44 
BY THE WAYSIDE. 
Extracts From Plymouth Review. 
A GRAND SIGHT. 
Prof. Shutts relates that one of the grand¬ 
est sights he ever saw was in the Adiron¬ 
dack^. He was camping with a party on 
Racket river, St. Lawrence Co., New York 
state a few years ago and, as they were eat¬ 
ing supper one evening, strange bird voices 
drew them from their tent in time to see ten 
or twelve great blue herons. A short dis¬ 
tance from the swamp, stood a small group 
of spruce trees, every one of which rose to 
a point. Each heron chose the very tip of 
one of these trees on which to alight and 
there, drawn up to his full height, stood a 
few moments as if to survey the landscape; 
then all took wing. In silence the campers 
watched them until their forms were swal¬ 
lowed up in the bottomless abyss. 
It was the only time, Prof. Shutts ever 
saw great blue herons on trees, though they 
were frequently to be seen in that vicinity 
9 
wading through the streams or standing 
motionless watching for a passing fish. He 
has never seen one in Wisconsin. 
A BALD EAGLE’S NEST. 
In the vicinity of the camp was the nest 
of a bald eagle. A good-sized pine tree had 
been broken off at quite a distance from the 
ground and on the top of the trunk which re¬ 
mained standing the nest was placed. The 
birds were to be seen daily as they fle.w back 
and forth. Public sentiment of that locality 
favored protecting the eagles, and did a 
hunter stray that way who wished to get a 
shot at the birds, he was quickly given to 
understand that no such thing would be al¬ 
lowed. Prof. Shutts heard no complaint 
against the birds on the score of their killing 
small animals or fowls. 
LEAVE BUSHES OR TREES BY THE ROADSIDE. 
ft 
Prof. Shutts was delighted with many of 
the country roadsides which he saw in this 
county; he thought them beautiful. As he 
drove with Supt. Drewry from Waldo, to this 
city, he saw places where both sides of the 
road were grown up thickly with bushes, 
trees and vines, giving shelter to many use¬ 
ful birds. In a ride of a few miles, he saw 
more cat birds than one would be apt to see 
near Whitewater in a year. He has been 
and is still trying to impress upon owners 
of farms that there is much more beauty 
in a road whose sides are left to grow up to 
bushes, trees and vines than one in which 
nothing but grass or perchance weeds are 
to be seen. Some of the farmers have said 
that it is such a waste of land, but he replies 
that it is not necessary to let the bushes 
grow in their lots, only outside of the fence 
where the ground is not generally utilized. 
A gentleman recently told me that on the 
farm he formerly owned, he would never 
have a bird killed and they were very nu¬ 
merous. In cherry time some of the hired 
men occasionally asked him if they might 
not shoot the robins, but he always replied, 
“No, let the birds have all the cherries they 
want.” He used to have so many cherries, 
nice, perfect ones, too, that some summers 
he has shipped as many as sixty bushels. 
The man who now owns the place, kills 
every bird that he can, and has not a perfect 
cherry on the place, every one of them being 
stung, and he has very few even of these 
poor ones. Since the gentleman referred to 
sold the place, some of the cherry trees have 
died so that the crop would be reduced but 
he is gaining nothing by killing the birds. 
He sees the poor little cherry that the robin 
eats, but does not take into account the 
thousands of insects that the bird has de¬ 
stroyed for him. 
Just as the Sun was Setting;. 
A wise old owl 
In an apple tree sat. 
And with his big eyes 
Was watching a cat. 
The blue-bird was sleeping, 
For happy was she, 
The brown thrush was singing 
As sweet as could be. 
The swallows were twittering 
And ridding the air 
Of the numerous insects 
That would make the earth bare. 
The robin was setting 
On her four eggs green, 
The horned lark gay 
Was no more to be seen. 
The blackbirds were sorry 
To be thought such a pest, 
As they settled their brains 
For a good night’s rest. 
And the rest of the birds 
Were closing the day 
With their different songs 
Full of music so gay. 
Age 14 years. Ben Peterson, 
Union Grove. 
