TH' BIRD S N'ST. 'I TT'' G eor g e was fond of walk in g in, a. wood that bordered o n his father s g arde n ' n ow this wood was foam ed of little tree s, p l aced ver y near each other, and two p at hs con ductin g through it, c rossed. On e
6 day, as he was saunterin g up and do w n,_ he wished to rest him self a little, with his back supported by a tree whose stem was yet, ' uite sleu der, and which therefore shook through all its branches when his, bb d y fi rst touched it chanc it. 's ed rustlin, the g fi ' i g hted a poor little bird which out, flew of a neighbour in g bush and soon, disappeared. vexed. He fixed his eye u p on th ' bush to see if it would not ' ret urn,, and while he was attentively cousi-z derin he thought he saw amon g it, g the branches a where they at spot,
7 were twisted into one another, some thing like a tuft of hay. His cu riosit y induced hlm to draw nea rer and examine it. He found this tuft of hay was - hollow like a p orringer ' h e thrust aside the branches, and saw certain little balls within it, of an oval shape, and spotted. They w ere placed beside each other on a, layer of Sure this said g rass., G eorge, m ust be what I have heard some people call a bird s nest and the balls are eggs.. They are indeed ' uite little, but the bird' is not so big as an y O f our hens. It was his first design to carry
8 away the nest ; l however, 00n d thoughts, he was with one egg ; and havin g ran home. He met his the way, and thus addre 5 See this little e g. I in -a nest ' there were fi with it. 'et me hav hand, said G eorge s sis examines it, returns it to ther, and then asks a seco have it. In the e nd, the and down a table, ' ust as aball shoves it. On e on e the other pushes it an o the ' in the midst of their di
9 and' falls down They cry breaks., and mutually accuse other as each' the cause of such a great m isfor tune. it chanced their 's, mother hears them thus complaining ' and n ot knowing why they wee p, a pp ro aches to console them. Both in at be g once. She hears their difi ' erent sto ries and then taking each affection, ately by the hand conducts them, to tree that overshadowed green a x a bank on whi ch bids, she them both sit down. Be comforted, dear ohildpen, said she. That yeti have broken the e gg
10 between you both, is truly a mis fortune but it is one however that should not much grieve you, since you did not mean to do so. I might notwithstanding blame you, G eorge, with ' u stice for the act of having, brought it from the nest. You
11 must have seen hen s eggs disposed of in a sort of nest. The mother sits on, w'arin s and animates them. 'hickens in about three weeks are form ed ' within them, and they pierce the shell. In some few days, they come and feed out of your hand. This egg would also have become. a sort of chick, which you have killed by bringing it away. The bird that flew out of the bush m e, was the mother. Doubtless she will 'ag com e ain and very shortly,, to her nest she will perceive that ' one egg is wanting, and perhaps for
12 sake it all to g ether. This is fre ' uently the cas e. P erhaps this loss of but a single egg, informs them that their asylum is discovered ; they have every thing to fear from ourviolence they guess that when their little ones are hatch cd, he who has already robbed them, will return a nd seiz e upon their ten der family. If then this nest which you have been thus robbing, as I must call it, should be totally aban doued' tell me, would you not be Y es, mam m a, indeed, replied, lit, t le G eorge ; and I am sorry that I
13 meddled with the egg ; but then I did 'n ot know a syllable of wha t y o u have been tellin g u s ; and thought no harm in bringing it to show my sister, which is all that I meant to do. ' y little fellow, I can easily be lieve you, said the mother. Should y o u do bad actions for the pleasure which some suppose there is in do ing them, you would in that case have a very wicked heart, and I should be ' uite sorry that I r had such a son ' but that I do not fear ; for, on the contrary, I know y ou to be aver y g o od bo y.
14 'amma, said the little girl, n est, for I have seen it, out which my brother took this does not resemble in the least t] swallow s nests we see that about house ' dear c out- roof. y said the mother, every nest is alike ; nor yet is eyer y b ird al for som e are great, and others li ' Som e ' arenever known to perc trees, and others live at all tim e them. Some are large and stu others small and full of indu and ' cu n niri g. Some 0 are beaut beyond description in their mage, which has half a dow n
I 15 lours lour, others 'are of ; one dull co Some subsist on fruit, some g o in ' uest o f insects, and a multi tude of others seiz e on smaller birds, and eat them. 'h, the wicked creatures. 'trie d the little girl.. do, not love these last and should be lad to, g spoil their too would many others So nests., said her mamma and therefore those ; great birds that constantly devour the less,. construct their nest s in places where they cannot easily be come as for instance in woods at ;,, and in the holes of rocks where, ' men appear but very seldom ; and
16 at heights beyon d our reach, how; Therefore, dearest children, since each other, not only in siz e, but also in their way of life, and in the co lour of their feathers, it is hut rea flre dark which never lives in an y tree, but sings, as you have heard her, mounting in the air, c o n structs her nest upon the g round ; the swallow builds a bout the roofs of houses, under what we call the eaves ; the owl, which p eo b l e only
h e ar b night seeks old y out, ruinous buildin s or some hollow tree to g, p ut her e gs in and the eagle g which I shewed you yesterday fl y in g above the clouds, and nearly out of sight, brings forth her young ones living round about us, m ake th eir nests in trees and hedges. Those that love the water and who find, their food therein build theirs, among th o se rushes that grow nea r it, upon little islands, and at times upon the shore itself. If one of these fine days we g o into the little valley at the bottom
18 of our large meadow, -we shall see a number of t hese little 'reat ures busy in selecting the materials- they com pos e their nests of. O n e you - wil] observe employed in 'heaten straw ; another will have
small ones, in proportion number of young birds that to hatch within them. Se hang their nests up by a thread, which thread they 11 skill to form of flax, of sorts of weeds, and of the spiders. Others place it middle ofa soft and gluey su whereunto they carefully sti feathers. 'll do every thin g power to make it strong an and secure them selves fi - o enemy that instinct bids th by resorting to retired and
21 There they la y th eir e ggs. The mother and at times father sits, the, upon in the nest with them adm, ir able perseverance. They are taught by nature, that the warm th proceed u P on these eggs, puts every thing within them into motion, and pro duces little creatures, which at last that holds them, and come forth. Y ou m ust have often seen a fl y in took it in your hands, and i throu g h the warmth proceedin g from them, it was brou g ht. to life. It is nearly
22 thus with birds the ' p ersew of the par when they e nts, broc on their eggs convert them, living creatures. ' hen the mother sitsalone cock will bring her a victuals, by to please her with his ' hen' the little ones are once they help them to get c l ear of confi n em ent in the egg. diligence is now redoubled ; do every thing to nou rish an fend them, and are constantl They g o very far indeed to g et food, and make an e ' ual distri