314 



CITIZEN BIRD 



" Oil, yes, a round swelled-up place ; but what is the 

 good of it ? " persisted Dodo. 



''It is a resting-j)lace for food, where it may swell, 

 soften, and be partl}^ ground up. All birds are fond 

 of eating sand and gravel." 



5 ! My Canary picks up lots 

 )its every time I put fresh 

 his cage." 



" This gravel mixes with the 

 3d and helps to grind it up. 

 Tou can understand how 

 necessary this is when you 

 emember that some birds, 

 like Pigeons, swallow 

 hard grains of corn en- 

 tirely whole." 



" Yes, and I saw 

 iNIammy 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 r 



"To return to the 

 Flickers : they live in flocks in 

 autumn, and when a number are 

 feeding on the ground at a little 

 distance they might be taken for jNIeadowlarks — 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 



