16 FOUB-FOOTED AMERICANS 



upper front teeth and chews a cucl. Birds seem so 

 much easier to understand. Birds are animals with a 

 backbone, a beak for a mouth, and two legs. They 

 wear feathers and lay eggs. But these others are 

 different in their mouths and stomachs and feet, and 

 some have horns and some don't. Some have little 

 tails like Corney, and some long hairy tails like the 

 horses, and oh, Uncle Roy, that snake there is all tail ! 



'' Olive says bugs, and beetles, and flies, are animals, 

 too, and beetles are crusty, and caterpillars are squashy, 

 and flies are buzzy, and I'm sure I never can tell who 

 is who. Birds look something alike, even when they 

 are as different as a Hummingbird and a Duck; but I 

 ca7it understand how all the other animals are re- 

 lated." 



" Not so fast, dearie," said the Doctor, laughing at her 

 inquiries until the tears ran down his cheeks. '^ The 

 differences and the relationships of these animals are 

 no harder to remember than they are among the birds. 

 You know that with them their l)eaks and feet were 

 arranged to suit their needs. Have 3'on forgotten how 

 we classifled the birds, and the little table of the Animal 

 Kingdom that you wrote ? " 



'-'• Yes," said Nat, hesitating ; " that is, 1 did know, 

 but I've forgotten most of it." 



" I remember," said Rap, " that you said classifying 

 was to put the animals together that were the nearest 

 alike, and the two great divisions of the Animal King- 

 dom were animals without backbones and animals with 

 them." 



'' Olive says my sponge is an animal," said Dodo, 

 doubtfully. " Surely it can't have any backbone, for 



