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The Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton W. Burgess, CHAPTER III. Jenny Has a Good Word for Some Sparrows.

CHAPTER III. Jenny Has a Good Word for Some Sparrows.

The morning after the fight between Jenny and Mr. Wren and Bully the English Sparrow found Peter Rabbit in the Old Orchard again. He was so curious to know what Jenny Wren would do for a house that nothing but some very great danger could have kept him away from there. Truth to tell, Peter was afraid that not being able to have their old house, Jenny and Mr. Wren would decide to leave the Old Orchard altogether. So it was with a great deal of relief that as he hopped over a low place in the old stone wall he heard Mr. Wren singing with all his might.

The song was coming from quite the other side of the Old Orchard from where Bully and Mrs. Bully had set up housekeeping. Peter hurried over. He found Mr. Wren right away, but at first saw nothing of Jenny. He was just about to ask after her when he caught sight of her with a tiny stick in her bill. She snapped her sharp little eyes at him, but for once her tongue was still. You see, she couldn't talk and carry that stick at the same time. Peter watched her and saw her disappear in a little hole in a big branch of one of the old apple-trees. Hardly had she popped in than she popped out again. This time her mouth was free, and so was her tongue.

"You'd better stop singing and help me," she said to Mr. Wren sharply. Mr. Wren obediently stopped singing and began to hunt for a tiny little twig such as Jenny had taken into that hole.

"Well!" exclaimed Peter. "It didn't take you long to find a new house, did it?" "Certainly not," snapped Jenny "We can't afford to sit around wasting time like some folk I know." Peter grinned and looked a little foolish, but he didn't resent it. You see he was quite used to that sort of thing. "Aren't you afraid that Bully will try to drive you out of that house?" he ventured.

Jenny Wren's sharp little eyes snapped more than ever. "I'd like to see him try!" said she.

"That doorway's too small for him to get more than his head in. And if he tries putting his head in while I'm inside, I'll peck his eyes out! She said this so fiercely that Peter laughed right out.

"I really believe you would," said he. "I certainly would," she retorted. "Now I can't stop to talk to you, Peter Rabbit, because I'm too busy. Mr. Wren, you ought to know that that stick is too big." Jenny snatched it out of Mr. Wren's mouth and dropped it on the ground, while Mr. Wren meekly went to hunt for another. Jenny joined him, and as Peter watched them he understood why Jenny is so often spoken of as a feathered busybody.

For some time Peter Rabbit watched Jenny and Mr. Wren carry sticks and straws into that little hole until it seemed to him they were trying to fill the whole inside of the tree. Just watching them made Peter positively tired. Mr. Wren would stop every now and then to sing, but Jenny didn't waste a minute. In spite of that she managed to talk just the same.

"I suppose Little Friend the Song Sparrow got here some time ago," said she. Peter nodded. "Yes," said he. "I saw him only a day or two ago over by the Laughing Brook, and although he wouldn't say so, I'm sure that he has a nest and eggs already." Jenny Wren jerked her tail and nodded her head vigorously. "I suppose so," said she. "He doesn't have to make as long a journey as we do, so he gets here sooner. Did you ever in your life see such a difference as there is between Little Friend and his cousin, Bully? Everybody loves Little Friend." Once more Peter nodded. "That's right," said he. "Everybody does love Little Friend. It makes me feel sort of all glad inside just to hear him sing. I guess it makes everybody feel that way. I wonder why we so seldom see him up here in the Old Orchard." "Because he likes damp places with plenty of bushes better," replied Jenny Wren. "It wouldn't do for everybody to like the same kind of a place. He isn't a tree bird, anyway. He likes to be on or near the ground. You will never find his nest much above the ground, not more than a foot or two. Quite often it is on the ground. Of course I prefer Mr. Wren's song, but I must admit that Little Friend has one of the happiest songs of any one I know. Then, too, he is so modest, just like us Wrens." Peter turned his head aside to hide a smile, for if there is anybody who delights in being both seen and heard it is Jenny Wren, while Little Friend the Song Sparrow is shy and retiring, content to make all the world glad with his song, but preferring to keep out of sight as much as possible.

Jenny chattered on as she hunted for some more material for her nest. "I suppose you've noticed," said she, "that he and his wife dress very much alike. They don't go in for bright colors any more than we Wrens do. They show good taste. I like the little brown caps they wear, and the way their breasts and sides are streaked with brown. Then, too, they are such useful folks. It is a pity that that nuisance of a Bully doesn't learn something from them. I suppose they stay rather later than we do in the fall." "Yes," replied Peter. "They don't go until Jack Frost makes them. I don't know of any one that we miss more than we do them." "Speaking of the sparrow family, did you see anything of Whitethroat?" asked Jenny Wren, as she rested for a moment in the doorway of her new house and looked down at Peter Rabbit.

Peter's face brightened. "I should say I did!" he exclaimed. "He stopped for a few days on his way north. I only wish he would stay here all the time. But he seems to think there is no place like the Great Woods of the North. I could listen all day to his song. Do you know what he always seems to be saying?" "What?" demanded Jenny.

"I live happ-i-ly, happ-i-ly, happ-i-ly," replied Peter. "I guess he must too, because he makes other people so happy." Jenny nodded in her usual emphatic way. "I don't know him as well as I do some of the others," said she, "but when I have seen him down in the South he always has appeared to me to be a perfect gentleman. He is social, too; he likes to travel with others." "I've noticed that," said Peter. "He almost always has company when he passes through here. Some of those Sparrows are so much alike that it is hard for me to tell them apart, but I can always tell Whitethroat because he is one of the largest of the tribe and has such a lovely white throat. He really is handsome with his black and white cap and that bright yellow spot before each eye. I am told that he is very dearly loved up in the north where he makes his home. They say he sings all the time." "I suppose Scratcher the Fox Sparrow has been along too," said Jenny. "He also started sometime before we did." "Yes," replied Peter. "He spent one night in the dear Old Briar-patch. He is fine looking too, the biggest of all the Sparrow tribe, and HOW he can sing. The only thing I've got against him is the color of his coat. It always reminds me of Reddy Fox, and I don't like anything that reminds me of that fellow. When he visited us I discovered something about Scratcher which I don't believe you know." "What?" demanded Jenny rather sharply.

"That when he scratches among the leaves he uses both feet at once," cried Peter triumphantly. "It's funny to watch him." "Pooh! I knew that," retorted Jenny Wren. "What do you suppose my eyes are make for? I thought you were going to tell me something I didn't know." Peter looked disappointed.

CHAPTER III. Jenny Has a Good Word for Some Sparrows. 第三章.ジェニーは何羽かのスズメに良い言葉をかける。 III SKYRIUS. Dženė turi gerą žodį kai kuriems žvirbliams. BÖLÜM III. Jenny'nin Bazı Serçeler İçin Güzel Sözleri Var. РОЗДІЛ ІІІ. Дженні має добре слово для деяких горобців. 第三章。珍妮对一些麻雀有好话。

The morning after the fight between Jenny and Mr. Wren and Bully the English Sparrow found Peter Rabbit in the Old Orchard again. He was so curious to know what Jenny Wren would do for a house that nothing but some very great danger could have kept him away from there. 他非常想知道珍妮·雷恩会为一所房子做什么,除了一些非常大的危险之外,没有什么能让他远离那里。 Truth to tell, Peter was afraid that not being able to have their old house, Jenny and Mr. Wren would decide to leave the Old Orchard altogether. 说实话,彼得担心珍妮和雷恩先生无法拥有他们的老房子,因此决定完全离开老果园。 So it was with a great deal of relief that as he hopped over a low place in the old stone wall he heard Mr. Wren singing with all his might.

The song was coming from quite the other side of the Old Orchard from where Bully and Mrs. Bully had set up housekeeping. 这首歌来自老果园的另一边,布利和布利夫人就是在那里打理家务的。 Peter hurried over. 彼得赶紧走了过去。 He found Mr. Wren right away, but at first saw nothing of Jenny. 他立刻找到了雷恩先生,但一开始没有看到珍妮。 He was just about to ask after her when he caught sight of her with a tiny stick in her bill. 他正要询问她的情况,突然看到她嘴里插着一根小棍子。 She snapped her sharp little eyes at him, but for once her tongue was still. 她用锐利的小眼睛瞪了他一眼,但这一次她的舌头没有动。 You see, she couldn't talk and carry that stick at the same time. 你看,她不能一边说话一边拿着那根棍子。 Peter watched her and saw her disappear in a little hole in a big branch of one of the old apple-trees. 彼得看着她,发现她消失在一棵老苹果树的大树枝上的一个小洞里。 Hardly had she popped in than she popped out again. 她刚进来就又出来了。 This time her mouth was free, and so was her tongue. 这次她的嘴自由了,她的舌头也自由了。

"You'd better stop singing and help me," she said to Mr. Wren sharply. Mr. Wren obediently stopped singing and began to hunt for a tiny little twig such as Jenny had taken into that hole.

"Well!" “出色地!” exclaimed Peter. 彼得惊呼道。 "It didn't take you long to find a new house, did it?" “你没花多久就找到新房子了,是吗?” "Certainly not," snapped Jenny "We can't afford to sit around wasting time like some folk I know." “当然不是,”珍妮厉声说道,“我们不能像我认识的一些人那样坐在那里浪费时间。” Peter grinned and looked a little foolish, but he didn't resent it. Peter咧嘴一笑,看上去有点傻,但他并不反感。 You see he was quite used to that sort of thing. 你看他对这种事情已经很习惯了。 "Aren't you afraid that Bully will try to drive you out of that house?" “你就不怕恶霸会把你赶出那所房子吗?” he ventured. 他冒险了。

Jenny Wren's sharp little eyes snapped more than ever. 珍妮·雷恩那双锐利的小眼睛比以往更加锐利。 "I'd like to see him try!" “我想看他尝试一下!” said she. 她说。

"That doorway's too small for him to get more than his head in. “那扇门太小了,他只能把头伸进去。 And if he tries putting his head in while I'm inside, I'll peck his eyes out! 如果我在里面的时候他想把头伸进去,我就会把他的眼睛啄出来! She said this so fiercely that Peter laughed right out. 她说这话的时候太激烈了,彼得直接笑了起来。

"I really believe you would," said he. “我真的相信你会的,”他说。 "I certainly would," she retorted. "Now I can't stop to talk to you, Peter Rabbit, because I'm too busy. Mr. Wren, you ought to know that that stick is too big." 雷恩先生,你应该知道那根棍子太大了。” Jenny snatched it out of Mr. Wren's mouth and dropped it on the ground, while Mr. Wren meekly went to hunt for another. Jenny joined him, and as Peter watched them he understood why Jenny is so often spoken of as a feathered busybody. 珍妮加入了他,当彼得看着他们时,他明白为什么珍妮经常被说成是一个爱管闲事的人。

For some time Peter Rabbit watched Jenny and Mr. Wren carry sticks and straws into that little hole until it seemed to him they were trying to fill the whole inside of the tree. 有一段时间,彼得兔看着珍妮和雷恩先生把木棍和稻草搬进那个小洞,直到他觉得他们试图填满树的整个内部。 Just watching them made Peter positively tired. 光是看着他们就让彼得感到很累。 Mr. Wren would stop every now and then to sing, but Jenny didn't waste a minute. 雷恩先生时不时地停下来唱歌,但珍妮没有浪费一分钟。 In spite of that she managed to talk just the same. 尽管如此,她还是能说话。

"I suppose Little Friend the Song Sparrow got here some time ago," said she. “我想歌雀小朋友早就来过这里了,”她说。 Peter nodded. "Yes," said he. "I saw him only a day or two ago over by the Laughing Brook, and although he wouldn't say so, I'm sure that he has a nest and eggs already." “我一两天前在笑溪边见过他,虽然他不肯说,但我确信他已经有了巢和蛋了。” Jenny Wren jerked her tail and nodded her head vigorously. "I suppose so," said she. "He doesn't have to make as long a journey as we do, so he gets here sooner. “他不需要像我们一样长途跋涉,所以他能更快到达这里。 Did you ever in your life see such a difference as there is between Little Friend and his cousin, Bully? 您一生中是否曾见过“小朋友”和他的表弟“恶霸”之间存在如此大的差异? Everybody loves Little Friend." Once more Peter nodded. 彼得再次点点头。 "That's right," said he. “没错,”他说。 "Everybody does love Little Friend. “每个人都喜欢《小朋友》。 It makes me feel sort of all glad inside just to hear him sing. 光是听到他唱歌就让我内心感到高兴。 I guess it makes everybody feel that way. 我想每个人都会有这样的感觉。 I wonder why we so seldom see him up here in the Old Orchard." 我想知道为什么我们很少在老果园见到他。” "Because he likes damp places with plenty of bushes better," replied Jenny Wren. “因为他更喜欢潮湿且有大量灌木丛的地方,”珍妮·雷恩回答道。 "It wouldn't do for everybody to like the same kind of a place. “不可能每个人都喜欢同一种地方。 He isn't a tree bird, anyway. 无论如何,他不是树鸟。 He likes to be on or near the ground. 他喜欢在地面或靠近地面的地方。 You will never find his nest much above the ground, not more than a foot or two. 你永远不会发现他的巢离地面太远,不超过一两英尺。 Quite often it is on the ground. 很多时候它是在地面上的。 Of course I prefer Mr. Wren's song, but I must admit that Little Friend has one of the happiest songs of any one I know. Then, too, he is so modest, just like us Wrens." Peter turned his head aside to hide a smile, for if there is anybody who delights in being both seen and heard it is Jenny Wren, while Little Friend the Song Sparrow is shy and retiring, content to make all the world glad with his song, but preferring to keep out of sight as much as possible.

Jenny chattered on as she hunted for some more material for her nest. "I suppose you've noticed," said she, "that he and his wife dress very much alike. They don't go in for bright colors any more than we Wrens do. They show good taste. I like the little brown caps they wear, and the way their breasts and sides are streaked with brown. Then, too, they are such useful folks. It is a pity that that nuisance of a Bully doesn't learn something from them. I suppose they stay rather later than we do in the fall." "Yes," replied Peter. "They don't go until Jack Frost makes them. I don't know of any one that we miss more than we do them." "Speaking of the sparrow family, did you see anything of Whitethroat?" asked Jenny Wren, as she rested for a moment in the doorway of her new house and looked down at Peter Rabbit.

Peter's face brightened. "I should say I did!" he exclaimed. "He stopped for a few days on his way north. I only wish he would stay here all the time. But he seems to think there is no place like the Great Woods of the North. I could listen all day to his song. Do you know what he always seems to be saying?" "What?" demanded Jenny.

"I live happ-i-ly, happ-i-ly, happ-i-ly," replied Peter. "I guess he must too, because he makes other people so happy." Jenny nodded in her usual emphatic way. "I don't know him as well as I do some of the others," said she, "but when I have seen him down in the South he always has appeared to me to be a perfect gentleman. He is social, too; he likes to travel with others." "I've noticed that," said Peter. "He almost always has company when he passes through here. Some of those Sparrows are so much alike that it is hard for me to tell them apart, but I can always tell Whitethroat because he is one of the largest of the tribe and has such a lovely white throat. He really is handsome with his black and white cap and that bright yellow spot before each eye. I am told that he is very dearly loved up in the north where he makes his home. They say he sings all the time." "I suppose Scratcher the Fox Sparrow has been along too," said Jenny. "He also started sometime before we did." "Yes," replied Peter. "He spent one night in the dear Old Briar-patch. He is fine looking too, the biggest of all the Sparrow tribe, and HOW he can sing. The only thing I've got against him is the color of his coat. It always reminds me of Reddy Fox, and I don't like anything that reminds me of that fellow. When he visited us I discovered something about Scratcher which I don't believe you know." "What?" demanded Jenny rather sharply.

"That when he scratches among the leaves he uses both feet at once," cried Peter triumphantly. "It's funny to watch him." "Pooh! I knew that," retorted Jenny Wren. "What do you suppose my eyes are make for? I thought you were going to tell me something I didn't know." Peter looked disappointed.