88 CITIZEN BIRD 



" I wish he would begin with this little mite of a 

 thing, that isn't much bigger than a bee," said Nat, 

 showing Rap a Hummingbird. 



" I don't care what bird he starts with," said Rap, 

 "only I hope he will begin at the very beginning." 



" That is a good idea, my boy," said the Doctor, who 

 had finished his letters and was leaving his desk ; "only 

 what and where is the beginning ? " 



The children looked at each other in silence, and 

 Olive said : " That is a very hard question for them to 

 answer. No wonder they looked so puzzled, father." 



Then the Doctor laughed and said : " The people 

 who have studied the birds, bone by bone and feather 

 b}^ feather, have grouped these Citizens into orders 

 and families to prevent confusion, so that we may easil}' 

 tell the relationship between them. These lists some- 

 times begin with the lowest order, nearest to the crawl- 

 ing, reptile brethren, — the least interesting, far-away 

 birds that have no song and cannot fly well, but swim 

 and dive in the water, — and end with the beautiful 

 singing birds that live in our gardens." 



*' Couldn't you begin with the dear singing birds 

 and end with the far-away clumsy diving ones ? " 

 asked Rap earnestl}^ ; " it's so much easier learning 

 about things near home." 



" You are right, my boy. In learning anytliing,^ 

 whether of bird, insect, or flower, begin at home, and 

 let this be the centre from which you work your way 

 onward and outward. Then you will be sure of what 

 you learn ; and ever afterward, though you may follow 

 strange birds all over the known world, you will come 

 home again, to find that there are none more charming 



