 
three-fourths of the young hatched safely, take 
flight from the nest. By far the larger number 
of egg-; are destroyed a short time previous to 
hatching, and the young arc most liable to de¬ 
struction a few kours before they would have 
left the nest The cause of the destruction of 
the eggs at tills particular time, T conjecture’.to be 
the more assiduous attentions of the male to 
the mother bird, and the unguarded manner in 
which 6hc receives the food with which’^hc sup¬ 
plies her while sitting on or near the nest, 
accompanied often by an interchange of tender 
chirpings, which betray their precious secret to 
their watchful foes. 
The reason for the calamities of the nestlings 
seems sufficiently obvious. For, so far as my 
observations extend, all young birds that are fed 
in the nest, our song birds included, are bom 
blind, and scarcely any change is perceptible 
until they are two or three days old. But as 
their eight aud strength are augmented, they 
become increasingly restless, and as the period 
of leaving the parental home approaches, they 
are often very demonstrative and clamorous, 
especially in the reception of their food. This 
enables their enemies to discover their retreat 
with but little difficulty. The time during 
which the young remain in the nest corres¬ 
ponds nearly with that of incubation,—the for¬ 
mer usually exceeding the latter a day or two. 
When the plumage of the parent birds is 
dissimilar, that of the young bears most resem¬ 
blance to the female, but they ordinarily have 
peculiar tiuts by which theycau be distinguished 
from either. 
PLUMAGE, NEST-BUILDING, BREEDING, AC. 
The difference in the color of the plumage 
of the 6exes, which is so remarkable iu some 
species, is confined apparently t o the adult birds, 
aud where it exists, brilliant hues, a3 well as 
musical gifts, are almost exclusively the prerog¬ 
ative of the male. 
DO WITH YOUR MIG-HT 
tigiiting the habits of the Beaver, spending 
weeks and months iu localities where he could 
closely observe the operations of the curious 
animal, both by day aud night. We learn that 
Mr. M. has written, and is about to publish,, A 
work embodying the results of his researches, 
with suitable maps and illustrations, and wc 
prophesy that it will prove the best and moat 
popular authority on the subject extant. 
Oun illustration represents a scene very rarely 
observed at the present day, though formerly 
not uncommon —a colony of Beavere busily 
engaged in Qonstrucliug a dam and cone-shaped 
huts. The scene is ail animated one, and will 
especially interest our youthful readevs, many 
of whom have heard aud read about tho Beaver, 
though few have ever seen one, cither in his 
native haunts or elsewhere. Using their teeth 
for saws and axes, and their tails for trowels and 
beaters, the Beavers are great workers, and pro¬ 
verbially the most industrious of animals. 
The habits and characteristics ol' the Beaver 
are but little understood, and those who have 
written on the subject do not agree in some par¬ 
ticulars, A gentleman of this city — LEWIS H. 
MouGAN,,Eaq.,'—has devoted much of his time 
for years past to studying tho history and inyes 
ously; towards noon her labors are in a measure 
intermitted, but resumed again later in the day. 
Each species appears to be limited to a speci¬ 
fied number of broods, when they ure so fortu¬ 
nate as to rear them without any fatal casualty. 
But when Ihe eggs or young are destroyed 
before the latter have ceased to require the 
attentions of the parents, their efforts to repair 
their losses aro renewed until the breeding sea¬ 
son is past—this season being with some species 
extended nearly Into autumn, while with others 
it is restricted to a few weeks. Some birds 
occupy the same family mansion for a succession 
of years, repairing and adding thereto like a 
western pioneer, as circumstances may demand. 
Others erect a new habitation annually; others 
still, and these are by far the greater number, 
build afresh for the accommodation of each 
successive brood. These temporary nests are 
usually, though not always, of slighter con¬ 
struction, requiring less material than those 
designed for more permanent uso. The local 
attachments of birds aro singularly strong. 
Unless some radical change has been made in 
the Bpot chosen for nesting or Its surroundings, 
they will haunt tho same neighborhood for years. 
The persistent occupancy of one place by -the 
Bluebird and Phoebe, Is a familiar fact to all 
dwellers la the country. They seem also to 
have favorite localities for feeding their young 
after they have left the nest, for perching, and 
for the exercise of their vocal powers. 
SEASONS AND TIMES OF SINOING. 
It Is during the months of May and Juno that 
birds sing most constantly, and with the most 
evident zest. From this time they gradually 
become Bilcnt, or at least occasional rather than 
habitual singers. Toward the latter part of Au¬ 
gust an entire musical strain from one of our 
more familiar songsters, with the exception of 
the song-sparrow, is almost as rare as in Novenv 
ber. There are several species that are still 
vocal and continue bo until near tho middle of 
October, but they are chiefly those that keep 
aloof from dwelling houses. Taken together, 
birds sing with the most fervor at earliest prime. 
About sunrise they are for a time partially 
silent, and then rc-commenco with more modera¬ 
tion. In the middle of the day they are again 
rotieenjt, but become tuneful toward sunset, A 
few forest-loving species continue so some time 
after nightfall, and it is not very unusual in a 
warm night to hear & single strain warbled by 
the ittle songsters that perch in our household 
trees any time between dusk and midnight. 
And there are one or two species, denizens of 
the forest, which commence their matins long 
before the stars pale in the coming light. In 
the exercise of their musical powers, birds ap¬ 
pear to be much influenced by atmospheric tem¬ 
perature. Some love to pour forth their notes 
from tree-tops in the full glare of day; others 
seek a shady recess, and others arc rarely tune¬ 
ful except in moist or cloudy days. But if the 
weather is wet, windy and cold, nearly all are 
silent, 
INCREASE, CHANGE OF LOCALITIES, ETC. 
sweet, unfamiliar notes, andget a glimpse of some 
pretty songster that we do not see again till the 
return of the same season. These wo suppose arc 
pilgrims to some land of promise beyond, wbo 
make a brief sojourn to refresh themselves—set 
up their tabernacle for a few days, and pour forth 
their offering of praise. Sometimes there ap¬ 
pears a transient visitor, gleamiug with the 
bright hues of bis native South, possibly on a 
pleasure excursion, or as a pioneer who may 
some day consent to become a permanent resi¬ 
dent— a supposition not without a parallel, of 
which tho Ruby Hummingbird and Baltimore 
Oriole, arc instances. 
CLASSIFICATION OF BIRDS. 
Ornithologists divide our smaller birds into 
three classes, — granivorous, insectivorous, aud 
omnivorous. These divisions may serve as 
general designations, to indicate their usual 
preference in regard to food, but strictiy’&peak- 
Ing, all, with few exceptions, aro omnivor¬ 
ous. The young of nearly every species that I 
have noticed, aro fed during tho first days of 
their existence on small insects or worms; and 
the majority of those that ordinarily prefer tills 
kind of food regale themselves occasionally with 
a dessert of fruits and Bcods in their season, 
however plentiful their usual sustenance may be. 
Circuit, and the seven oldest are called the Apos¬ 
tles. These seven alone are believed to bo real 
ancients, 1. e., to date from a time before the 
Kings o! Israel, mighty, wise and strong. They 
stand in the center of tho whole group, sur¬ 
rounded and guarded by their descendants and 
kinsfolk. Tho natives almost worship those 
rrees, aud ascribe to them asentieut existence. 
They hold an annual festival beneath tlicir 
branches, which, being now near at band, we 
have bet n strongly persuaded by the chief of a 
neighboring village to stay and witness. All 
the world and his wile comes np to It; and the 
feast, though nominally a religious one, is said 
to lead to agood deal of Irregularity. So It 1 b now, 
as of old, when the prophet accused the people 
of asking counsel of the stocks, they sacrilice 
upon thotopsofthemountains, and burn incense 
upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, 
because the shadow thereof is good. It is, how¬ 
ever, a glorious place for solemn worship—truly 
a temple not made with hands—iu the bosom of 
the great hilla, and beneath the shade of trees 
pregnant with solemn associations of the past.— 
Good Words. 
A gentleman visiting a house in Algeria, 
says“ In a few minutes the door opened, and 
a lion entered tho room, the man only leading" 
him by the tuft of his mane. He was a magnifi¬ 
cent animal, two years old, fnll grown, all but 
his mane, which although but a foot long, made 
nevertheless a respectable appearance. Ho did 
not seem to care about our being strangers, but 
walked about the room like a large dog, per¬ 
mitted us to take liberties with him, such as 
patting him, shaking a paw, and making him 
exhibit his teeth and claws. Ho showed, how¬ 
ever, a marked predilection in favor of old ac¬ 
quaintances, and lying down before them, turned 
on his back to be scratched. After a scratch or 
two he began to yawn, and was fairly settling 
himself for a nap, when a cigar was puffed In his 
face, a proceeding he evidently did not approve 
of. Rising in a hurry, curling Ids lips, aud 
wrinkling his nose, he exposed to view a splen¬ 
did set of teeth, a sure sign he was not pleased. 
A hearty sneeze seemed to restore him to good 
temper; aud bearing no malice, he returned a 
friendly pat, bestowed on him by Capt. Martc- 
uot, who had been the aggressor, by rubbing 
his head caressingly against his knees.”— Ken¬ 
nedy's Algeria and Tunis. 
PRESIDENT LINCOLN AND FRED DOUGLASS, 
Mu. Lincoln’s cordial reception of Frederick 
Douglass, at their first meeting at the White 
House, has become widely known through tho 
distinguished orator’s own account of It iu a 
public lecture. In August or September, 1864, 
Mr. Douglass again visited Washington. The 
president heard of his being in the city, and, 
greatly desiring a'second conversation upon 
points where he considered the opinion and ad¬ 
vice of a man of Mr. Douglass’s antecedents val¬ 
uable, he sent his carriage to the boarding-house 
where he was staying, with a request that Mr. D. 
would “come up aud take a cup of tea" with him. 
The invitation was accepted; and probably never 
before la our history was the “executive” car¬ 
riage employed to convey such a “guest” to tho 
White House ! Mr. Douglass subsequently re¬ 
marked that “Mr. Lincoln was the first white 
man he ever passed an hour with, who failed to 
remind him, iu sonic way, before the interview 
terminated, that he was a ‘negro!’ B. F. Car- 
pat Ur. 
THE POWER OF CIPHERS, 
A word of kindness is seldom spoken in vain. 
It is a seed which, even when dropped by chance, 
springs up a flower. 
For Moore’s Rural New-Yorker, 
HOUSEHOLD ENIGMA. 
Libraries in Italy.— Regenerated Italy has 
an inquiring mind. The people read, and libra¬ 
ries are springing up in all directions. The total 
number, three months ago, was 210; of which 
104 arc open to the public—46 not so. These 
210 libraries contain 4,149,087 volumes. Emilia 
possesses more than a quarter of these. Lom¬ 
bardy ii the next richest province, having 800,- 
000. Tuscany comes next, with 000,000. The 
Abrtrni and Basilicata are the poorest. The 
total means possessed by all these libraries 
amounts to 746,317 francs, of which sum 87,770 
francs are derived from endowments belonging 
to the Institutions; 486,986 francs represent gov¬ 
ernment grants; 94,404 communal grants, and 
8,233 provincial grants. 
I am composed of 18 letters. 
My 10,1, 9,10 protects us from the inclemencies of 
the weather. 
My 7,17, 8,19 In very necessary to oar comfort. 
My 3, 9, 4,14 is the way wo liko to see things. 
My 18,9, It, 8, 6 is an essential article ofjfood. 
My 10,11, 8,14,13, 5 la used by many. 
My 3,1.1,1-2,19 Is where wc get a delicacy. 
My whole Is a thing indispensable to good house¬ 
keeping. n- K - B - 
Clean, Ohio. 
JSfiT" Answer in two weeks. 
For Moore’8 Rnral New-Yorker, 
AN ANAGRAM. 
Mobs skeap fo blrcso dua etrlh horwt, 
Lina esom fo tyfol afme; 
Tub Halt, fo lal rateh’s scrcpoin resots, 
Yogi cm a gbthlr ogdo menu, 
levs em a aemn, ouhhtg saevdre nisdw 
Wolh dolyni donnr ym edah, 
Untt liwl otn edi ewnh I ma oegn, 
Ubt Hits na ultecnfne head. 
Seneca Falls, N. Y. Stella, 
gac?” Answer In two weeks. 
Tuk Sphinx.— An exhibition, “ The Sphinx,” 
by Col. Stodare, has created some sensation in 
London. A head appears on a three-legged 
table, with apparently, nothing under it, makes 
a speech, and answers questions. The Reader 
says that the Colonel, having applied for a pat¬ 
ent, which was refused, had to specify Ills secret, 
which is simply an optical Illusion. The table, 
instead of being open underneath, as it seems to 
be, ie occupied by two mirrors extending from 
the two back, legs and meeting fit the front leg. 
The triangular space enclosed by tho glasses 
serves to contain the leg? hud body of the 
Sphinx, whose head appears on the top of the 
tabic. 
Until incubation commences, 
to sing and shine and eat arc his chief employ¬ 
ments. Leaving to his more soberly attired 
mute the task of constructing the family man¬ 
sion, he imposes on himself the duty only ot 
leisurely attending her as she goes forth, like the 
ancient Hebrews, to get straw where &hc can 
find it, performing the office both of hod-carrier 
and master builder. For at this period of their 
conjugal relation, the female possesses a mo¬ 
nopoly of the humble and useful virtues, while 
her lord displays the showy accomplishments— 
the exhibition of architectural skill by the mule 
being even more rare than of musical talent on 
the part of his mate. The female ordinarily 
commences her building operations at earliest 
dawn, and it is then that she toils most assidu- 
THE CEDARS OF LEBANON 
ANSWER TO ENIGMAS, &c., IN No. 852 
Answer to Acrostlcal EnigmaLove your enemies. 
Answer to Miscellaneous Enigma .-—Black Thunder. 
Answer to Anagram: 
Let every minute as it fprings 
Convey fresh knowledge on its wings; 
Let every ruinate as it flies 
Record thtje good as well as wise. 
Answer to CharadeOx. 
If a man’s opinions and arguments can be dis¬ 
proved aud refuted, he is in no danger of being 
persecuted On account of them. 
