8 
BY THE WAYSIDE. 
his towering flight left all behind, when the 
wren, who had, unfelt through the thick 
feathers, hopped on the eagle’s back, and nes¬ 
tled there unseen, started on his trip, and was 
thus able to soar far beyond the eagle. The 
birds were so indignant and grieved at being 
outwitted by the demure little brown body, 
that they determined to drown the wren in 
their tears. A pan was obtained into which 
each bird wept. When the stupid old owl’s 
turn came, the pan was nearly full, and the 
birds said “With such big eyes, he will weep 
great tears;” but to their horror he clumsily 
perched on the edge and upset the pan, spilling 
the tears, so that ever since the wren has 
reigned king of the birds. The Devonshire 
country folk have this saying: 
“Kill a robin or a wren, 
Never prosper boy or man.” 
It shows the friendly feeling there for our 
little feathered friends, a feeling that “makes 
the whole world kin.” 
Helen P. Haskell. 
The Fairies’ Trolley. 
The Fairies laugh at mortal’s folly 
For boasting of their wondrous trolley, 
For they were first, I know it well, 
To run a line from dell to dell. 
The spider spins, of course, the wire, 
The fire flies make the sparks of fire; 
The line is hung from tree to tree 
And the motor-man is a Bumble Bee. 
For he can hum and buzz as well. 
As clang the gong, a big blue bell; 
His uniform is black and yellow, 
He really is a handsome fellow. 
the conductor’s place the Wasp must take, 
For he can stinging speeches make. 
“All aboard! Don’t take all night!” 
“Step lively, please. Go ahead! All right!” 
So if you find the Fairy Dell 
Listen for the big blue-bell, 
You'll hear the train go whizzing by, 
But it’s hidden, of course, from mortal eye. 
—From St. Nicholas. 
BY THE WAYSIDE 
Published on the fifteenth of each month. 
The official organ of the Wisconsin and Illinois Audu¬ 
bon Societies. 
Twenty=five cents per year. Single copies, three cents 
All communications should be sent to Mbs. G. W. 
Pkckham, 646 Marshall St., Milwaukee, Wis. 
Nothing in the realm of nature is more 
fascinating than the study of individual char¬ 
acter among animals. We have long known 
that all dogs, and all horses, are not alike, 
but now we arc discovering that among spiders 
of the same species one is valiant, another 
vain, another playful,—and that among wasps, 
one may be a careful, conscientious house- 
keeper while another is dreadfully untidy. 
This being true, we should not be surprised at 
the great variety of character among birds 
shown in a new book by Mrs. Olive Thorne 
Miller, called True Bird Stories. No bird 
lover can afford to miss these charming tales, 
which would have been a rich mine of facts 
for Darwin, and which are full of delightful 
touches that make us feel our kinship with the 
feathered tribes. 
A recent letter from Mrs. Oscar Oldberg of 
Chicago has a plea for the freedom of birds. 
She says: “Each summer the children bring 
me unfortunate fledglings that I take into my 
large, airy light attic where they can stretch 
their wings to their heart’s content. They are 
never caged. They know me and become as 
tame as tame can be. Of course I love them, 
but as soon as they arc able to feed themselves 
and fly perfectly I set them free. Nesting in 
my garden are robins, wrens, song sparrows, 
golden warblers and yellow-billed cuckoos. If 
I looked upon these beautiful denizens of my 
garden with a desire to trap and capture them, 
I should be violating a law of nature that 
would render me unfit to appreciate and en¬ 
joy them as their Maker intended. I should 
simply be coveting that which I ought not to 
take.” 
The Wayside is strongly opposed to the 
caging of wild birds. Even Mrs. Clas’s aviary 
in which time, money, love, and intelligent 
care are lavished upon the little captives, is 
open to objections, although the fact that they 
