Stories of Birds

Stories of Birds, by Lenore
Elizabeth Mulets

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Stories of Birds, by Lenore Elizabeth
Mulets This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and
with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away
or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: Stories of Birds
Author: Lenore Elizabeth Mulets
Release Date: February 8, 2007 [EBook #20547]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STORIES
OF BIRDS ***

Produced by Al Haines

[Illustration: Cover Art]
[Frontispiece: "He came quite close and stared at the little girl"
(missing from book)]

STORIES OF BIRDS
By
Lenore Elizabeth Mulets

Illustrated by
Sophie Schneider

"When our babe he goeth walking in his garden Around his tinkling
feet the sunbeams play; The posies they are good to him And bow them
as they should to him As he fareth upon his kingly way: The birdlings of
the wood to him Make music, gentle music, all the day When our babe
he goeth walking in his garden."
--Eugene Field.

Boston: L. C. Page and Company
Publishers

Copyright, 1903
By L. C. PAGE & COMPANY
(Incorporated)
All rights reserved

Made in U.S.A.

New Edition, April, 1925

THE COLONIAL PRESS
C. H. SIMONDS CO., BOSTON, U. S. A.

PREFACE
Where can you find a lad who does not treasure among his secrets the
nesting-place of some pair of birds? Where can you find a child who
does not watch for the first robin of spring-time? Where can you find
one who does not know when the wild ducks in the wedge-shaped
flocks fly southward?
This little book of "Bird Stories" is written both for the children who
already know our common birds, and for those who may know them if
they choose.
For those children who know, the book is a verification of their own
facts, with an addition of stories, poems, and songs to make facts
beautiful; for the children who do not know, the book is a simple set of
facts placed before them for verification and entertainment.
To all, may the knowledge obtained be a pleasure and a delight.
LENORE ELIZABETH MULETS.

CONTENTS
The Chickadee In the Snow Twenty Little Chickadees The Snowbird's
Song How the Birds Got Their Feathers Chilly Little Chickadees All

About the Chickadee
Robin Redbreast Merry Robin Redbreast The Robin's Red Breast
Which Was the Wiser? All About the Robin
The Swallow Under the Eaves The Swallows All About the Barn
Swallow
The Hawk and the Raven From the Barnyard Fence The First Hawk
Origin of the Raven and the Macaw All About the Chicken-Hawk All
About the Raven
The Kingfisher With the Water Watchman The Halcyon Birds All
About the Kingfisher
The Red-Headed Woodpecker In Cap of Red A Legend of the
Northland All About the Woodpecker
The Lark In the Meadow The Song of the Merry Lark Saved by a Lark
All About the Meadow Lark
The Owl A Good-Night The Owl (Tennyson) The Owl Girl The Owl
and the Raven The Owl (Shakespeare) All About the Barred or Hoot
Owl
The Bobolink A Summer Song Robert of Lincoln All About the
Bobolink or Rice-Bird
The Sea-Doves and the Great Blue Heron Beside the Sea Sea-Pigeons
The Sandpiper The Circling of Cranes All About the Great Blue Heron
or Blue Crane All About the Sea-Dove

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
"He came quite close and stared at the little girl" (see page 4) . . . . . .
Frontispiece

"By this time the robin was on the ground"
"'No robin or chickadee could build such nests as the swallow'"
"On a branch sat a bird. He was considerably larger than a robin"
"The owl only blinked his great eyes"
"'She is sitting on a nestful of light blue eggs'"

THE CHICKADEE
OR SNOWBIRD
[Illustration: The Chickadee]
IN THE SNOW
It was a bright, wintry day. The frost jewels sparkled on the snow. The
winds blew cutting cold from the north.
Phyllis, in her scarlet coat and cap, and long, warm leggings, waded in
the deepest drifts she could find.
Out by the garden fence was the greatest drift. After floundering
through it, Phyllis climbed up and perched on the top rail of the fence.
She sat quite still, for she was almost breathless after her struggle in the
snow.
Suddenly, just over her head, Phyllis heard a whistle. She started so
that she almost fell from the fence.
Again came the whistle, clear, sweet, and long drawn out. Phyllis
looked up, and there on the branch of the elm-tree sat a cheery little
bird.
With a third whistle he flew down to the fence