102 BIRD BIOGRAPHIES 



before many more days had passed, the 

 four young birds were ready to leave 

 their home. I saw them up there, through 

 the fresh green leaves, sitting outside 

 the nest, and the parents tried hard 

 to get them to take to their wings. 

 They attracted them with food, standing 

 on a distant branch and calling loudly, 

 and at last one was induced to trust 

 itself in space. It half flew and half 

 fell down to the ground, and landed 

 there with a big bump which knocked 

 all the breath out of its body. The 

 parents followed it, and when it had 

 recovered it took some of the food which 

 one of them offered. They walked on in 

 front of it, called excitedly, and did all 

 they could to get it to follow, and in a 

 clumsy and funny manner it waddled 

 after them. The parents knew, however, 

 that the ground was no place for their 

 baby, and after a tremendous lot of 

 calling and not until they saw a man 



