20 Baby Birds at Home 



give each an equal share of the warmth 

 of her body. 



If you would like to know what a 

 Peewit thinks of the shape of her eggs, 

 just try the following experiment on the 

 next nest you find. Turn all the eggs 

 round about, thick ends inwards, and 

 pointed ends outwards, then leave the 

 place altogether for half an hour. 



When you go back you will find, if 

 you have given the mother bird an oppor- 

 tunity of returning to her home in the 

 meantime, that the very first thing she has 

 done has been to set her household in 

 order. She has replaced her eggs, and they 

 are lying just as you found them. 



Baby Lapwings begin to run about 

 directly they are hatched, and are very 

 obedient to their parents. When there is 

 no sign of danger to be seen they wander 

 round with their mother in the most 

 joyous manner. If a hawk should appear 

 in the sky, the old bird sounds her alarm 

 note and the chicks instantly crouch flat 

 upon the ground, and do not move again 

 until their parent tells them by a reassur- 

 ing cry that the danger has passed. 



