16 STORIES OF BIRDS AND BEASTS 



in many cases from the female, being more handsomely 

 dressed than his mate." 



" I don't think that's fair," said Dodo. " I shouldn't 

 like Nat to have nicer clothes than I wear." 



"But it is best for Bird People," replied the Doctor, 

 " that the mother bird, who has to keep house and tend 

 to the little ones, should not be too conspicuous. She 

 is best protected from enemies when her colors are 

 plain, and especially when they match the foliage in 

 which she sits on her nest. If her mate has only him- 

 self to look out for, it does not so much matter how 

 bright his plumage may be. The colors of some birds 

 are so exactly like their surroundings, that you might 

 look long before you could find the sober, quiet female, 

 whose mate is flashing his gay plumage and singing his 

 finest song, perhaps for the very purpose of attracting 

 your attention away from his home. 4 Protective colora- 

 tion/ is what the Wise Men call it." 



" What makes all the different colors of birds, Doc- 

 tor?" asked Rap. 



" That is a hard question to answer. It is natural 

 for birds to have particular colors, just as some people 

 have black eyes and hair, while others have blue eyes 

 and yellow hair. But I can tell you one thing about 

 that. Look at this Sparrow. All the colors it shows 

 are in the feathers, whose various markings are due to 

 certain substances called 'pigments,' which filter into 

 the feathers, and there set in various patterns. The 

 feathers are painted inside by Nature, and the colors 

 show through. You see none of these colors are shiny 

 like polished metal. But I could show you some birds 

 whose plumage glitters with all the hues of the rain- 



