The Burgess Bird Book for ChildrenBurgess, Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo)
General
The Burgess Bird Book for Children
Burgess, Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo)
Birds -- Juvenile literature
“Well, you needn't think that of Glory,” declared Jenny in her vigorous
way. “He's just as fine as he is handsome. He's a model husband. If they
make their home around here you'll find him doing his full share in the
care of their babies. Sometimes they raise two families. When they do
that, Glory takes charge of the first lot of youngsters as soon as they
are able to leave the nest so that Mrs. Cardinal has nothing to worry
about while she is sitting on the second lot of eggs. He fusses over
them as if they were the only children in the world. Everybody loves
Glory. Excuse me, Peter, I'm going over to find out if they are really
going to stay.”
When Jenny returned she was so excited she couldn't keep still a minute.
“They like here, Peter!” she cried. “They like here so much that if they
can find a place to suit them for a nest they're going to stay. I told
them that it is the very best place in the world. They like an evergreen
tree to build in, and I think they've got their eyes on those evergreens
up near Farmer Brown's house. My, they will add a lot to the quality of
this neighborhood.”
Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal whistled and sang as if their hearts were bursting
with joy, and Peter sat around listening as if he had nothing else
in the world to do. Probably he would have sat there the rest of the
morning had he not caught sight of an old friend of whom he is very
fond, Kitty the Catbird. In contrast with Glory, Kitty seemed a regular
little Quaker, for he was dressed almost wholly in gray, a rather dark,
slaty-gray. The top of his head and tail were black, and right at the
base of his tail was a patch of chestnut color. He was a little smaller
than Welcome Robin. There was no danger of mistaking him for anybody
else, for there is no one dressed at all like him.
Peter forgot all about Glory in his pleasure at discovering the returned
Kitty and hurried over to welcome him. Kitty had disappeared among the
bushes along the old stone wall, but Peter had no trouble in finding
him by the queer cries he was uttering, which were very like the meow
of Black Pussy the Cat. They were very harsh and unpleasant and Peter
understood perfectly why their maker is called the Catbird. He did
not hurry in among the bushes at once but waited expectantly. In a few
minutes the harsh cries ceased and then there came from the very same
place a song which seemed to be made up of parts of the songs of all the
other birds of the Old Orchard. It was not loud, but it was charming. It
contained the clear whistle of Glory, and there was even the tinkle of
Little Friend the Song Sparrow. The notes of other friends were in that
song, and with them were notes of southern birds whose songs Kitty had
learned while spending the winter in the South. Then there were notes
all his own.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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