The Burgess Bird Book for Children 



Peter nodded. "I certainly did," said he. "I 

 couldn't very well help noticing it." 

 ; "Well, there's a funny thing about that bill," 

 replied Jenny. " In winter it turns almost black. 

 Most of us wear a different colored suit in winter, 

 but our bills remain the same." 



"Well, he seems to be pretty well fixed here, and 

 I don't see but what the thing for the rest of you 

 birds to do is to make the best of the matter," 

 said Peter. "What I want to know is whether or 

 not he is of any use." 



"I guess he must do some good," admitted Jenny 

 Wren rather grudgingly. "I've seen him picking 

 up worms and grubs, but he likes grain, and I have 

 a suspicion that if his family becomes very numer- 

 ous, and I suspect it will, they will eat more of 

 Farmer Brown's grain than they will pay for by the 

 worms and bugs they destroy. Hello! There's 

 Dandy the Waxwing and his friends." 



A flock of modestly dressed yet rather distin- 

 guished looking feathered folks had alighted in a 

 cherry-tree and promptly began to help themselves 

 to Farmer Brown's cherries. They were about the 

 size of Winsome Bluebird, but did not look in the 

 least like him, for they were dressed almost wholly 

 in beautiful, rich, soft grayish-brown. Across the 

 end of each tail was a yellow band. On each, the 

 forehead, chin and a line through each eye was 

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