The Project Gutenberg EBook of CAW! CAW!, by RM

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

Title: CAW! CAW!
The Chronicle of Crows, A Tale of the Spring-time

Author: RM

Illustrator: JB

Release Date: August 22, 2007 [EBook #22374]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CAW! CAW! ***

Produced by David Edwards, Jacqueline Jeremy and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
file was produced from images generously made available
by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)

CAW! CAW!

or

The Chronicle of Crows
A Tale of the Spring-time

by
RM

Illustrated by
JB

LONDON; GRANT & GRIFFITH, SUCCESSORS TO NEWBERY & HARRIS:
THE CORNER OF ST PAUL'S CHURCHYARD.

[Illustration: WHAT HAPPENS IN SPRING WHEN THE LITTLE BIRDS SING.]

In the merry spring time, thus says my song,
When the sun shines bright and the days grow long,
And the crocuses brilliant, in purple and gold,
Bloom in the gardens in numbers untold;
When in the fields the grass grows green,
And a few early lambs are seen;
When daffodils in gaudy gowns
Look gay upon the verdant downs,
And fair spring flowers of each degree
In every sheltered nook you see,

[Illustration: HOW MANY STICKS GO TO THE NEST OF A CROW.]

Upon a bright and sunny day
The Crows to one-another say,
"CAW! CAW! our nests now let us build."
Away they fly: each beak is fill'd
With little sticks of beechen wood,
With which they build their houses good:
When all is done, with joy they see
The work of their community.

[Illustration: THE NESTS NOW MADE, THE EGGS ARE LAID.]

And, circling widely, CAW! they say,
CAW! CAW! our eggs now let us lay.
Two spotted eggs in every nest
For warmth await the mother's breast.
And all the Crows around them fly
With flapping wings and joyful cry:
"CAW! CAW!" they say, "now it is fit
That we upon our eggs should sit."

[Illustration: EACH CROW BRINGS FOOD TO HIS MATE SO GOOD.]

The patient Crows for many a week
No other occupation seek;
But, while one sits and looks around,
The other makes the woods resound