BY THE WAYSIDE 
(> 
no fear of the small bov and the air rifle, 
as the boys have all taken a marked dis¬ 
like to “killing birds,” and are very 
proud of their Audubon badges. 
The following program was rendered: 
Reading of Governor's Proclamation, 
Arbor Day Exercise, Pink Rose Drill, 
Spade Drill. Recitations—“A Little Ser¬ 
mon to Boys,” “Arbor Day,” “What Do 
We Plant,” “The Singing Lesson,” “Fall 
Migrations,” “Who Stole the Bird’s Nest,” 
“The Humming Bird,” “The Two Pus¬ 
sies,’’“April Weather,”“Just Cause I’m a 
Girl,” “Anticipation,” “Planting a Tree,” 
“The Puzzle,” “Love in the Third 
Reader.” Dialogue—“Voices of the 
Trees.” Songs—“Arbor Day,” “The 
Pussy Willows;” Duet—“The Daisies,” 
and the Raindrops;” Solo—“Sweet Ar¬ 
bor Day.” 
The Shrike Family. 
One early spring morning the bluebirds 
near our country home were molested by 
a couple of shrikes who seemed to be in¬ 
tent on driving them from the garden 
which had been their peaceful abode for 
many summers. 
These boisterous little ruffians soon 
gained dominion over the domain and 
built their nest in a large crab-apple tree 
which not a bird in the vicinity would dare 
to approach. Even the cat hesitated about 
going too near. One day she slyly crept 
toward the apple trees when all at once 
there was a frightful quacking. There 
was the cat crouching under the tree and 
the two shrikes flying desperately around 
her head and making the most terrible 
noise. They kept this up until the cat 
retreated her steps. I never saw her 
venture that way again, and wondered 
whether the confusion and screeching 
were too much for her or whether she 
really felt.the pecks of their beaks. 
After awhile we heard the young birds 
in the nest. The old birds brought them 
a great variety of food including insects, 
worms, eggs of other birds and often 
scraps of foul meat, probably that of mice 
and other rodents that they found in the 
field. 
Early one morning before the sun was 
hardly peeping over the horizon the 
whole household was aroused bv a dread- 
•/ 
ful quacking and screeching in the crab- 
apple tree. The young shrike family 
were taking their first lessons in flying. 
The adult birds were very boisterous 
with their commands and, I fear, did 
considerable scolding, but by the time 
the people in the house were up and 
about the little ones had all dispersed 
excepting one little fellow that hesitated 
leaving the lilac bush near the porch. 
He was a curious, chubby little fellow 
dressed in gray, with a head that seemed 
rather large for his body. 
Soon the mother bird returned and 
with coaxing and some scolding the last 
of her brood ventured into the fields. 
The Shrike family stayed in the 
neighborhood until the frosts of winter 
came when they took their departure. 
Sophia M. Schaefer. 
Wisconsin Prize Letter. 
Mazomanie, Wis., April 30th, 1908. 
Dear Wavside: 
%/ 
Monday morning as I was coming to 
school I saw a little dark blue bird. It 
was the little indigo bird. The indigo 
bird is from five to six inches long. He 
is dark blue with blackish wings and 
tail. 1 he female bird is a brown bird. 
The indigo birds come to Northern 
United States about the middle of May, 
and builds its nest in a forked branch of 
