nooks and crannies which we had half-forgotten since October. The
birds remember the old places. The wrens pull the sticks from the old
hollow rail and seem to be wild with joy to see the place again. They
must be the same wrens that were here last year, for strangers could
not make so much fuss over an old rail. The bluebirds and wrens look
into every crack and corner for a place in which to build, and the
robins and chirping-sparrows explore every tree in the old orchard.

If the birds want to live with us, we should encourage them. The first
thing to do is to leave them alone. Let them be as free from danger
and fear as you and I. Take the hammer off the old gun, give pussy so
much to eat that she will not care to hunt for birds, and keep away
the boys who steal eggs and who carry sling-shots and throw stones.
Plant trees and bushes about the borders of the place, and let some of
them, at least, grow into tangles; then, even in the back yard, the
wary catbird may make its home.


NOTES AND QUESTIONS

Biography. Liberty Hyde Bailey (1858-1954) has written many books on
Nature and outdoor life. He was chairman of the Commission on Country
Life, appointed by Roosevelt.

Discussion. 1. Why does the author say that the springtime belongs to
"the birds and me"? 2. When may we say the birds are our partners and
when our servants? 3. What different ways of dealing with birds are
spoken of? Which way does the writer prefer? 4. How may you encourage
the birds to live near you? 5. What do you gain if you persuade them
to do this? Find an answer to this question in the poems that follow.