36 
BY THE WAYSIDE. 
2 bluebirds, 5 robins, 1 meadow lark, 12 
swallows, 0 bobolinks, 0 goldfinches, and 32 
that were so far from me that 1 could not 
recognize them, making 03 birds in all. It 
was early in the morning and it had rained 
only a few hours before. 
In spring I saw a crow under a tree. He 
was holding something in his bill; he must 
have been looking for a place to hide it, for 
he would drop it and then walk around awhile, 
always looking closely to the ground. Then 
l.e would pick it up again and walk around 
with it. In about live minutes another crow 
came to this place and then the first crow 
Hew away as fast as he could. 
I have seen only one mourning dove, but 
i never found a nest yet. 
Euwrft G. Pfeiffer. 
A Bird. 
A couple of years ago when we had our 
house built, papa built up a place to put his 
tools. One morning we saw a bird carrying 
straws to the place. In the evening papa saw 
a nest. We left it there. The next day we 
saw nothing in it, but the third day there were 
three eggs in the nest. Every morning we 
gave him rice to eat. At first he was fright¬ 
ened and would not eat till we had gone in the 
house, then he would eat. 
Soon two little birdies were hatched; and the 
eggs that did not hatch she rolled out of the 
nest. Soon the birdies were learning to fiy, 
and soon they left the nest. 
Hilda Hanson, 8 years old. 
Member of Nelson Dewey Audubon Society, 
Superior, Wis. 
Hammond, Wis. 
Dear Wayside. —Alien I was going over 
town one day, 1 saw a robin in a puddle of 
water. The robin was splashing about for 
nearly live minutes when a sparrow llew down 
from a tree up over the water and went into 
the water. When the sparrow got into the 
water they began splashing the water all over 
each other. My brother had a bird house in 
one of our apple trees. There was one little 
blue bird in the nest. One night something 
knocked the bird house out of the tree and 
ate the little bird and tore tin 1 nest out. Some 
blue birds are building another nest in the 
bird house. About every day T put bread 
crumbs on the ground for the birds. At our 
next neighbor’s house two robins built their 
nest in the eavespout. There were four little 
robins in the nest. When the lady painted 
her house, about two weeks ago, she left a 
place where the nest was built, until the 
little birds were old enough to lly away. One 
day my mother found a little robin, and my 
brother caught it and let it go, and some more 
robins came and took it back to the nest. 
George McCullough, age 1) years. 
Cedarburg. 
Dear Mrs. Peckiiam. —One calm, sultry 
day last summer I sought the cool shade of 
some tall, leafy box ciders that stood near 
our house. I heard something stir. I looked 
up and saw two goldfinches flitting about some 
six feet above my head On further search, I 
discovered that they had built a nest in this 
tree. T could see that there were little gold¬ 
finches in the nest. How proud and anxious 
the mother seemed to be! 
The next day when I paid a visit to my 
feathered friends I felt very much disappointed, 
for not a bird was in the nest. Evidently the 
two strongest cues had flown away. Looking 
around I saw the weak one lying helpless in 
the grass about ten inches from my feet. He 
tried to fly when he saw me. I took the help¬ 
less little creature and put him back in the 
nest for fear my kitty should espy him. As 
soon as I was on the ground again down 
tumbled my little goldfinch. I then took him 
into the house and cared for him until supper 
time when I put him back into the nest once 
more. 
The next day I saw a very interesting sight 
and >cne which I shall always remember. The 
mother goldfinch was teaching her prodigal 
birdlet how to fly. The mother bird had an 
insect in her mouth and perched on the 
bough above the nest. The baby goldfinch 
opened his mouth as wide as he could get it, 
expecting to swallow the morsel immediately. 
But mamma goldfinch deliberately flew to the 
next tree.. Her tiny infant, eager to get the 
delicious morsel, flew after the prize. T think 
the little goldfinch did not try to exert him¬ 
self. 
Every morning before I go to school I feed 
the birds. Then I conceal myself so that they 
cannot see me. This enables me to study birds 
and their habits. 
Irene Hues,sin, age 10 years. 
