Stories of Birds

魢
Stories of Birds, by Lenore Elizabeth Mulets

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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 and perched beside Phyllis.
He came quite close and stared at the little girl in a gay, curious manner, as though he might be looking for a playfellow.
"Who are you?" asked Phyllis, looking like a great red bird as she perched on the fence.
"Chick-a-dee! Chick-a-dee! Chick-a-dee-dee-dee!" twittered the little fellow. It seemed to Phyllis that he laughed because she did not know him.
"Oh, to be sure," said she. "How stupid of me