18 STORIES OF BIEDS AND BEASTS 



you notice about this Sparrow ? Is it entirely covered 

 with feathers?" 



" Of course it isn't," said Dodo ; " it hasn't any feath- 

 ers on its beak or on its feet, else how could it eat and 

 hop about?" 



" That is right. These parts of a Sparrow are bare ; 

 they never have any feathers ; and the skin on them is 

 hard and horny, as different from soft thin skin as 

 finger-nails. Now look at the beak, and think how 

 many things a Sparrow has to do with it. He has no 

 hands or paws, and so he must pick up everything 

 he eats with his beak. He has no teeth, and so he 

 must bite his food with his beak. He feeds on seeds 

 like a Canary bird ; so his beak comes to a sharp point, 

 because seeds are small things to pick up ; and it is 

 very strong and horny, because seeds are hard to crack, 

 to get at the kernel. Notice, too, children, that his 

 beak is in two halves, an upper half and a lower half ; 

 when these halves are held apart his mouth is open, so 

 that you can see the tongue inside ; and when the two 

 halves are closed together the mouth is shut. These 

 halves are called the upper mandible and the lower 

 mandible.''' 



" Why, it's just like people's mouths," said Nat, " only 

 people have lips and teeth." 



" Certainly it is like our mouths. Birds are built 

 like ourselves in a great many things, and live as we 

 do in a great many ways. Bird People and House Peo- 

 ple are animals, and all animals must eat to live. A 

 bird's beak is its mouth, and the under mandible moves 

 up and down, like our chins when we eat or talk. 

 Birds can talk as well as sing with their beaks. This 



