When Autumn comes they shall go with Summer far away to the Summer-Flower Land. But in the Spring they shall always come back, and they shall live as close as they can to the leaves from which they have sprung. They shall nest, most of them, in the trees under the leaves; and even those that nest in the grass love the trees and linger in them. And they shall all be beautiful in color like the leaves that gave them birth. They shall have power to rest at times upon the air like a leaf fluttering; and the voice of the air and the laughing waters shall be in their throats, and they shall sing sweet songs for little children.
"I give the children charge over them, to keep them from harm just as the leaves which gave them birth have saved the little children from the giants. And I will give the trees, that Wolf-Wind has stripped, power to bring forth new leaves every Springtime, so that when Summer comes back from the Wilderness of Flowers the trees shall not be bare. Though Wolf-Wind may strip off the leaves when the Frost Giant comes with him from the Night-Night Land, they shall always be replaced in the Spring. And I will take away much of Wolf-Wind's power, so that he can no longer harm little children as wickedly as he has done." Long Yearly Journeys of the Birds Then Glooskap waved his magic wand, as was his custom. At once great flocks of little birds sprang from the ground where the fallen leaves had lain.
They twittered and sang in a great chorus and flew back to the trees. They were of beautiful colors, like the leaves that had given them birth. Among them were Robin Red-breasts and Thrushes, all brown and red froth the red and brown leaves of the Oak. And there were Finches and Hummingbirds, all yellow and green and brown from the leaves of the Alder and the Willow; and they glowed like willows in the sunlight and fluttered like leaves upon the air. There were Yellowbirds and Canadian Warblers from the golden Beech and Birch leaves. And there were Scarlet Tanagers and Orioles and Grosbeaks, all of chang ing colors, red and purple and brown, from the leaves of the Canadian Maple. And they all sang to the children, and the children were very happy again.
Then Glooskap sent the little birds all away to a warm country, until the rule of the Frost Giant from the Night-Night Land was over; for it was Winter in the land and it was very cold. But in the Springtime the little birds always come back from the Summer Flower Land. They build their nests among the trees, as close as they can to the leaves from which they came. And all day long they sing among the leaves for little children. At daybreak they wake the children with their choir of dawn, and at twilight they lisp and twitter to lull the children to sleep. But at night they hide among the leaves from the Wolf Wind, and are very still with never a twitter or a song.
For they do not forget that they are the children's gift from Glooskap, and that they come from the leaves which were stripped from the trees by Wolf Wind, because the leaves had saved the little children from the giant long ago. (For other Indian animal stories, see Hare; Mouse; Whale.)—From 'Fairy Tales from Canada', by Cyrus Macmillan.