54 
BY THE WAYSIDE 
Illinois Prize Letter. 
Maywood, Ill. 
Dear Wayside: 
I saw a Ruby-crowned-Kinglet, he 
was an olive-green. When I saw him 
he was going north. He is light under 
his breast and he has a ring about his 
eyes and his wings are barred with white. 
The male can show a red spot on his head. 
I think his song is very pretty indeed. 
He is about four and one-fourth inches 
long. He hunts for insects and he goes 
around the branches. He builds his 
nest in Canada. We all like him in our 
school. 
Yours truly, 
Aged 11. Allen Woodle Garner. 
South Wayne. Wis., Dec. 15, 1906. 
Dear Wayside: 
This morning after I had eaten my 
breakfast I took out some food for the 
sparrows. I placed it in a tree on a box 
cover. The sparrow is about five inches 
long and is about the size of the junco. 
The sparrow lays from five to six eggs. 
They build a large nest, and it has a 
little hole on one side. They are very 
pretty birds and are of a brownish color. 
They stay with us all winter. One day 
I threw down some straw for them and 
they picked them up and built their 
nest in my bird house. I like the 
sparrows. 
Yours trulv, 
Aged 12. Ester Keister. 
Drummond Wis. 
Dear Wayside: 
The humming bird is very pretty. It 
is small and makes a kind of shrill cry. 
This bird is noted for its pretty feathers 
which are of all colors of the rainbow. 
They fly very fast. They lay two white 
eggs about as large as peas. They are 
hunted for their feathers which are used 
mostly in trimming ladies’ hats. They 
have a long slender bill. Well, I must 
close, and hoping to see my letter in the 
Wayside, I remain, 
Yours truly, 
Aged 11. Marie Johnson. 
Cross Plains, Wis. 
Dear Wayside: 
The bluebird isn’t very large, but it is 
very quick and is a wild bird. We find 
it nearly everywhere. Once we went to 
our pasture and found a bluebird’s nest 
with three young ones in it. They 
were very nice. But awhile after we 
wanted to put crumbs of bread near, but 
they wouldn’t eat; I suppose they were 
too small. Afterwards they died. I 
think they didn’t have enough food. I 
love bluebirds and I hope many more 
will come back this spring. They were 
very plentiful last year. The bluebird’s 
breast is red and the wings are blue. 
We have a picture in our schoolroom 
another at home. Hope I’ll find my 
letter in the Wayside. 
Yours truly, 
Aged 12. Katie Marking. 
Cross Plains, Wis. 
Dear Wayside: 
The bluebird is a very nice bird. 
Whenever I see one I can hardly stop 
looking at it. The only reason I can 
see that it is so pretty is because the 
breast is red and the rest is blue. I 
have not seen very many bluebirds yet. 
Its eggs are blue. We have a picture of 
the bluebird in our school and pictures 
of many other birds yet. The bluebird 
is the nicest one I have ever seen. We 
have some birds during the winter. 
