I02 BIRD WORLD. 



finds the insects he has learned to catch. Sometimes 

 a bird's food depends so largely on a certain tree that 

 he will have to leave a town, if these trees are all cut 

 down. 



Sometimes birds have found a certain kind of food 

 or a way of getting food so different from that of any 

 other bird that their bills or feet have gradually 

 changed, and they have become more and more 

 dependent on this way of getting their living. The 

 woodpecker's tongue is a long, hooked brush, with 

 which he rakes out grubs from deep holes, the Hum- 

 ming Bird's tongue is a tube through which he sucks 

 honey, and the Flamingo's bill is a sieve through 

 which he strains muddy water as a whale strains the 

 sea water through his whalebone meshes. 



You could find many stories about the strange food 

 or feeding habits of birds. First, however, look about 

 you, if you can, and find out what the birds that are 

 your own neighbors eat, and how they get it. Take 

 the common birds, the Robin, the Chipping Sparrow, 

 the Kingbird, and the Gull, and watch them till you 

 see them getting and eating their dinner. Then you 

 will be all the more interested in the interesting 

 stories you will find in the books. You will learn, 

 too, what patience and sharp sight people come 

 to have who watch birds and find out all their 

 secrets. 



