to fly from the nest and sing among the neighboring trees. But suddenly our hopes were blasted for ever. Two truant boys were rambling in the fields within sight of the church-spire, where we had heard the bell ring that very morning to invite them to the Sunday-school.

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As they came near I flew in terror from the nest, and my agonized mate flew toward it at the same time. Our movements guided them to the spot, and one of them declared that he would have the young birds. With the acutest anguish we watched the robber as he carried off the darling objects of our care. Oh, how changed was the face of Nature around us! The fields and groves no longer seemed pleasant, but melancholy and gloom were spread over them. I wish these boys had stopped to consider whether the nest gave as much joy to them as its loss caused grief to us. I hope you will teach all your acquaintances to be kind to the robins, and we will repay them with

our sweetest music.

"As winter approached all the robins in the region where we lived flew away to the South. My mate and myself stayed at the North as long as we dared, in the hope that we should find our lost treasures. When we could wait no longer we started on our sad journey. Our loneliness seemed doubly distressing when we saw other robins guiding their happy broods on

their first visit. I did not envy them, kind miss, but their happiness made me more keenly feel my own loss.

"When we returned in the spring we found that my old friend the gardener had a neat little cottage of his own. "Here is the very place for us to build our nest," said I to my mate as I alighted upon an inviting spot in a cherry tree close to his chamber window. "We fared so badly when we tried to conceal our nest," he replied, "that I am half inclined to take your advice." I then told the story of the good man's kindness; and he agreed that we should be safer near his window than anywhere else.

"You can guess how we were employed for several weeks from that time. I will only say, that while busied in our pleasant occupation it was a delight to us both to give our sweetest music to our loving neighbors. After the young birds were hatched you would have been delighted to have seen my mate flying around the doors and windows, picking up insects and bringing them to the nest.

"But I come now to the saddest day of my life. My mate had gone to the edge of a little pool where insects were plenty, while I stayed to shelter our little chicks. As he returned with a worm in his mouth, I saw him alight on a fence. A moment after I was startled by a noise like thunder, and looking up again I saw him fall bleeding and fluttering to the ground.

I can never tell this part of my story without stopping a while to think of my dear mate, who will never join me again in my songs or my labors.

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'By the help of the kind gardener and his wife I reared my young ones. Just before we were ready to take our winter's journey the same boy who ran with a gun in his hand and picked up my mate when he fell, passed near the spot where I was resting a moment from my labors on the branch of a tree. started instantly to fly away, but I was not quick enough to avoid a heavy stone which he aimed at me. It struck one of my wings and almost broke it. I was still able to fly, though with some pain, and soon started southward with my young brood. I bore the suffering from my wounded wing without complaint till we arrived in the interior of Pennsylvania. Here I stopped, and my young ones reluctantly left me to take care of myself, while they went forward with the company. For several days I found food in abundance, but when that snow-storm came I was forced to seek it near your door.

"You now have my story, sweet child; and as we are so well acquainted, I hope you will not object to my spending the winter with you, and I will repay your kindness as well as I know how.'"

Edith pronounced the story "very pretty, and just exactly like a little robin, but very sad too."

CHAPTER VI.

SWALLOWS.

"THIS evening," said Miss Harson, “we will take

the swallows-a numerous family of small and very interesting birds, to which belong our old friends the purple martins. There are barn swallows, chimney swallows (Frontispiece, Fig. 3), whitebellied swallows (Fig. 5), bank swallows or sand martins (Fig. 6; Front. Fig. 4), and purple martins.

"The swallow is remarkable for its great rapidity in flight, its wings being unusually large in proportion to its body; and for the ease with which it can turn and pounce upon a flying insect. Its very peculiar-looking cleft tail, from whence comes name 'swallow-tailed coat,' is very long and serves as a rudder to guide its flight.

"The food of the swallow consists of insects, which are taken on the wing. For this reason, when the weather is fine and insects abroad, the swallows are constantly flying; and they are seen pursuing their prey with such ease and agility that the air seems to be their home. All smaller animals en-*