For thou, to northern lands, again The glad and glorious sun dost bring, And thou hast joined the gentle train And wear'st the gentle name of Spring. And, in thy reign of blast and storm, Smiles many a long, bright, sunny day, When the changed winds are soft and warm, And heaven puts on the blue of May. Then sing aloud the gushing rills, And the full springs, from frost set free, That, brightly leaping down the hills, Are just set out to meet the sea. --BRYANT. THE BIRD'S ANSWER. "A little bird sat on the twig of a tree, A-swinging and singing as glad as could be, And shaking his tail and smoothing his dress, And having such fun as you never could guess; And when he had finished his gay little song, He flew down the street and went hopping along, This way and that way with both little feet, While his sharp little eyes looked for something to eat. A little boy said to him, 'Little bird, stop And tell me the reason you go with a hop; Why don't you walk as boys do, and men, One foot at a time, like a duck or a hen?' Then the little bird went with a hop, hop, hop, And laughed as if he never could stop: And he said, 'Little boy, there are some birds that talk, And some birds that hop, and some birds that walk, But most little birds that can sing you a song, Are so small that their legs are not very strong To scratch with, or wade with, or catch things, that's why They hop with both feet, little boy, good-bye.'" WHERE MISSOURI BIRDS SPEND CHRISTMAS. Of course we know where the English Sparrow spends his Christmas. And the Snowbird came down in October and is with us yet. Likewise the Bluejay is here in many of our yards, and is quite respectable--like Eugene Field's boy, now that there are no eggs to eat nor young birds to destroy. The Redhead Woodpecker is probably in the deeper woods, though I have not yet seen him this winter. Sometimes he goes south and digs grubs off the tall, dead, southern trees. But we may be interested in where some of our departed friends are Christmasing. All our other Woodpeckers stay with us--except the Yellowhammer. He has taken to feeding upon the ground a good deal of late and does not like it frozen. The Redbreasted Woodpecker and our two little Sapsuckers as we call them, are always here in the winter--the most optimistic birds we have. I heard the Nuthatch only a few days ago. I did not see him but I knew by the way he talked through his nose that he was hanging head down on some nearby tree. The only other little bird that climbs up tree trunks--except the Woodpeckers--is the Browncreeper, a rather rare bird with us. Some years ago one of the public school teachers sent me one that a little boy had found so chilled that it was helpless; so I suspect that he ought to spend Christmas further south--for his health.