314 



CITIZEN BIRD 



" Oh, yes, a round swellecl-up place ; but what is the 

 good of it ? " persisted Dodo. 



"It is a resting-place for food, where it may swell, 

 soften, and be partly ground up. All birds are fond 

 of eating sand and gravel." 



" Oh, yes ! My Canary picks up lots 

 "^ of little bits every time I put fresh 

 sand in his cage." 



" This gravel mixes with the 

 food and helps to grind it up. 

 You can understand how 

 necessary this is when you 

 e member that some birds, 

 like Pigeons, swallow 

 hard grains of corn en- 

 tirely whole." 



" Yes, and I saw 

 Clammy Bun clean a 

 Chicken yesterday," 

 said Nat ; " there was 

 a lot of sand and corn 

 in a lump in its throat 

 — and so that's called 

 a crop ? " 



"To return to the 

 Flickers : they live in flocks in 

 autumn, and when a number are 

 feeding on the ground at a little 

 distance tliey might be taken for Meadowlarks — so 

 you see that you did not make such a dreadful mistake 

 after all, little girl." 



" Won't you come over to the miller's woods with 





Flicker. 



