48 
BY THE WAYSIDE 
than the front ones. Clem said that they 
hop along ’ike a kangaroo when in the 
woods or field. Its nose was so long and 
peaked that it looked like a bird’s bill. 
Clem had a crow-fish to school this morn¬ 
ing also. 
Yours truly, 
Elizabeth Loomis. 
Mauston, Wis., March 23, 1908. 
Dear Wayside: 
This morning as I was coming to school 
I saw a robin in a tree. It was singing 
a very sweet song. As I came near, it 
flew away and lit on the fence. Then 
another robin came and lit in a tree. 
When I came near them they flew away. 
Then I went on a little farther and there 
was a meadow lark in a tree. It sang so 
sweetly I stopped and listened. Then it 
flew away. The pussy willows and ma¬ 
ple buds are coming out. 
Yours truly, 
Lou O’dell. 
Mauston. Wisconsin, March 24, 1908, 
Dear Wayside: 
One evening I was up to my aunt’s. 
We were out in the back yard when I 
heard a noise. I ran to the place where 
the noise came lrom,and there on a stick 
sat a plump little robin. He looked so 
pretty I would have liked to pick him 
up and hug him. My little cousin came 
running out of the house just then and 
frightened him away. I stood very still 
and in a minute he came and sat right 
near me. After a while I went into the 
house and I saw some pussy willows. I 
put one up to my cheeks and it felt just 
like the fur of a kitten. 
Yours truly, 
Aged 11. Estella Briggs. 
Mauston, Wis., June 8, 1908. 
Dear Wayside: 
Sunday we went flower picking and 
while we were there we saw a rose¬ 
breasted grosbeak and its mate. They 
were building their nest in a small apple 
tree. We were still watching them when 
we saw a mud hen. It was in the tall 
grass near the river. I couldn’t see it 
very well but I thought that it was 
mostly brown. 
After that we saw a scarlet tanager and 
cedar waxwing. The cedar wax wing was 
in a large apple tree. It is a brownish- 
colored bird with a yellow border on its 
tail and a very pretty spot of red on its 
wing. The scarlet tanager is all red ex¬ 
cept its wings and they are black. They 
are both very pretty birds. 
Yours truly, 
Aged 12. Marjorie Bennett. 
Mauston, Wis., June 8, 1908. 
Dear Wayside: 
One day as I was up river, I heard 
some birds sputtering away, so I thought 
I would see what was going on. I walked 
in the direction the noise came from, 
and I saw a red-wing blackbird chasing 
a bluejay. I looked around to see if I 
could find a nest, and sure enough I saw 
a red-wing blackbird sitting on a cute 
little nest. When she saw me she flew 
off in a hurry, and lit nearby. I looked 
into the nest and saw four little eggs. I 
went a little way off and hid behind a 
bush and watched them. The redwing 
blackbird flew back on her nest. The 
bluejay tried to chase her off; but the 
male bird would not let him. At last 
the bluejay got tired and flew away, leav¬ 
ing the red-wing blackbirds in peace 
again. 
Lizzie Price. 
