what the little
stout-hearts would do. Crawl into some hole or bird-house, maybe? or
dive into a snowdrift? as many native birds do.

I found out; and the answer was most unexpected.

In front of the hotel was a long row of electric lights. At nine
o'clock, when I chanced to open the window for a breath of air, my eye
fell on these; on every bulb was an English Sparrow sound asleep with
the overarching reflector to turn the storm, and the electric bulb below
him to warm his toes. My hat is off. Our Department of Agriculture may
declare war on the Sparrow; but what is the use? Don't you think that a
creature who is not afraid of blizzard or darkness, and knows how to use
electric lights, is going to win its life-battle, and that he surely is
here to stay?

TALE 55

Tracks, and the Stories They Tell

[Illustration: Tracks, and the Stories They Tell]

Sometimes, in town, just after rain, when the gutters are wet, and the
pavement dry, look for the tracks of some Dog that walked with wet
feet on the pavement. You will find that they are like "a" in the
drawing. A Dog has five toes on his front feet, but only four touch the
pavement as he walks. The claws also touch, and make each a little mark.

Now look for the track of a Cat; it is somewhat like that of the Dog,
but it is smaller, softer, and the claws do not show (b). They are too
good to be wasted on a pavement; she keeps them pulled in, so they are
sharp when she has use for them.

Make a drawing of each of these, and make it life size.

When there is dust on the road, or snow, look for Sparrow tracks; they
are like "c."

Note how close together the front three toes are. The inner two are
really fast together, so they cannot be separated far and the hind toe
is very large. Last of all, note that the tracks go two and two, because
the Sparrow goes "hop hop, hop." These things mean that the Sparrow is
really a tree bird; and you will see that, though often on the ground he
gets up into a tree when he wishes to feel safe.

Look for some Chicken tracks in the dust; they are like "d" in the
drawing because the Chicken does not go "hop, hop, hop" like the
Sparrow, but "walk, walk, walk." The Chicken is a ground bird. Most of
the song birds hop like the Sparrow, and most of the game birds walk
like a Chicken. But the Robin (e) goes sometimes hopping and sometimes
running, because part of his life is in the trees, and part on the
ground.

TALE 56

A Rabbi