The Burgess Bird Book for Children 



His wings and tail were brownish, the outer parts 

 of the feathers edged with rose-red. His bill 

 was short and stout. 



Before Peter could reply, Mrs. Linnet appeared. 

 There wasn't so much as a touch of that beautiful 

 rose-red about her. Her grayish-brown back was 

 streaked with black, and her white breast and sides 

 were spotted and streaked with brown. If Peter 

 hadn't seen her with Linnet he certainly would 

 have taken her for a Sparrow. She looked so much 

 like one that he ventured to say, "I guess you be- 

 long to the Sparrow family." 



"That's pretty close, Peter. That's pretty 

 close," declared Linnet. "We belong to the Finch 

 branch of the family, which makes the Sparrows 

 own cousins to us. Folks may get Mrs. Linnet 

 mixed with some of our Sparrow cousins, but they 

 never can mistake me. There isn't anybody else 

 my size with a rose-red coat like mine. If you 

 can't remember my song, which you ought to, 

 because there is no other song quite like it, you can 

 always tell me by the color of my coat. Hello ! 

 Here comes Cousin Chicoree. Did you ever see a 

 happier fellow than he is ? I'll venture to say that 

 he has been having such a good time that he hasn't 

 even yet thought of building a nest, and here half 

 the people of the Old Orchard have grown families. 

 I've a nest and eggs myself, but that madcap 

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