The Burgess Bird Book for Children 



life, go straight down into a chimney, and you 

 know it, Skimmer. He can do things with his 

 wings which you can't do, nor any other bird." 



"That may be true, but just the same I'm not 

 the least teeny weeny bit jealous of him," said 

 Skimmer, and darted away to get beyond the 

 reach of Jenny's sharp tongue. 



"Is it really true that he and Sooty are not 

 related?" asked Johnny Chuck, as they watched 

 Skimmer cutting airy circles high up in the sky. 



Jenny nodded. "It's quite true, Johnny," 

 said she. "Sooty belongs to another family alto- 

 gether. He's a funny fellow. Did you ever in 

 your life see such narrow wings? And his tail 

 is hardly worth calling a tail." 



Johnny Chuck laughed. "'Way up there in 

 the air he looks almost alike at both ends," said 

 he. "Is he all black?" 



"He isn't black at all," declared Jenny. "He 

 is sooty -brown, rather grayish on the throat and 

 breast. Speaking of that tail of his, the feathers 

 end in little, sharp, stiff points. He uses them in 

 the same way that Downy the Woodpecker uses his 

 tail feathers when he braces himself with them on 

 the trunk of a tree." 



"But I've never seen Sooty on the trunk of a 

 tree," protested Johnny Chuck. "In fact, I've 

 never seen him anywhere but in the air." 

 [110] 



