VI 
HIS FIRST SUIT 
Some birds that live on the ground —as I 
told you — have dresses of down to begin with. 
These little fellows have no warm nest to stay 
in, but run around almost as soon as they come 
out of the egg. Young ducks and geese wear 
this baby suit for weeks, before they begin to put 
on their feather coats. 
Young birds that spend most of their time in 
the water, like grebes, and others that live in a 
cold country, have the down very thick and fine, 
hike heavy underclothes, to keep them dry and 
warm. ) 
Birds whose home is underground, like the 
kingfisher, or in the trunk of a tree, like the 
woodpecker, have hardly any down at all. They 
need no baby clothes in their warm cradles. 
Robins and most other song birds have only 
a little down on them, and very soon the feathers 
begin to grow. 
When the tiny quills push themselves up, they 
