26 CITIZEN BIRD 



the dead White-throated Sparrow from tlie table, and 

 began to walk about the room, stopping now in front 

 of the fire and then by the window. 



" Here is a Sparrow, different from every other kind 

 of Sparrow, different indeed from any other sort of 

 bird in the world — else it would not be the particu- 

 lar sort of a Sparrow called the White-throated. But 

 there are a good many tilings that it has in common 

 with all other l)irds. Can you tell me some of them ? " 



" I know ! " said Dodo ; ''it has a good many feathers 

 on it, and I guess all kinds of birds wear feathers, ex- 

 cept some when they are very little in the nest." 



" Quite right, little girl," said the Doctor. " Ever}^ 

 bird has feathers, and no other animal has feathers. 

 So we say, 'A bird is known by its feathers.' But 

 what do you suppose its feathers are for ? " 



" To make it look nice and pretty," said Dodo 

 promptly. 



"To make it lighter, so's it can fly," added Nat. 



" To keep it warm, too, I guess," was Rap's ansvver. 



" Well, you are all three partly, but not quite, right. 

 Certainly the beauty of a bird depends most on its 

 feathers, being not even skin-dee];), as you may well 

 believe, if you ever noticed a chicken Mammy Bun 

 had plucked. But, Nat, how can feathei's make a bird 

 lighter, when every one of them weighs something, 

 and a bird has to carry them all ? Tliey make a bird a 

 little heavier than it would be witliout them. Yet it 

 is quite true that no bird could fly if you clipped its 

 Vvdno-s. So some of its feathers enable it to flv — the 

 large ones, that grow on the wings. Then, too, the 

 large ones that make the tail help tlie bird to fly, by 



