BIRDS IN THE NURSERY 99 



of the alligators and crocodiles which live in 

 the water, and would soon snap up a duck 

 which made her nest on the ground near the 

 shore. Then, on the other side, we have 

 some birds which have a foot suited for perch- 

 ing and yet build on the ground, like the 

 Australian squatter pigeons and like our 

 skylark. 



There are also a few whole families of birds 

 which form exceptions, such as penguins, 

 which do not fly and of course do not perch, 

 and have quite a small hind-toe, and yet have 

 helpless young ones ; but on the whole the 

 rule is one quite worth remembering. 



There are interesting differences also be- 

 tween the birds which have active young 

 ones ; most of these downy chicks find their 

 own food with but little help from the old 

 birds, or none at all. The hen picks up food 

 and shows it to her chicks, but they find most 

 of it for themselves, and ducklings look after 

 their own food entirely, each one running or 

 swimming on his own account. So do young 

 plovers, but young moorhens expect their 

 parents to find the food and hold it for them 

 while they are only a few days old, though 



