(1) Plucking the birds
Picking up the sparrow, catching Ling'er, falling to death no one asked. Is it a child who grew up in the countryside, who has not paid for the bird? I talk about picking up the birds, a thrilling legend of twilight, as if to take me back to that interesting fifty years ago...
In the spring, the sparrows are always inseparable from my family's acre and three-quarters of land, nor can they do without my family's adobe houses and the cow pen and horse shed built with rafters, and even more inseparable from my family's group of old hens that eat chaff rice. Sparrows are very spiritual, and every year in early summer, they have to build a nest and lay eggs. The well-behaved and treacherous sparrow, always standing on the eaves, looked at the old hen pecking at the ground, flew down coldly, pulled a fine hair on the back of the chicken, and flew away like lightning. The sparrow flew into the nest behind the front of the house and woven it with chicken feathers and hay into a delicate nest. After more than twenty days, you can hear the creaking of the little finches. When I heard the chicks, I always wanted to climb the ladder and pull it out. But my father just didn't call for digging, and frightened me, and the birds were harmful to eye disease. My mother also frightened me: there is a snake in the nest, you put your hand up, and the snake will burrow through the sleeve... After being frightened by them, I really didn't dare to take it.
There was also a nest of birds living in my sheep pen, two swallows, every day to build a house, the kiln mud pile to take a bite of mud, and then some dry firewood, fine grass, about ten days of work, in order to build the nest layer by layer on the beam. The swallow is not as bold as the sparrow, and also uses chicken feathers to pad the nest, and it does not dare to peck at the chicken. When the rooster and the grass chicken fight, they grab the fine hairs that fly up. After the swallow lays the eggs, I always sneak up to see how many eggs have been laid this year. Until the little swallow hatched, crawled in a circle on the edge of the nest, and was tied to the nest by the big swallow with a ponytail or mane, afraid that the little swallow would fall. I always wanted to take a look, and when I climbed up, the little swallow always opened its little yellow mouth wide and waited to feed it. But I know that the swallows can't be picked up, and they can't be fed alive.
The birds in the courtyard could not be dug up, and the swallows could not be dug, so they went to the field to dig. In the wilderness, only artemisia finches, large knotted officials,, and tigers in the trees are not waves. In the meadows of the mountains, or on the backs of the ridges of the crop fields, there are always many nests. Those who have just laid two or three eggs, take them back to steam and eat them, and if they want to lay more, they can't be taken out, and the steamed eggs will have red blood or small finches...
A group of children went out with each other to pick out the birds, and the first to find the first nest was the happiest. He would pounce on it with all his might, shielding the nest with his body, for fear that others would snatch it away. When everyone gathered around to see what was going on, he would cover the nest with his hand and not let people see it. If you can't see it, you have to scold people: "A nest of birds and three eggs, Grandpa covered his grandson to see "...
I dug up the ground, and I wanted to dig up the trees. High in the trees, there are magpies nesting, as well as black dolls and red-billed crows. Magpie nests are generally not dug up because magpies are annunciation birds. It will recognize people, you have harmed its nest, it will take revenge, it will follow you all the way to your house. If you have chickens and ducklings in your house, they will show no mercy until they are all pecked to death. The black old baby is also called the crow, and its nest is generally on top of the big poplar tree. In order to challenge the limits, children will race like monkeys to climb trees. Whoever can take the crow's egg off is great. Climbing the big poplar tree, that can't be a joke, I can climb up the big poplar village tens of meters high with a single blow, and dig out the crow's nest in the treetops, although the belly is full of injuries. The crow eggs that were pulled out could not be eaten, and I heard the old man say: If you eat the crow eggs, your face will become black and colored. If you dig more, you will have an egg pinching game. One person takes a few eggs, places them in front of their eyes, and squeezes them vigorously with their thumbs and two thumbs. There are still words in the mouth: finches eggs, swallow eggs, according to the Yang Po pinch is not rotten. The result? The finches were pinched, and their eyes were really ugly.
The red-billed crow can be fed and fed, but it eats a lot, and catching a handful of grasshoppers can only plug the gap between its teeth, and it always chases you for something to eat all day, and it can't be driven away.
There are many nests in the wild mountains and mountains, and you can even touch the nests of larks. The lark's nest is very hidden in the weeds, and it cannot be found, but it has a fatal weakness, that is, the big lark is hovering vertically above the nest, and when it finds that someone reaches the nest, it screams and attacks you, then you can find the place where it built the nest. There are only four or five little larks in a nest, and in the first few days before they leave the nest, it is best to take them home and raise them. Get a big place, the public can sell dozens of pieces of hammer. If several people find it at the same time, then make a good mark to see who starts early.
On the cliff wall in each ravine, there are many small holes, and the caves are also inhabited by sparrows. It is very difficult to dig these nests, and you always have to fight. Put your hand into the nest and pull it out. It was the egg that was always half messed up, and it was the little finch that put it in the hat shell and handed it down. If the nest is too high, you have to hit three layers of hemp racks (human ladders), and you can't pull it out at once, and after a long time, the lower layer can't hold it. Will fall down hard, gray-headed, but it can be regarded as falling to death no one asked. More daring, take the family's pulling rope, the two people on it dragged, hanging down one, nesting, pulling out the eggs, all thrown, pulling out the feathered finches, put them in the vest, just hatched and filled back. The sparrow flying in the sky saw that its nest was destroyed, and the squeak of anger flew around, and it was almost painful.
When the sparrow is small, it is very good to feed, you just need to catch a few grasshoppers, hold the bird in your hand, and use your other hand to gently buckle on its head, the sparrow's mouth will open, eat very sharply, you just feed it a stone, it can choke. After a few days of feeding, the little finch treats you like its mother. Flip back and forth between your hands and withdraw. However, the bird cannot be placed on the palm of the hand, and it is said that if the bird is placed in the palm of the hand, the bird will burn its claws (burning claws: the bird's claws can no longer stand when they are together).
Every summer, I have to dig up a few nests of finches. Although the birds have left my hands, they have all brought me infinite joy. Now the sparrows are protected animals, who hurt, who breaks the law. Since then, all kinds of birds have lived in peace with people, and people no longer hurt them. May the songs and laughter be all over the world, and the song and swallow dance fill the world...