The young linnets

“Did you ever see the nest
Of Chaffinch or of Linnet,
When the little downy birds
Are lying snugly in it,
Gaping wide their yellow mouths
For something nice to eat?
Caterpillar, worm, and grub,
They reckon dainty meat.
When the mother-bird returns,
And finds them still and good,
She will give them each, by turns,
A proper share of food.
She has hopped from spray to spray,
And peeped with knowing eye
Into all the folded leaves
Where caterpillars lie.
She has searched among the grass,
And flown from tree to tree,
Catching gnats and flies, to feed
Her little family.
I have seen the Linnets chirp,
And shake their downy wings:
They are pleased to see her come,
And pleased with what she brings.
But I never saw them look
Impatient for their food:
Somebody, at dinner-time,
Is seldom quite so good.”