I've never seen her mate since she began to set, but before that he was always flyin' round the honeysuckles and laylocks, so I'm sure he is dead." "May I come too ?" asked the Doctor.
"Pleased to have you, sir," said Joe, making a stiff little bow.

"I'd have asked you, only most men folks don't set much store by birds 'nless they are the kind they go gunnin' for.

Only pa does.

He likes any kind o' bird, whether it sings or not, and he's powerful fond of the Swallows in our chimney.

He says they eat the flies and things that tease the cows down in the pasture, and since those Swallows came to our chimney we haven't had to put fly-sheets on the oxen when they are in the pasture--not once." "Now, children, you see what good the Sky Sweepers do," said the Doctor.
"Sky Sweepers! We don't call 'em that! We call 'em Chimney Swallows!" Then the children told Joe about the Bird Brotherhoods.
"Stand on this box," said Joe to Dodo, "and look hard at that small slantways branch, with the little bunch on it!" "The little round bunch that looks like soft green moss ?" "Yes.