BAND

The Woodpecker family were around on various trees drumming, drumming on the bark. Mr. Hairy Woodpecker, Mr. Downy Woodpecker, and Mr. Red-Headed Woodpecker were hard at work.

"Let's start a band," suggested Mr. Hairy Woodpecker.

"What's that you say?" asked Mr. Red-Headed Woodpecker, who had been so busy at work that he had not heard what Mr. Hairy Woodpecker had been suggesting.

"A band," repeated Mr. Hairy Woodpecker.

"What sort of a band?" asked Mr. Red-Headed Woodpecker.

"In the first place," continued Mr. Hairy Woodpecker, "our bills are not only fine tools for the work we have to do getting the insects from the trees, and burrowing for our nests, but they would be splendid to use in beating the drums in a band."

"Where would we get the drums?" asked Mr. Red-Headed Woodpecker.

"The trees, of course, you silly!" said Mr. Hairy Woodpecker.

"Oh yes, yes," agreed Mr. Red-Headed Woodpecker.

And Mr. Downy Woodpecker said, "Of course, of course. The trees will be our drums."

"We'll get the other birds," said Mr. Hairy Woodpecker, "to help us. We need something in a band besides the drums. We will ask the goldfinches, the mocking-birds, the bobolinks, the phœbe and chickadee families, all of the warbler and vireo families, and the robins of course. Then I think we'll ask the orioles, the whippoorwills, the thrush family, and the song sparrows."

"Oh," said Mr. Downy Woodpecker, "that will make a perfect band. We'd better get started right away." And the woodpeckers began to practise. They made such a noise that the birds came from far and near to see what they were doing. Mr. Sapsucker, Mr. Crested Woodpecker, and Mr. Flicker Woodpecker had all joined in beating the drums too!

"Why are you making so much noise?" asked the birds as they flew around to the nearby trees to talk to the woodpeckers.

"Oh," said Mr. Hairy Woodpecker, "we were just going to ask you all to join our band. We will beat the drums."

"And just what do you want us to do?" asked Mr. Robin Redbreast, who was always eager to help.

"You must all sing."

"But we all sing differently," chirped a song sparrow. "We know different tunes and different songs."

"Oh," said Mr. Hairy Woodpecker, "I never thought about that. But never mind, you can have little parts to sing alone, and other choruses where you will all sing together. I'm sure it will be a very fine band after we have practised." And they began pounding the drums again.

"Well," said Mr. Robin Redbreast, "if the bird band isn't to be the finest in the land, at least we'll make a cheerful noise!"

THE CARDINAL BIRD AND THE ROBIN

"The cardinal bird," said daddy, "is a very superior bird and will not come down to the ground. The lowest he will come is to a bush, but he never hops along the woods or lawns, no, not he!

"One day Robin Redbreast was walking on a green lawn. He stopped several times to pick up a worm from the ground, swallow it whole and then walk along. In a tree nearby he spied the cardinal bird.

"'Hello,' he said cheerily. 'Won't you come and have a worm with me? There are a number in this lawn, and the good rain we had last night has made the ground so nice and soft. Do join me,' he ended with a bright chirp.

"'No, thank you,' said the cardinal bird. 'I wouldn't soil my feet on that ground. I hate the ground, absolutely hate it.' And the cardinal bird looked very haughty and proud.

"'Come now,' said Robin Redbreast, 'you won't get your feet dirty. And if you do,' he whispered knowingly, 'I can lead you to the nicest brook where you can wash them off with fresh rain water. Do come!'

"'I cannot,' said the cardinal bird. 'I do not like the earth. I want to be flying in the air, or sitting on the branches of trees. Sometimes I will perch for a little while on a laurel bush—but come any lower? Dear me, no, I couldn't.'

"'It's a great shame,' said Robin Redbreast. 'Of course there is no accounting for taste.'

"'Thank you for inviting me,' added the cardinal bird politely. For he prided himself on his good manners.

"Pretty soon some people came along. At once they noticed the beautiful cardinal bird. He wore his best red suit which he wears all the time—except in the winter, when he adds gray to his wings. His collar and tie were of black and his feathers stuck up on top of his head so as to make him look very stylish and fine.

"'Oh, what a wonderful bird!' said the people. Mr. Cardinal Bird knew they were admiring him, of course—and so did Robin Redbreast. No one had noticed him, but he didn't care, for he knew Mr. Cardinal Bird was by far the more beautiful, and a robin hasn't a mean disposition.

"Well, when the cardinal bird heard the praise he began to sing—a glorious high voice he had, and he sounded his clear notes over and over again. Then suddenly he stopped, cocked his head on one side, as though to say,

"'And what do you think of me now?'

"From down on the ground Robin Redbreast had been listening. 'Oh, that was wonderful, wonderful!' he trilled.

"'Listen to that dear little robin,' said one of the people. 'I must get him some bread crumbs.'

"When the bread crumbs were scattered over the ground, Robin Redbreast invited the cardinal bird down again thinking they were for him! But the beautiful, proud bird would not come down, and the people were saying, 'After all there is nothing quite so nice as a dear little robin.'"

THE WINTER WRENS' DEW-DROP BATHS

"The winter wren is really with us during the summer too," said daddy. "But he is too shy to be near us. We can only hear him sing sometimes. When winter comes, though, he goes to people for protection and picks up the crumbs they give him.

"Yesterday he was sitting on a snow-berry bush with a tiny companion. The snow-berry bushes are full and leafy, and in the spring and summer are covered with very tiny pink blossoms. In the autumn and winter they are covered with little berries which look as if they had been made out of snow.

"'Oh, how I dread the winter!' said the tiny wren. 'Just imagine how dreadful it would be if no one put any bread crumbs out for us, or no dog left us some of his dinner on a back porch.'

"'Now,' said Mr. Brown Wren, 'you mustn't think of such sad thoughts. You always do! Someone will look after us. And maybe we'll find a few spiders now and then in the cracks, and then well have a regular feast.'

"The next day they were back again on the snow-berry bush, and the day was much warmer. Now the wrens love to bathe above all things! Even in the winter they will go through a little sheet of ice and get into the cold, cold water underneath. For they must get their baths! And in the spring, when the tiny wrens are brought forth from their mossy nests, the first lesson they have is of bathing in some nearby brook.

"But this day it was early in the morning, the snow-berry bush was covered with dew-drops and the wrens were delighted.

"'The sun will drive them away soon. Let's take them while we get the chance,' whispered Mr. Brown Wren.

"'Yes, yes,' said his small companion. 'We will soon have to bathe when it is so cold. Let us have a good warm bath first.'

"And then those two little brown wrens took the dew-drops in their beaks, and dropped each one in turn on their feathers. Then they got under some leaves full of dew-drops and shook them down over their little feathered bodies.

"After they were well