A little bird comes flying to the cherry tree and asks, "May I have one of these rosy little balls, please?"
"Yes, little bird," says the cherry tree; "take some, by all means."
So the bird has a nice fruit banquet with the cherries, and then, what do you think he does for the tree?
"Oh!" you say, "a little bird cannot do anything that would help a big tree." But he can.
When he has eaten the cherry he drops the stone, and sometimes it sinks into the ground, and from it a young cherry tree springs up. The tree could not do that for itself, so we see that
(Blackboard)
Birds and Trees are Kind to Each Other.
19. Flowers and Bees.
When you have been smelling a tiger-lily, has any of the yellow dust ever rested on the tip of your nose? (Let the children see a tiger-lily, or a picture of one, if possible.) Look into the large cup of the lily, and there, deep down, you will see some sweet, delicious juice. What is it for? Ask the bee; she will tell you.
Here she comes, and down goes her long tongue into the flower. "Ah! Mrs. Bee, the honey is for you, I see. And pray, what have you done for the flower? Nothing, I'm afraid."
"Oh, yes, I have," hums the bee. "I brought her some flower-dust (pollen) on my back from another tiger-lily that I have been visiting to make her seeds grow. When I dip down into the flower some of the 'dust' clings to me, so I take it to the next tiger-lily that I visit, and she is very much obliged to me."