The Burgess Bird Book for Children 



wouldn't do at all. Just suppose all the birds ate 

 nothing but seeds. There wouldn't be seeds enough 

 to go around, and a lot of us would starve. Then, 

 too, the worms and the bugs would eat up every- 

 thing. So, take it all together, it is a mighty good 

 thing that some birds live almost wholly on worms 

 and bugs and such things, leaving the seeds to the 

 rest of us. I guess Old Mother Nature knew what 

 she was about when she gave us different tastes." 



Peter nodded his head in approval. "You can 

 always trust Old Mother Nature to know what is 

 best," said he sagely. "By the way, Slaty, what 

 do you make your nest of and where do you put it ? " 



"My nest is usually made of grasses, moss and 

 rootlets. Sometimes it is lined with fine grasses, 

 and when I am lucky enough to find them I use 

 long hairs. Often I put my nest on the ground, 

 and never very far above it. I am like my friend 

 Dotty in this respect. It always seems to me 

 easier to hide a nest on the ground than anywhere 

 else. There is nothing like having a nest well 

 hidden. It takes sharp eyes to find my nest, I can 

 tell you that, Peter Rabbit." 



Just then Dotty, who had been picking seeds out 

 of the top of a weed, gave a cry of alarm and in- 

 stantly there was a flit of many wings as Dotty 

 and his relatives and Slaty sought the shelter of the 

 bushes along the edge of the field. Peter sat up 

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