The Garden on the Hill [pp. 364-370]

1874.] THE GARDEN ON THE HILL. 367
whole story. Four orphan birds ap- an Apache with a string 0 fscalps~athis
pealed to the sympathies of the young belt, and a school-boy with his string of
folk. The nest was taken into the birds'- eggs. If it were not for that inhouse, the birds carefully covered with fernal cruelty which has been inbred by
cotton, and every effort was made to false teaching, or no teaching, our relasave them. They would eat nothing, tions with all the lower forms of life
and, as a last resort, the nest was re- would be intimate and confidential, inplaced in il~e vines. The father came stead of suspicious and oftentimes reback soon, talked with his children, volting. One can match the worst specibrooded them, fed them day after day, mens of cannibalism by pointing out
brought them up to maturity, and turned strings of larks hung up by their bills
out as prosperous a family of young lin- any day in the market. I know of no
nets as there was in that neighborhood. cannibal who ever became ferocious
Mr. Linnet can have the most positive enough to eat singing-birds, or to find
certificate of rare domestic virtues. pleasure in killing them.
There is the slight drawback that he There are two or three notes in the
paints, does all the singing, and is rath- song of the lark which are not surpasser vain; while Mrs. Linnet is a plain, ed in sweetness by any of the oriole or
unassuming bird, always clad in gray, finch family. If one will take a dash inand is not up in music. All through the to the country some bright morning, on
realm of ornithology the male bird has horseback, and note how this joyous bird
the brightest colors and does the sing- goes before him, alighting on the fence
ing. But analogy is all at fault when and calling down a benediction from the
you come to men and women. Who heavens, either he will come back filled
puts on all the bright colors here, paints, with gladness, or his liver trouble has
and carols upon the topmost bough of got the better of him. All the songthe domestic tree? By what law has birds of much note in this State may be
this order been reversed? And yet the assigned to the three families of thrushsum of your political economy is, that a es, orioles, and finches. In the first of
woman who can dress more, use pig- these we have the robin; in the second,
ments more cunningly, and talk faster the lark; and in the third, the linnet.
and sing better than a man, shall not The subfamilies will reach nearly a hunvote! Is that the way to set up your dred, and there is not one of them which
ideal republic? will not pay in songs and in the destruc One may learn secrets of ornithology tion of insects for all the mischief he
in the garden which the books will not does. Now, a bird that pays his bills
yield up. That boy coming up the rear in advance, has a right to protection.
garden walk, who has swung himself Observe, too, how soon they recognize
into a pear-tree to look into the nest of any attempt to establish friendly relaa finch, has done the same thing consec- tions with them. Last year a finch had
utively on a dozen mornings. He will her feet entangled by a string with which
be able to tell just how many days are she had lined her nest. A little help
required for incubation, and how many rendered to set her free made her an indays intervene before the birds are full- timate friend, and a shallow pan of wafledged. I should have had more hope ter in the grass drew daily dividends of
for him as a future ornithologist, had not fresh songs. A box with a few holes in
the young heathen asked for the eggs it, set on a post, will not remain empty a
to put upon his string. There is not year; either the blue - birds or the marsuch a great difference, after all, between tens will take possession of it.