THE POLITEST BIRD. 39 



Did he gobble it down as fast as he could, or did 

 the second bird rush at him and snatch it from him ? 



You will hardly guess what happened. The bird 

 who had the cherry hopped along the limb with a 

 motion which would almost do for a bow, and offered 

 the cherry to the second bird. This one's manners, 

 however, were just as good, and he, too, hopped back 

 and returned the cherry to the first bird. 



The cherry was passed in this way from one to the 

 other nearly half a dozen times, each bird making a 

 hop and a bow, as if to say, " I cannot think of eating 

 it; I would much rather that you took it." 



We must not expect to find such great politeness 

 as these Cedar Birds showed common among birds ; 

 in fact, their food is often so hard to obtain that we 

 cannot blame a hungry bird who has little ones to 

 feed for snatching it as quickly as he can. 



If there are no tables set for the birds, where each 

 can find his food at his own place, and no one to set 

 them an example, we shall hardly expect them to have 

 good table manners. We can remember the Cedar 

 Birds, however, and when next we see the noisy 

 Sparrows we will beg them to take a lesson from their 

 politer relatives. 



