The Curious Book of Birds | Page 4

weave the bits of things together into nests, as they
should be made. And some of the birds, who were attentive and careful, soon saw how it
was done, and started nice homes for themselves. You have seen what wonderful
swinging baskets the Oriole makes for his baby-cradle? Well, it was the Magpie who
taught him how, and he was the prize pupil, to be sure. But some of the birds were not
like him, nor like the patient little Wren. Some of them were lazy and stupid and envious
of Mother Magpie's cosy nest, which was already finished, while theirs was yet to do.
As Mother Magpie worked, showing them how, it seemed so very simple that they were
ashamed not to have discovered it for themselves. So, as she went on bit by bit, the silly
things pretended that they had known all about it from the first--which was very
unpleasant for their teacher.
Mother Magpie took two sticks in her beak and began like this: "First of all, my friends,
you must lay two sticks crosswise for a foundation, thus," and she placed them carefully
on the branch before her.
"Oh yes, oh yes!" croaked old Daddy Crow, interrupting her rudely. "I thought that was
the way to begin."
Mother Magpie snapped her eyes at him and went on, "Next you must lay a feather on a
bit of moss, to start the walls."
"Certainly, of course," screamed the Jackdaw. "I knew that came next. That is what I told
the Parrot but a moment since."

Mother Magpie looked at him impatiently, but she did not say anything. "Then, my
friends, you must place on your foundation moss, hair, feathers, sticks, and
grass--whatever you choose for your house. You must place them like this."
"Yes, yes," cried the Starling, "sticks and grass, every one knows how to do that! Of
course, of course! Tell us something new."
[Illustration: _"Next you must lay a feather"_]
Now Mother Magpie was very angry, but she kept on with her lesson in spite of these
rude and silly interruptions. She turned toward the Wood-Pigeon, who was a rattle-pated
young thing, and who was not having any success with the sticks which she was trying to
place.
"Here, Wood-Pigeon," said Mother Magpie, "you must place those sticks through and
across, criss-cross, criss-cross, so."
"Criss-cross, criss-cross, so," interrupted the Wood-Pigeon. "I know. That will do-o-o,
that will do-o-o!"
Mother Magpie hopped up and down on one leg, so angry she could hardly croak.
"You silly Pigeon," she sputtered, "not so. You are spoiling your nest. Place the sticks
so!"
"I know, I know! That will do-o-o, that will do-o-o!" cooed the Wood-Pigeon obstinately
in her soft, foolish little voice, without paying the least attention to Mother Magpie's
directions.
"We all know that--anything more?" chirped the chorus of birds, trying to conceal how
anxious they were to know what came next, for the nests were only half finished.
But Mother Magpie was thoroughly disgusted, and refused to go on with the lesson
which had been so rudely interrupted by her pupils.
"You are all so wise, friends," she said, "that surely you do not need any help from me.
You say you know all about it,--then go on and finish your nests by yourselves. Much
luck may you have!" And away she flew to her own cosy nest in the elm tree, where she
was soon fast asleep, forgetting all about the matter.
But oh! What a pickle the other birds were in! The lesson was but half finished, and most
of them had not the slightest idea what to do next. That is why to this day many of the
birds have never learned to build a perfect nest. Some do better than others, but none
build like Mother Magpie.
But the Wood-Pigeon was in the worst case of them all. For she had only the foundation
laid criss-cross as the Magpie had shown her. And so, if you find in the woods the most
shiftless, silly kind of nest that you can imagine--just a platform of sticks laid flat across a

branch, with no railing to keep the eggs from rolling out, no roof to keep the rain from
soaking in--when you see that foolishness, you will know that it is the nest of little
Mistress Wood-Pigeon, who was too stupid to learn the lesson which Mother Magpie was
ready to teach.
And the queerest part of all is that the birds blamed the Magpie for the whole matter, and
have never liked her since. But, as you may have found out for yourselves, that is often
the fate of wise folk who make discoveries or who do things better than others.

THE GORGEOUS GOLDFINCH
The Goldfinch who lives in Europe is one