Fer years most folks have been under th' impression that our feathered friends choose ther mates fer life, an' that inconsistancy is unknown among birds. Nothin' could be more remote from th' truth. Fer nearly five months o' th' past summer an' fall I kept close watch on a couple o' mated blackbirds. They got on fairly well t'gether. They had some spats, an', while th' female bird wuzn' altogether what she should have been, they managed t' stick it out till fall, when th' male bird left fer Floridy with another party. I've known crows t' have three or four wives in a season, an' kingfishers are notorious Mormons, an' poor providers. I used t' know a kingfisher that et ever'thing he caught, an' his mate had t' neglect her family t' git food. Robins are th' best home makers, an' I've known young robins t' hang around ther folks till frost, an' never turn a hand toward feedin' 'emselves. Yes, robins is th' most indulgent parents of all birds. I've seen a mother robin lead a youngster right up t' a worm an' point it out, but, in spite o' all she could do, she finally had t' pick it up fer th' youngster an' hand it t' him. Yougn robins will not work till they jest have to. We're all given t' thinkin' th' home life o' wrens is ideal, an' we often speak o' some married acquaintances as livin' t'gether like two wrens. I've watched wrens by th' month an' ther mean, little, underhanded sneaks as a rule. O' course, ther's some highly respectable wrens, wrens you'd gladly have on your premesis, but jest th' same, I know some wrens that are guilty o' all th' crimes in th' calendar. All o' that purty stuff is put on fer effect, an' once you see 'em in ther homes, or 'way off from human eyes, you'll see that they carry on somethin' terrible. I'm speakin' o' th' general run o' wrens. O' course, ther's exceptions, same as there is 'mongst turkey buzzards. Some turkey buzzards have high ideals an' are true t' ever' obligation in life, but I've watched 'em fer weeks an' weeks an' most o' them are as bad as any human bein'. Perhaps turtle doves, or wood doves, lead lives as blameless as it's possible t' live 'em an' git by, but they have lots o' human traits, an' 'll listen t' reason if they think they kin git away with it. Th' jaybird is good t' his folks, but he's a natural thief an' murderer, an' works fast. Ther's lots o' mawkish sentiment in regard t' th' tiny peewee. Th' peewee is a vicious little bandit, an' it's only thro' fear that he refrains from attackin' us. If those o' you who are interested in nature an' love bird life'll jest take a month off in th' fall an' snoop around an' watch th' goin' away parties among our migratory birds you'll have your eyes opened. That's th' splittin' up time when th' loves an' th' romances o' th' summer season are tossed aside an' fergotten in th' rush t' beat it fer Miammy. Most brids only stick t'gether till ther children are big enough t'hop off, so birds are purty human after all.