They probably hav a destiny to fill, and are probably necessary, if a
fellow only knew how.
They liv apart from the rest ov mankind, in little circles numbering
about 75 or 80 souls.
They are born about haying time, and are different from enny bug i know
ov; they are the biggest when they are fust born. They resemble sum men
in this respekt.
Their principle bizziness iz making poor honey, but they don’t make enny
to sell.
Boys sumtimes rob them out ov a whole summer’s work; but thare is one
thing about a bumble bee that boys alwus watch dreadful cluss, and that
iz their _helm_.
I had rather not hav awl the bumble bee honey that is between here and
the city ov Jerusalem, than tew hav a bumble bee hit me with his helm
when he cums round suddin.
THE ROBBING.
The robin haz a red brest.
They hav a plaintiff song, and sing az tho they waz sorry for sum thing.
They are natiffs ov the northern states, but go south to winter.
They git their name from their grate ability for robbing a cherry tree.
They kan also robin a currant bush fust rate, and are smart on a goose
berry.
[Illustration]
If a robin kant find enny thing else tew eat, they aint tew fastidious
tew eat a ripe strawberry.
They build their nest out ov mud, and straw, and lay 4 eggs, that are
speckled.
Four yung robbings, in a nest, that are just hatched out, and still on
the half-shell, are alwus az reddy for dinner, az a nuzeboy iz.
If enny boddy goes near their nest, their mouths all fly open at once,
so that yu kan see clear down tew their palates.
If it want for the birds, I suppose, ov course, we should all be et up
by the catterpillars, and snakes, but i hav thought, it wouldn’t be enny
thing more than common politeness, for the robbings, tew let us hav,
now, and then, just one ov our own cherriz, tew see how they did taste.
THE SWALLO.
The swallo iz a lively bird.
Swallows make their appearance late in the spring, and alwus in a
twitter about sumthing.
They hav az mutch twitter, as a boarding skool miss.
They kan fli az swift az an arrow, and a great deal crookider.
I have seen them skim a mill pond, cluss enuff tew take the cream off
from it, and even make the frogs dodge, and not touch the water.
When the swallo cums, spring haz cum sure, but thare iz an old proverb,
(one ov Solomans, i presume,) which sez, “one swallo dont make a
spring.”
This may be so, but i have seen a spring (ov water), that would make a
grate menny swallows.
Swallows never hav the dispepshy, they liv upon nothing, and take a
grate deal ov exercise in the open air.
They dont set up nites busting, and never cheat a taylor out ov hiz
bill.
They dont waste enny time in the morning making their toilett, but like
the flowers, shake oph the dew from their heds, and are reddy for
bizzness.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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