The Curious Book of Birds | Page 3

as the Lord said she should do. And when
we spy her, a dusty little body with black stockings, clinging upright to the tree trunk, we
see that she is creeping, climbing, looking up eagerly toward the sky, longing for the rain
to fall into her thirsty beak. She is always hoping for the storm to come, and plaintively
pipes, "_Plui-plui!_ Rain, O Rain!" until the drops begin to patter on the leaves.

MOTHER MAGPIE'S KINDERGARTEN
Did you ever notice how different are the nests which the birds build in springtime, in
tree or bush or sandy bank or hidden in the grass? Some are wonderfully wrought, pretty
little homes for birdikins. But others are clumsy, and carelessly fastened to the bough,
most unsafe cradles for the feathered baby on the treetop. Sometimes after a heavy wind
you find on the ground under the nest poor little broken eggs which rolled out and lost
their chance of turning into birds with safe, safe wings of their own. Now such sad things
as this happen because in their youth the lazy father and mother birds did not learn their
lesson when Mother Magpie had her class in nest-making. The clumsiest nest of all is that
which the Wood-Pigeon tries to build. Indeed, it is not a nest at all, only the beginning of
one. And there is an old story about this, which I shall tell you.
In the early springtime of the world, when birds were first made, none of them--except
Mother Magpie--knew how to build a nest. In that lovely garden where they lived the
birds went fluttering about trying their new wings, so interested in this wonderful game
of flying that they forgot all about preparing a home for the baby birds who were to come.
When the time came to lay their eggs the parents knew not what to do. There was no
place safe from the four-legged creatures who cannot fly, and they began to twitter
helplessly: "Oh, how I wish I had a nice warm nest for my eggs!" "Oh, what shall we do
for a home?" "Dear me! I don't know anything about housekeeping." And the poor silly
things ruffled up their feathers and looked miserable as only a little bird can look when it
is unhappy.
All except Mother Magpie! She was not the best--oh, no!--but she was the cleverest and
wisest of all the birds; it seemed as if she knew everything that a bird could know.
Already she had found out a way, and was busily building a famous nest for herself. She
was indeed a clever bird! She gathered turf and sticks, and with clay bound them firmly
together in a stout elm tree. About her house she built a fence of thorns to keep away the
burglar birds who had already begun mischief among their peaceful neighbors. Thus she
had a snug and cosy dwelling finished before the others even suspected what she was
doing. She popped into her new house and sat there comfortably, peering out through the
window-slits with her sharp little eyes. And she saw the other birds hopping about and
twittering helplessly.
"What silly birds they are!" she croaked. "Ha, ha! What would they not give for a nest
like mine!"
But presently a sharp-eyed Sparrow spied Mother Magpie sitting in her nest.

"Oho! Look there!" he cried. "Mother Magpie has found a way. Let us ask her to teach
us."
Then all the other birds chirped eagerly, "Yes, yes! Let us ask her to teach us!"
So, in a great company, they came fluttering, hopping, twittering up to the elm tree where
Mother Magpie nestled comfortably in her new house.
"O wise Mother Magpie, dear Mother Magpie," they cried, "teach us how to build our
nests like yours, for it is growing night, and we are tired and sleepy."
The Magpie said she would teach them if they would be a patient, diligent, obedient class
of little birds. And they all promised that they would.
She made them perch about her in a great circle, some on the lower branches of the trees,
some on the bushes, and some on the ground among the grass and flowers. And where
each bird perched, there it was to build its nest. Then Mother Magpie found clay and bits
of twigs and moss and grass--everything a bird could need to build a nest; and there is
scarcely anything you can think of which some bird would not find very useful. When
these things were all piled up before her she told every bird to do just as she did. It was
like a great big kindergarten of birds playing at a new building game, with Mother
Magpie for the teacher.
She began to show them how to