BY THE WAYSIDE 
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE WISCONSIN AND ILLINOIS AUDUBON SOCIETIES 
ine Year, 25 Cents u Price Three Cents One Year, 25 Cents 
Published by the Wisconsin Audubon Society. 
Entered January 27, 1903, at Milwaukee, Wis., as second-class matter, under Act of Congress of March 3, 187Q. 
OL. VI. JANUARY, 1904 No. 9 
Blizzard. 
Blizzard we named her, not because 1 that 
mgh, unpleasant name particularly well suited 
le demure little damsel in dusty brown who 
a * 
ime to live with us, but for the reason that 
le came in with the blizzard that tossed and 
imbled, and half buried New York, on that 
tmous Monday of March, claiming our hos- 
italities against the inhospitable world of 
ind and snow outside. How she got into' the 
)use is still a mystery. Mamma thought she 
ust have come down the chimney and through 
ie stovepipe, but it is hard to believe that a 
rd, however distressed, would venture into 
long, dark tunnel like that, not, knowing 
I iere it might end. It seems more likelv that 
len some one opened the door to go out, and 
1 is met by a wild sweep of the gale, and a 
sh of fine, sharp snow in his face that half 
nded him, poor little Blizzard flew in with 
l perhaps because she saw warmth and eom- 
rt inside, or possibly just because she was 
)wn in and could not help herself. 
However it came about, there she was, bright 
d pert as a sparrow can be, and plainly 
j Sighted to' get out of the storm. She ref¬ 
led at being caught, and even bit savagely 
her captor, but in spite of that she was 
:en upstairs to a warm, snug room and set 
: e, where we thought she would be safe, for 
zzard was not the only guest in the house, 
* * there was Laura. 
-aura was a parrot cf high degree and beau- 
il manners, dressed in several shades of 
en 5> with a gay yellow cap, and a dash of 
e color on her wing. She did not at all 
>w what to. think of this vagabond of the 
-et, whose vulgar antics she was accus- 
led to watch through the windows only. She 
ned her aristocratic head on one side, fixed 
\ large red eye on the plebeian, and plainly 
r) not altogether approve of her for a com- 
tj don. 
But Blizzard had no scruples; she was not 
in the least afraid of her high-mightiness; in 
fact, she never saw the bird she was afraid of, 
and she assumed the aggressive herself. 
For some moments the two stared at each 
other, head feathers erected and all bristled up 
for war; then suddenly, with a keen apprecia¬ 
tion of the advantage of taking the initiative, 
the sparrow made a dash at Laura, and passed 
just over her head without pausing. 
That insulted bird started, and gave a violent 
snap of her big beak, just too late to touch 
her lively enemy. Again and again was this 
performance repeated, the saucy street ruffian 
swooping down as if to annihilate the stately 
parrot, and that bird every time surprised out 
of her dignity, startled, snapping her bill, try¬ 
ing to seize her tormentor. 
At length Blizzard tired of this amusement, 
and proceeded to show contempt of her room¬ 
mate in a new way, by alighting on the perch 
beside her. The perch was three or four feet 
long and the size of a broomstick. 
Laura, sitting calm and composed at one 
end, was suddenly shocked by the sparrow 
dropping down upon it about four inches from 
her seat. In a moment, after one look of 
horror and disgust, down went Laura’s head, 
and off she started, hand over hand, as parrots 
walk, beak wide open, to seize her disreputable 
foe. 
The graceless upstart simply hopped back a 
step or two. Laura followed, snapped again, 
and again the sparrow retreated. Thus they 
passed down the length of the perch, and when 
they reached the end. Blizzard hopped over the 
back of her clumsy pursuer, came down the 
other side, and led her back in the same im¬ 
pertinent way. 
There was one droll sort of dance that Laura 
indulged in that seemed to amuse, or at least 
to interest, Blizzard, for while it was going 
on she stood still in her turn and looked at 
every movement. The excitement was pro- 
