BY THE WAYSIDE. 
m 
Hammond, Wis. 
Dear Wayside. —The bluejay is a common 
bird around here. It is little larger than the 
robin. 
I think that the bluejay is both useful and 
harmful. The bluejay destroys the worms and 
injects that harm the crop, and in that way it 
is very useful. But I think they are also very 
harmful when they kill other birds which help 
the farmers. 
One very cold night, about 7 o’clock p. m., 
I went over to our neighbor across the street. 
There was a kind of a roof over the door, 
and, as I was going in, a bluejay was sitting 
on the screen door and it flew away when I 
opened the door. When I went home again, 
the bluejay flew back again to its place, where 
it was sheltered from the cold. 
One day, about 5 o’clock p. m., I was sitting 
on the porch and I saw a bluejay sitting in 
one of our trees. There was an empty nest 
up in the tree, and it flew into it and I think 
it stayed there all night. 
Andrew Thronson, age 14 years. 
Deer Park Wis. 
Dear Wayside: I saw a robin this spring. 
It was singing a pretty song. 
It was fat and could fly fast. It was flying 
toward the south. 
The robin’s eggs are pale-green. 
It builds its nest in trees. It is made of 
sticks, wool, hair, feathers and many other 
things. It picks up many insects and worms. 
The robin is not an ugly bird. 
Jessie Hilyar. 
Age 10 years, 4th Grade. 
Hammond. 
Dear Wayside. —Last Tuesday there came 
a little sparrow in some window at night. 
In the morning we let it out, and gave it 
some bread. I think it was the same one that 
came in yesterday; it flew all around. But we 
let it go. I saw a robin and a red-headed wood¬ 
pecker in a tree near our house. Last Wednes¬ 
day when I went to school I saw a bobolink. 
Lily Mason, age 7 years* 
Blooming Grove. 
Dear,Mrs. Peckiiam: I am one of the girls 
that belong to the Audubon Society of Wis¬ 
consin. 1 also signed a pledge to protect birds. 
There are two blue jays around our front yard. 
When 1 come home from school I feed them 
crumbs. One night when 1 came home I put a 
great many on the post. Then I watched to 
see what they would do. 1 had not stood there 
lomr when the male bird came down and sat 
on the fence. He kept looking at them; pretty 
soon he went on the post and began eating 
them; then he chirped to the female bird to 
come, which she did. And then when they 
were through they looked as if they wanted 
more. So I nearly every night give them some. 
Addie Lansing. 
Deer Park, Wis., March 30, 1904. 
Dear Wayside: Last summer when I was 
plowing I saw' three brown squirrels playing 
in a pasture right close to where I was at 
work. The game that they were playing was 
something like what we call “Pomp, pomp, 
pull-away.” One of the squirrels would stand 
about ten feet away and then the other two 
would run. I watched them for about fifteen 
minutes, and at last thought I would snare one. 
So I chased them into their holes. I put the 
snare right around the hole and then lay down 
and began to whistle like a squirrel. Pretty 
soon I saw a little striped head sticking out 
of a hole. He came a little farther so’s I 
could see his front feet. Then all at once I 
gave a hard jerk and out came Mr. Squirrel, 
squealing and squirming. I sat down and be¬ 
gan to play w T ith him. I got a little too bold 
and began to pet him on his head, w r hen all at 
once he jumped and bit me on the finger. 1 
was so excited that I dropped the string and 
wdiat do you think happened ? The squirrel got 
away and I went home with a bit finger. I am 
in the seventh grade and fourteen years old. 
Erle Lew t is Fouks. 
The Musical Lion. 
Said the Lion: “On music I dote, 
But something is wrong w'ith my throat. 
When I practice a scale 
The listeners quail, 
And flee at the very first note!” 
—From St. Nicholas. 
