200 



LIVING CREATURES. 



Robin's Foot. 



around a twig. 



5O. FACTS ABOUT BIRDS. 



THE foot of the robin, or of the canary, is a poor 

 tool for scratching. The long hind toe is sadly in the 

 way. On the chicken's foot this toe is short, and is 

 set up out of the way. How do these little birds 

 move on the ground ? What birds of 

 the air walk like the chicken, putting 

 one foot before the other ? With long 

 toes and exceedingly sharp nails, the 

 robin's foot is made to cleave tightly 

 We call it a perching foot. The hind 

 toe grasps precisely opposite the middle front toe. 



The canary cracks and eats seeds and cuttle-fish. 

 Is not its bill fitted for such work? The robin, or 

 the brown thrasher, picking its worm from the sod 

 has use for a longer bill, 

 while there seems to be 

 no need of a hard bill. 

 The canary is a seed-eater ; 

 the robin is a worm-eater. 

 The canary and its nu- 

 merous cousins form a 

 family of finches. The rob- 

 in and its kin are a family 

 of thrushes. The question 

 may arise why some birds 



Goldfinches. 



migrate to warmer regions 



to pass the winter, while others remain throughout 

 the year. Those that go are mostly worm-eaters, whose 

 food the winter hides or destroys. Those that stay are 



