NATURE—AND MAN.

Waikato Times, Volume 120, Issue 10010, 7 October 1936, Page 14

NATURE—AND MAN.

ROMANCE OF A PLUM TREE. FEARLESS BLACKBIRDS. ‘ (By Leo Fanning.) At the moment I am one of the proudest burgesses ot‘ \Velllngton, berause I have a. nest of blackbirds in a cherry-plum tree near the front. door of my house. I feel sure that nobody else in the city has such a treasure in such a position. First. of all, let me tell you about that tree which sprang from a stone that. somebody threw casually from the front door. The tree came up at an axrkxyard plere, close to a- path. Many a time 1 hacked away the growth, but the tree had such marvel—ous hardihood in asserting a right to live that. I finally allowed it to have its way. It has flowered and fruited for several seasons and spread a noble canopy of green. The other day. when l was peering up at branches. counting the plums. a hen blackbird suddenly appeared in a matipo, whose greenery mingles with the foliage of the plum tree. Mrs Blackbird wag scolding me. She was telling me that I was near the home for which she had used “green feathers" snatched from my fern tree. I had thought that the nest was in a thicket by a bound—ary fence, but 1 was wrong. ‘ ”Clear out. pleaeel Get outl" Called Mrs Blackbird. \\’hen ' she; found that I did not. seem to undert‘ stand her request she decided to trust . me. She darted into the plum—tree} and promptly sat on a nest. \Vell, ill “(is really conspicuous, almost (lh easily \‘isil'xle as a common snat‘row's nest it \\ds simply built into the junction at smcral small branches—inlloenl, it. can lie men from the inside of my lumen The tail or the sitting; bll‘ll. \\'ell rloar ol‘ the nest, is visible yards anuy lrom the tree. Does any—body know of any other pair of black birds that seem to be so herdlEss of l‘Ollf’t‘Fttlllf’llt 2' 'l‘lmsr‘ birds of ltllllv Ili‘l not hothr-‘r ‘almut llu- |lPl‘N'l[l~‘. \\lm \\‘vnl up 111111 l ‘tlrmu lln- win. nor the noise of thul nullmrm. nnr lhv lnn‘lmg ut’ lll‘\\'.~~' ‘mlwis. \\'liv'n | \\r'l> .1 I'o} in t2hri>lv rliul‘rli l»ln--l<|~nwl.~. \wl'e much worse cutell ll_\ [nus \\lll't slinngliais and ‘shntulnh. 'l'livy \wro much afraid of hulntnih; Iln‘} \\nulrl scurry away ill t‘riulll it in iwrwn. younq or old, came. \\ulnn :.u yirrls ol' llir‘m. The incident in my garden is a pleasant reminder that kindness “ms the confidence of him; and "Ill'fllll‘itFC‘S them to give glallnoss to their \\r‘llAHillt‘l‘s. Easy Cult. of Beauty. I How ms} it is for people to rats”: litvnuly [or lln-i‘iisclyvs and others.l tin llw stunt-dunes nt' Pneknkariki, :i; sensillr ro‘snl‘l or \\'l‘llington folk, at public—spirited man. at little. rust of} Hill“ .unl in. ::r:, has nnnln a pageant l lliis spring. llv suwrd liluu lupin on .ilmul :in t‘ll—"lltll ml" :in :n'rn of multii:itinu' mini. \\’lmt. n nullln spectacle llv win-..tmli liillmxs ut' hlur‘ merging inln \\'it\t‘> ui' _L‘tllll of the wild lupin.‘ l2[v'>~y~ liy~ tinuln‘r lwnvtln‘lor has :1 his sprrml nl‘ "Imlmvln‘tik," \\'hos» i‘uliy pvntlnus livln lln~ lunins in tho flourish at" vulunrs. l ”t‘l‘t‘ is it rnsu- \\ln'ro tho cult oi" lmuuly is .ilsu pruillnhlv. 'l'lmsr tunins‘ 111111 l tlu- mllltt unul lu-ln tn 111-lkt‘ lunnusl \\llll'll lln-y |‘lll'il'll \\‘ilh lln‘n' uilru—; Lit‘tlllll> l'uuls. Thus it \\us that (lupvi liiln .‘lillllll'l'Slltl, lu'vsiilx'ul oi' the. l-‘urusl :unl llirxl l’l'utt't‘lttill Sm‘icly. lll'utlll lu I'.~l.tl>tl\ll his quartz-r—tiurc 01‘ iritnu i'urvst nt l'm‘ltulmrilti about 11 ynnirs nun. l 1 l> :in iinlu‘vssivc proof llmt natiw tl‘t‘l‘s t‘tll] he raised quickly. own “11011 [ll4‘ nit-tors arm» for from, iilml: 110 has nmdr u livnulil'ul \\ood— l hunt on \\'iud-sncrt dunes. l