CATCHING BIRDS WITH SALT.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume V, Issue 49, 6 December 1890, Page 19

CATCHING BIRDS WITH SALT.

‘ Oh ! oh ! oh !’ It was nothing but a yellow-bird, a pretty bit of black and gold flying in and out among the plum trees, but it couldn't have looked any more precious to Benny if it had been pure gold and jet. For Benny was a city boy, and though ten years old had never spent a summer in the country before, and this was his first day there. ‘ Oh ! if I could catch that beautiful bird !’ * You can,’ said Uncle Henry, who sat in the doorway, smoking, ‘if you can get near enough to put some salt on her tail. ’ From that day on, Benny kept trying to see how near he could get to the birds, but they always flew away a little tod-soon. One day when he was looking for the first ripe currants in the garden, he found the yellow-bird’s nest, right on a low-hanging limb of a plum tree, and there sat the little mother on her eggs. Benny could have put his hand right on her, but he only thought of salt. Like a flash he sped into the house. ‘ Oh ! Aunt Jane ! I want some salt, quick I’ Aunt Jane poured some into his hand, and he was off, almost as quick as a bird himself. Carefully he crept up to the spot, and raising his hand sprinkled the salt on the yellow tail, when away flew the bird ! And Benny sat down in the grass and cried. * I ncfe Henry,’ said Benny that night, *it isn’t so about catching birds with salt, for 1 tried it to-day.’ ‘ Was you near enough to put salt on her tail ?’ ‘ Yes, sir, and I put it on, too.’ ‘ But why didn’t you catch her at first, instead of stopping to put on salt ?’ Benny thought a moment. ‘Oh ! I see through it now,’ he said.