THE ROBIN AND THE TITMOUSE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 980, 21 January 1882, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE ROBIN AND THE TITMOUSE.

I have made a very pleasant acquaintance -a young and Vivaciona pprspn, musical and garrulous, 'grateful for small, kindnesses,; and never a bore. ; He is, to avoid the mysterious, arobin-rodbreastrra young waistcoat has not attained.the fullest scarlet,' nor his song its complete music, There are, jots of them on my lawn, in various .'stages,,pf adolescence; bat this little beauty got into my book room ,one; morning, and ;fle\v in, a fright against the window when,l entered, and fell on. the ; floor, half-stunned, I took him up, and got him to drinka little water t and put him on the grass. He soon recovered, and now he follows me all over the place, He waits to wolcome me the first thing in the morning, ,He perches on my knee as I sit writing on the lawn, and twitters out a sweet, low song. He is very inquisitive about everything new that; conies out-when wo camp under ihe trees, examining workbaskets, writing-baskets, straw hats, with an oyident thirst for knowledge. He comes on my writing-table to pick up crumbs, then suddenly darts away, in a hurry: to seiEe something move enticing—a fat spider,. or a daddy longlegs, or a butterfly, There, is something curious in the friendship, of this feathered atom bom out of gratitude, ~ .. The blue titmouse made himself a nest in the hollow of an old tree-Btumponmy lawn, and very cosy he' Seemed,.; He flitted inand put of a hole about the size of a shilling—a. tiny blue atoinj full: of vigor and life,.„ I hang scraps of meat from.theitrees'for.the : benofit; of the tomtits and titmice in the winter, but; thiayedr. lias be'enso.mild.that'they, : found! food' elsewhere, land ileft. their larder,!un.i touched- 1 Jnthe-wjuter 0f.;1872-3 L'was visited by the pinegrosbeak .from Norway, who brought up a brood in -the. ißra, ploqe- -by, arid gteatfy relished:the p.e»S;on.whjoh my tumbler pigeons'aro fed, and stayed bere ;till Eaßter week;: The young robins growrusset breasted-here also; but.where.are the ;orim' son breasted old robina igpne? , Do, ,they migrate and get eaten,by .Frenchmen?! ••• . I have not seen the golden created.wren here : for some years, but other wrens are numerous, A bird that adheres to ~this neighbourhood, defying the gardeners;';who shoot,him [down mercilessly as an eater of fruit,budsj.jis- that .beautiful air.' minstrel the..;bujlfinohio »Bte] sways on the top of a rose briar, and;flutes' away deliciously.— Thoughts in.My Garden:'. Mortimer. CoUintv.-.; •,f i( ,.> .- ■ ■ ■■> j