A TRIBE OF WEED WARRIORS 209 



couple gather shreds of bark, twigs, and small sticks, 

 till they think they have enough ; then they begin the 

 nest itself, weaving it of softer materials and lining it 

 with grasses, fur, and feathers, until they make a very 

 comfortable bed for the pale-green, purple- spotted eggs 

 to lie in." 



" How cold the poor birds' toes must be while they 

 are working," said Dodo with a shiver ; '^ and I should 

 think the eggs would freeze instead of hatching." 



" But what do they find to eat when everything is 

 frozen stiff ? " asked Rap. " Are they cannibal birds 

 that can eat other birds and mice ? " 



*' These two questions can be answered together," 

 said the Doctor. "The nests are usually built in 

 evergreens, which are cone-bearing or coniferous trees. 

 You all know what a cone is like, I think ? " 



" Yes, I do I " cried Rap. " It is a long seed pod 

 that grows on evergreens. In summer it is green and 

 sticky, but by and by it grows dry and brown, and 

 divides into little rows of scales like shingles on a 

 house, and there is a seed hidden under each scale. 

 Each kind of an evergreen has a different-shaped cone ; 

 some are long and smooth like sausages, and some are 

 thick and pointed like a top. The squirrels often pick 

 the cones off the spruces over at the miller's and shell 

 out the scales, just as you shell corn off the cob, to get 

 the seeds." 



" Very good, my boy," said the Doctor. '' I see you 

 know something about trees as well as birds. The 

 Crossbills build in evergreens, and all around their 

 nests hang the cones with spicy seeds stored away 

 under the scales, ready for the birds to eat. So they 



