Don’t you think my red breast looks pretty among the green leaves?
When I see a fly or a berry I dart down after it. My long tail streams out behind like four ribbons. I wish you could see me. My tail never gets in the way.
Wouldn’t you like to have me sit on your shoulder, little boy? You see my tail would reach almost to the ground.
If you went out into the street with me on your shoulder, I would call whe-oo, whe-oo, the way I do in the woods.
All the little boys and girls playing near would look around and say, “What is that noise?” Then they would see you and me and run up fast and say, “Where did you get that bird?”
The little girls would want to pull out my tail feathers to put around their hats. You would not let them, would you?
I have a mate. I think she is very nice. Her tail is not so long as mine. Would you like to see her too? She lays eggs every year, and sits on them till little birds hatch out. They are just like us, but they have to grow and get dressed in the pretty feathers like ours. They look like little dumplings when they come out of the eggs.
But they are all right. They get very hungry and we carry them lots of things to eat, so they can grow fast.
Your friend,
R. T.