122 TALKS ABOUT BIRDS 



afterwards make when they have had more 

 practice and experience. Of course they are 

 very often helped in this by having a mate 

 who is older than themselves, and knows 

 better what is to be done ; for so many young 

 birds are killed before their first year is over, 

 because they do not learn all they should 

 about enemies and so forth, that it is quite a 

 chance if they find another one of their own 

 age for a mate. When a bird has lived a 

 couple of years it has learnt about as much as 

 it can, and then, if it has luck, it stands a good 

 chance of living for many years if it is a big 

 bird with few enemies, for its school-days 

 ought to be finished by that time. 



