they soon found out that worms were what the robins wanted.

The children laughed to see the very small birds open their very large mouths.

"You funny little birds!" laughed Kate one day, as the four big yellow mouths flew open. "You are not pretty yet, but some day you will be. You belong to The Good Times Club. And the Club will take good care of you."

One day Mrs. Allan told the children some bird stories. Would you like to hear them?

A BRAVE LITTLE MOTHER

Some people say that birds do not care for their eggs.

Hear what a little chickadee mother did when a man tried to steal the eggs out of her nest.

The nest was in a hole in an old stump. The man could not get his hand into the hole, so he began to take the eggs out, one at a time, with a little scoop.

At first the mother flew at him, trying to drive him away. Then the chickadees and other birds who lived near came to help her. They all flew about his face with cries. The man had to use one hand to keep the birds away

from his eyes. But still he went on taking out

the eggs.

At last the little mother dashed into the hole. She sat there in the doorway looking right into his face.

The man could not get another egg without hurting her, and he was ashamed to do that.

Do you think that this little creature did not care for her eggs?

-OLIVE THORNE MILLER.

A TRUE CROW STORY

People who love birds can often tame them. A man once had a crow. He never shut the bird up, but let him fly about wherever he chose. The crow often flew far from his master's house.

One day he was out in a rain. His feathers got so wet that he could not fly well.

A boy caught the crow and carried him seven miles away. He clipped one wing so that the crow could not fly. He kept the bird shut up all winter. Spring came. The first time the crow could

get out, he started for his old home.

He could not

fly because his

wing was clip

ped. But he hopped

seven miles through

mud and wet.

At last the crow drew near his home. He was so tired that he was almost dead.

When his master saw him coming he went to

meet his pet. He took the bird up, and petted and talked to him.

The crow was very happy. He got well and lived for many years. His new feathers came and soon he could fly as well as ever. But never, after that, would he leave his home.

A TRUE PIGEON STORY

A man who once had two pairs of pigeons placed them in dovecots side by side.

In each pigeon family there were the father and mother pigeons with two little ones.

One day the two old birds in one dovecot went away to get food. While they were gone, one of their little birds fell out of the dovecot to the ground.

The baby bird was not much hurt, but it could not get back, for it was too young to fly. The owner put it back into the nest.

Now, the old birds in the other dovecot were at home when the young bird fell

They seemed to say: "One of our little ones might fall in that same way. We must do something to make our dovecot safer."

They flew about until they found some small sticks. They carried these to their dovecot. In their doorway they built a fence of sticks! It was just high enough to keep the young birds from falling out of the dovecot.

The owner had been watching the whole time. He saw these wise birds gather the sticks and build the fence.

This is a true story.

THE LARK AND THE FARMER

A lark once had a nest in a wheat field. There were young larks in her nest. When at last the young larks were old enough to fly, the wheat was nearly ripe. One day the farmer came into the field. "The wheat is ripe," he said to his son. "Go ask our neighbors to help us cut it."