More Folks in Red 



birches and the alders, and we eat the seeds of the 

 evergreen trees when we get them. Sometimes we 

 find them in cones Snipper the Crossbill has opened 

 but hasn't picked all the seeds out of. Sometimes 

 he drops some for us. Oh, we always manage to get 

 plenty to eat. There are some of our relatives over 

 there and we must join them. We'll see you again, 

 Peter." 



Peter said he hoped they would and then watched 

 them fly over to join their friends. Suddenly, as if 

 a signal had been given, all spread their wings at 

 the same instant and flew up in a birch-tree not far 

 away. All seemed to take wing at precisely the 

 same instant. Up in the birch-tree they sat for a 

 minute or so and then, just as if another signal had 

 been given, all began to pick out the tiny seeds 

 from the birch tassels. No one bird seemed to be 

 first. It was quite like a drill, or as if each had 

 thought of the same thing at the same instant. 

 Peter chuckled over it all the way home. And 

 somehow he felt better for having made the ac- 

 quaintance of the Redpolls. It was the feeling 

 that everybody so fortunate as to meet them on a 

 cold winter's day is sure to have. 



[333] 



