robins who had been waiting for him.

[Illustration: JULIA FEEDING THE BIRDS.]

Julia is very kind, too, to the snow-birds in the winter. Many a time, when
the snow has been deep, and these hungry birds have come to her father's
door, I have seen her feeding them. One winter, I recollect, she had a
flock of them that she could call to her, when she wanted to feed them,
just as she could the chickens. The snow-bird is an interesting little
creature; and though he has not a very sweet voice for singing, he was
always a favorite with Julia, and I am not sure but I love the fellow as
well as she does. Winter to me would be a great deal more gloomy, were it
not for the Winter King, as Miss Gould calls this little bird.

Did you know reader, that the snow-bird is a very affectionate creature? It
seems that it is so. Some years ago one of them flew into a house, where,
finding itself quite welcome, it remained over night. By accident, however,
it was killed in the morning, and one of the servants threw it into the
yard. In the course of the day, one of the family witnessed a most
affecting scene in connection with the dead body. Its mate was standing
beside it, mourning its loss. It placed its beak below the head of its
companion, raised it up, and again warbled its song of mourning. By and by
it flew away, and returned with a grain or two of wheat, which it dropped
before its dead partner. Then it fluttered its wings, and endeavored to
call the attention of the dead bird to the food. Again it flew away, again
it returned, and used the same efforts as before. At last, it took up a
kernel of the wheat, and dropped it into the beak of the dead bird. This
was repeated several times. Then the poor bereaved one sang in the same
plaintive strain as before. But the scene was too affecting for the lady
who witnessed it. She could bear the sight no longer, and turned away. I
have loved the snow-bird more than ever since this story was told me, and
so has my friend Julia.

Now I think of it, I have in one of the storerooms of my memory, a song
about the snow-bird. It is rather simple and childish--possibly too much so
for boys and girls of your age. However, as we are somewhat musical just
now, after talking so much about birds, and are greatly in want of a song,
I will sing this about Emily and the Snow-Bird, and you may join in the
chorus, if you like.

SONG OF THE SNOW-BIRD.

I.
The ground w