28 
BY THE WAYSIDE. 
Doncaster, Md. 
Dear Wayside. —As I am fortunate enough 
to have received a year's subscription of “By 
the Wayside,” I think it my duty to write 
at least one letter about the birds of Mary¬ 
land. Owing to the early spring the birds 
came sooner this year than usual. The robin 
redbreast and brown sparrow were the first to 
come. The robins build their nests here in 
April, and bring out their young ones in May, 
then it is very interesting to watch the old 
mother bird carry food to her young ones. 
Often on my way to school I stop to hear the 
birds sing. When there is snow on the ground 
the little snow birds come to our windows for 
something to eat—we scatter meal for them. 
It is wonderful to see how many come when 
they see the others pecking in the snow. In 
May we have the prettiest bird that 1 ever saw. 
It is called the Baltimore Oriole. It is yellow 
with a black ring around its neck; black and 
yellow are the Maryland colors. We have a 
variety of birds, but the birds that sing the 
prettiest are the Linnet and English Mocking 
Bird. 
Margaret Williams, age 11 years. 
York, Wis. 
Dear Wayside:—A robin built its nest in a 
poplar tree near our hen house. When I went 
over there it was afraid and flew off from her 
nest. I watched it pick bugs and worms for 
its little ones. She chased a crow away from 
the tree; for she was afraid that it would 
hurt its young ones. I saw another bird when 
I went home from school after it had rained. 
It walked along the creek bank. It had a long 
bill, little black head and long neck; gray 
breast and brown back and wings. Its feet 
were long and slim. It had a long body like 
a dove. 
The school went out Arbor Day to look after 
birds. 
Clarence P. Dahl, 11 years. 
Your strange bird was one of the rails or 
sandpipers. 
There once was an Ichthyosaurus, 
Who lived when the earth was all porus, 
But he fainted with shame 
When he first heard his name 
And departed a long time before us. 
—From St. Nicholas. 
Birds In Their Relations 
Trv M 911-1 R y CLARENCE, M. WEED 
1 U 1 lull j and AND DEARBORN. 
HIS book is the outgrowth of twenty years of study and experience, and deals, 
it is believed, more fully and specifically with birds in their economic relations 
than any previous publication. It has been written from a knowledge obtained 
at first hand of birds and their habits, and of the plant world and insect world as 
they relate to the same. Professor Weed is a specialist in entomology, and is 
connected with the New Hampshire College of Agriculture and the Mechanic 
Arts, and Dr. Dearborn is in the Department of Birds, Field Columbian Museum. 
The volume is particularly notable for its collation of a large amount of the 
most recent information upon phases of bird life, which is to be found elsewhere 
only in scattered reports and periodicals. 
Accurately and lavishly illustrated with full page plates ~ 
and drawings in the text. 8vo. cloth, $2.50; postpaid, 
publishers, J. R. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY, PHILADELPHIA. 
