One time, John set a trap to catch some, and then went away and hid with Dick.

Pretty soon a big rat' came out of its hole and went to the trap.

Dick saw the rat and made a start to get away from John. But John said, "Hold on, Dick, let us see if it will go into the trap."

But the rat did not go in, and as it was going to run away, John let Dick go and said, "Catch it, Dick. Run quick, quick!" and they ran very fast to catch the rat.

But the rat was too quick for them. It went into its hole just as Dick was very near it.

pretty redbirds?

Fred sent them to me.

Did he send the cage, too? No, mamma' gave me the cage. What nice pets the birds will be! Are they tame, Mary?

Not yet, but I think they soon will be. They let me set food near them now.

When they are tame, you can let them out of the cage.

What a funny cap one of them has!

It looks like a cap, Mary, but it is not. It is a crest.

Many redbirds have no crest, and I am glad that one of your birds has one.

Will these birds sing well?

They sing very little. Redbirds are pretty, but they do not sing so well as some other birds.