The Bird and Insects' Post Office   By: Robert Bloomfield (1766-1823)

[Illustration: Frontispiece.

THE BIRD AND INSECTS' POST OFFICE.]

THE BIRD AND INSECTS' POST OFFICE.

BY

ROBERT BLOOMFIELD,

Author of "The Farmer's Boy," "Rural Tales", &c. &c.

WITH THIRTY FIVE ILLUSTRATIONS

NEW YORK:

E. P. DUTTON AND CO.

GRIFFITH AND FARRAN: ST. PAUL'S CHURCHYARD, LONDON.

[ The Rights of Translation and Reproduction are Reserved. ]

PREFACE.

"THE BIRD AND INSECTS' POST OFFICE" was projected and written by ROBERT BLOOMFIELD, author of the "Farmer's Boy," &c., excepting Letters VIII., X., XI., and XVI. by his eldest son, Charles. It was the author's intention to publish it uniformly with his other juvenile work, the "HISTORY OF LITTLE DAVY'S NEW HAT," but he did not live to do so, and it was therefore included in his literary Remains , published in 1824 a year after the poet's death in two volumes, price twelve shillings. Its circulation, in consequence, has been extremely limited, its form of publication preventing its introduction to children; for this reason, and because I think it would be a pity for it to be shut up for ever in a dusty old volume from the little ones, for whom it was written, I have sent it forth in the form originally intended for it to assume.

The original manuscript, in the author's autograph, I recently presented to the Trustees of the British Museum.

WALTER BLOOMFIELD.

March 1st, 1879.

CONTENTS.

LETTER PAGE

I. FROM THE MAGPIE TO THE SPARROW 19

II. THE SPARROW'S REPLY 22

III. FROM A YOUNG GARDEN SPIDER TO HER MOTHER 29

IV. FROM A YOUNG NIGHTINGALE TO A WREN 33

V. FROM AN EARWIG, DEPLORING THE LOSS OF ALL HER CHILDREN 39

VI. FROM THE WILD DUCK TO THE TAME DUCK 42

VII. THE TAME DUCK'S REPLY 47

VIII. FROM THE GANDER TO THE TURKEY COCK. By Charles Bloomfield 53

IX. FROM THE DUNGHILL COCK TO THE CHAFFINCH 58

X. FROM THE BLUE BOTTLE FLY TO THE GRASSHOPPER By Charles Bloomfield 63

XI. FROM THE GLOW WORM TO THE BUMBLE BEE. By Charles Bloomfield 66

XII. FROM THE PIGEON TO THE PARTRIDGE 71

XIII. FROM THE WOOD PIGEON TO THE OWL 78

XIV. THE OWL IN REPLY TO THE WOOD PIGEON 85

XV. FROM A SWALLOW IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE TO AN ENGLISH ROBIN 88

XVI. ON HEARING THE CUCKOO AT MIDNIGHT, MAY 1ST. 1822. By Charles Bloomfield 95

LIST OF FULL PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE THE BIRD AND INSECTS' POST OFFICE Frontispiece.

MAGPIE 18

SPARROWS 23

SPIDERS 28

NIGHTINGALE 32

WRENS 35

WILD DUCKS 43

SPARROWS 49

GOOSE 55

COCK 59

PARTRIDGES 70, 74

PIGEONS 72, 76

OWLS 79, 83

SWALLOWS 89, 92

AND SEVERAL SMALLER ONES IN THE TEXT.

AUTHOR'S PREFACE.