AT MEAL-TIME. 39 
babies trying to pick up some toy with their fat little 
hands. <A bird’s bill at first is very soft, like a baby’s 
bones. If you feel of it, you will see that to the touch 
it is like a piece of rubber. 
The difficulty is really more with the bird’s eyes than 
with his bill, for it seems that, although he sees the 
food which he wants to eat, he cannot measure the dis- 
tance correctly until he has learned how to see straight 
and aim right. 
“Let me look in your mouth, little bird ; 
How many white teeth have you? 
No teeth? then how do you chew your food? 
Be honest and tell me true.” 
“My teeth are all out of sight, little boy, 
They are hard and white and firm ; — 
Out of sight, but they grind the seeds like a mill, 
And the bug, and the nice fat worm.” 
CHAR TER PX. 
AT MEAL-TIME. 
Ir we had twenty birds in a cage and had to hunt 
for all the food they could eat, the same as they would 
do if they were free, we should have a busy time of it, 
and very likely the birds would starve. 
Birds have sharp eyes. Watch the finches and see 
how they hop from twig to twig, pecking at tiny things 
