BY THE WAYSIDE. 
35 
)' 
was the warmest day for March for seven 
years, it was said. 
March 19. A robin was seen bathing in an 
old dripping-pan set out for the purpose. 
March 20. The water in the robin’s bath 
tub froze to-day. 
March 22. Mamma and I heard a mourn¬ 
ing dove. 
March 23. Snow fell thick and fast, but, 
notwithstanding, I saw a flicker. 
March 24. To-day mamma put out some 
lard and corn meal and a robin was seen there 
quite a number of times. 1 told mamma it 
was the very same bird. 
April 1. I saw a brown creeper and a sap- 
sucker; in the evening I saw a bluebird in 
an apple tree at the back of our house. 
April 3. Mamma saw three bluebirds at 
once. 
April 10. I saw a thrush, which, I am sure, 
was a hermit. 
April 17. Mamma saw a very large flock 
of wild geese going northeast. She thought 
about one hundred. 
April 21. The little w’hite-throated spar¬ 
rows get under our barberry bush and try to 
scratch like chickens. 
April 24. Our white violets in full bloom 
make quite a bank of white. 
April 30. There were so many warblers, 
redpoll, magnolia, chestnut sided and redstarts, 
and a red-breasted nuthatch. 
May 5. I saw my first catbird of the sea- 
j son and also my dear friend, the rose-breasted 
j grosbeak. 
May 8. I saw my first ovenbird and cow- 
bird, although the latter had been reported be¬ 
fore at school. 
May 12. Mamma saw a scarlet tanager, 
some baby robins, and I, the first oriole. 
May 24. My first humming bird of the 
year. 
Muriel Lampert. 
Wisconsin Prize Letter. 
Dear Wayside.—I think the king bird does 
not look as pretty as many other birds; it 
does not have so many bright colors. They 
have a long body and a black head. Their 
back is dark gray; their breast light gray; 
their bill is long. 
This year a king bird built her nest on 
a sickle that was laid across two boards in our 
wood shed. She laid four little eggs. Now 
they have four little birds. She is not a bit 
afraid. If we go in after w^ood, sometimes 
she will sit on the end of the nest and look in 
it. 
This year, early in April, our teacher and 
all the scholars went into the woods and 
there we saw a phoebe sitting in a tree. We 
tried to watch after it. We followed it a 
little way, then she flew away. It is a very 
small bird; the upper part is dark, the under 
part is light gray, washed with yellowish. 
The oriole is black and orange. All its body 
is orange and its head and wings are black. 
I found an oriole’s nest in an oak above 
our house. They do not build their nest like 
other birds, but build it in the top of trees, 
of wool and cords. They tie it to the tree by 
a cord. 
York. Olga Lier, age 13. 
The hunt for a Noise. 
One day not long ago, I went to see some 
of my playmates, and they have two chickens 
and I had not seen them before, so Stella took 
me to the woodshed where they stay. All at 
once we heard a little noise as if it was a 
bird’s call, for it was in the shed, and we 
looked for it all over. At last we saw an old 
piece of stove pipe and thinking it was m 
this pipe, although we did not take it down, 
for we were afraid, we called my brother and 
Stella’s brother, and they took it down and 
then I shook it out right carefully, but it was 
not there. The wind blew wild and every time 
the wind would blow right hard it would go 
chee, chee. Then Lock and I went into the 
house and lit a lantern. Then we looked in a 
trunk, but we could not find it any place. 
Then it was getting dark so I went home. 
Yesterday morning at school Stella’s sister 
Irene told me that it was only a little mouse, 
and when I told mamma, papa, and my little 
brother, they all laughed at us. 
Cora Wuerker, age 10 years. 
Alton, Ill. 
Oshkosh, Wis. 
Dear Wayside.— Enclosed please find 25 
cents in stamps for which please send me 
“The Wayside,” commencing with the May 
issue. 1 have every one from last year and 
I would not like to miss one. I will give 
O 
them to a member of the Audubon Society in 
a few days. 
The 21st of June I took a ride of about 
five miles and then I saw 29 vesper sparrows, 
