Uncle Dick and Lisa's Old Time Animal Tales

     A swallow’s nest, built in the west corner of a window facing the north, was so much softened by the rain beating against it, that it was rendered unfit to support the superincumbent load of pretty, full grown sparrows. During a storm the nest fell into the lower corner of the window, leaving the young brood exposed to all the fury of the blast. To save the little creatures from an untimely death, the owner of the house benevolently caused a covering to be thrown over them till the severity of the storm was past. No sooner had it subsided, than the sages of the colony assembled, fluttering round the window and hovering over the temporary covering of the falling nest. As soon as the careful anxiety was observed, the covering was removed, and the utmost joy evinced by the group on finding the young ones alive and unhurt. After feeding them, the members of this assembled community, arranging themselves into working order, each division taking its appropriate station, commenced instantly to work; and before nightfall they had jointly completed an arched canopy over the young brood in the corner where they lay, and securely covered them against a succeeding blast. Calculating the time occupied by them in performing this piece of architecture, it appeared evident that the young must have parished from cold and hunger before any single pair could have executed half the job.