Children,s Corner.

Otago Witness, Issue 1559, 24 September 1881, Page 27

Children,s Corner.

The Birdie's Plaint. * Te wit, te wit, te wee I , Please to listen to me : v r I'm just a bit bird, and I may be heard In bush, and field, and tree. I've chirped for my mate since sunrise, And ne'er got an answering cheep ; I've flown over field and fallow, ' ' Till I'm tired and like to weep. ', . For my mate he was constant and faithfu' As ever a bird could be ; ' But now I am sad and waefu', For he does not return to me. ■ ■ ' 'He gaed but for a pick i' the mornin' ' ' As blithe as blithe could be ; But now it is near the gloamin', - And ne'er back hame cam' he. ■ And there's plenty for birdies' crappins, i For the farmer lads I see Scatterin' dainty bit morsels For just wee birdieslike me. , But something has happened the birdies That used to giadden the lea ; . • ' 1 1 They are peeping and cheeping sac waelu', Just as they were like to dee. ''' ' They brocht us here to gladden 1 ' ' '', The land with our innocent glee ', From our am dear native island, Far, far across the sea. i - •' i ; 'But now it is pests they ca' us. ■ • And wish we were back o'er the sea ; ; Tae rob, and harry, and crush us They plan in their committee. " And they say thae handfuls o' pickins That the men are scattering free Are nought but poison to kill us— i Aye, 1 they want us a' tae dee. But I wonder how they would like it , , To lose the Untie and lark ; To hear ne'er our song in the mornin , Or our twitter before It gets dark. <■ Tae hae plenty o' bugs and beetles, ' And locusts, and hoppers sac sharp, i , Wi' grubs, andislugs, and sioh creepers Eating their taties and crop. ■Stirling, 10th September, 1881. <

Committee, and handed to the editor of the Otago Witness to solicit Ma aid on behalf of our little feathered friends,. .

Chip's Nest. 1 I call it Chip's although It was really lean's, 1 as she did moßt of the work. Very • busy both of them were while the nest was building; If Chip did little he had much to ' cay about it, and probably felt that he was '(entitled to the greater part of the oredit. 'Nan had dearly, however, little faith in his ' taSte or knowledge. Of oourse the wife was '.'the proper person to furnish the room and Tmake the beds. What oould Chip know about such things? ' . . And this is the way they set about it. After spending a few days pleasantly to. gether it became evident that some grave '•übjeot was on foot. Chip and Nan put (their heads together quite often, and held' 'long; consultations, while every nook and 'corner, of Chip's cage was thoroughly ran- . Backed. At length I was duly informed < with ever so many 'cheeps' that the young couple had made up their minds to begin ii t h«Suse'k€f4pirig. 'Would I please provide them with a nice little, home, and a few artlolea— not many, just enough to start with. , Like Boots oi the Inn, In one of Dickens'' 1 charming stories, 1 gave a long whistle ; but how oould I refuse ? So there waß a vißlt to the stoe e ,to find a breeding cage. With it I bought also a round wire nest, whioh was lined first with Canton 'flannel,' well stitched down, and then fastened at the back of 'the cage, close to and a little higher than the perch, A wooden box, four'lriohes square and two deep,' hung on a nail or screw like an old-fashioned soap box, would have been better and more convenient. A little moss was next scalded and thoroughly dried, and, with some soft wool 1 ravelings out into short pieces, placed in the cage. The permanent fixings being all complete, Chip and Nan took possession of their ; newhome, and the first novelty over, began ' nest building in. earnest. It is curious to notice what wonderful Vthings young housekeepers mean to do when 1 they first begin. Nan was hard to please— °a little iastidlous perhaps. She didn't want! 'a front parlour at all if it was not prettier than anybody else's front parlour. Her first -neat;, ' Which it took two days to build,, seemed to me very Bnug and cosy, and Ohipj was Immensely delighted with it. But tae. capriolous little lady's tastes were not satisfied. Chip had probably got matters mixed, j putting wool where moss should have gone, and twisting his tail the wrong way In rounding things off. So on the third day Nan tore the nest all to pieces, tossed the wool and moss to the bottom of the cage, and tugged away at the Canton flannel as if the fate of all canarydom depended on its removal. - Chip was bewildered. The poor fellow dida't know what to make of it, and 1 I noticed he seemed a little afraid of his mate, as though he feared It might be his turn next. But Nan was a good bird, and soon the work of rebuilding was commenced. Probably Chip was more careful this time, Perhaps he didn't offer so many suggestions as before. 1 can't Bay. But the nest was duly completed ; both Nan and Chip thought it just the thing, and the next morning it contained —an egg.

" We're in a piokle now"' said a man in a orowd. "A regular jam," said another,' " Hoavea preserve ua I" mourned ajt old lady, ■