The Burgess Bird Book for Children 



questions than anybody of my acquaintance," 

 retorted Jenny Wren. "Of course they don't live 

 on buds and blossoms. If they did they would 

 soon starve to death, for buds and blossoms don't 

 last long. They eat a few just for variety, but they 

 live mostly on bugs and insects. You ask Farmer 

 Brown's boy who helps him most in his potato 

 patch, and he'll tell you it's the Grosbeaks. They 

 certainly do love potato bugs. They eat some 

 fruit, but on the whole they are about as useful 

 around a garden as any one I know. Now run 

 along, Peter Rabbit, and don't bother me any 

 more." 



Seeing Farmer Brown's boy coming through the 

 Old Orchard Peter decided that it was high time for 

 him to depart. So he scampered for the Green 

 Forest, lipperty-lipperty-lip. Just within the edge 

 of the Green Forest he caught sight of something 

 which for the time being put all thought of Farmer 

 Brown's boy out of his head. Fluttering on the 

 ground was a bird than whom not even Glory the 

 Cardinal was more beautiful. It was about the 

 size of Redwing the Blackbird. Wings and tail 

 were pure black and all the rest was a beautiful 

 scarlet. It was Redcoat the Tanager. At first 

 Peter had eyes only for the wonderful beauty of 

 Redcoat. Never before had he seen Redcoat so 

 close at hand. Then quite suddenly it came over 

 [210] 



