CHAPTER XVI 



A TRIBE OF WEED WARRIORS 



(Containing both Soldiers and Quakers) 



"A NEW family? Soldiers and Quakers? What 

 does that mean?" asked Nat. "I thought my jolly 

 yellow bird with the black cap came next." 



'' His family does come next — the Finch family. 

 You must hear a little about that first, and let your 

 American Goldfinch take his turn with his brothers 

 and cousins, for Rap's Rose-breasted Grosbeak belongs 

 also in this family." 



''You say my bird is called American Goldfinch. 

 He is such a bright yellow that gold is a good name for 

 him, but what does ' Finch ' mean ? " 



" Finch, as I said, is the name of the great family to 

 which he belongs. It is the very largest family in 

 Birdland, and members of it live in almost all parts 

 of the world. All kinds of Finches and Sparrows 

 belong to it, and so do Grosbeaks and Buntings, as well 

 as the Canaries that we keep for pets. There are about 

 five hundred and fifty different kinds of them. 



" The birds that you have been studying thus far, 

 from the Bluebird, Robin, and Wood Thrush to the 

 Tanagers, belong to several different families and are 

 chiefly insect-eaters, taking various fruits and berries 

 in season, it is true, but making insects their regular 



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