28 STORIES OF BIRDS AND BEASTS 



about, except when we go on our hands and knees, or 

 climb trees, or swim in the water. And as for birds 

 why, their fore limbs are turned into wings, to fly 

 with, so that they walk or hop on their hind limbs 

 only, just as we do. Animals that go on all fours are 

 called quadrupeds. Animals that go on their two hind 

 limbs only, like Bird People and House People, are 

 called bipeds. A Sparrow's wings are just as much 

 like a mouse's fore legs, as a Sparrow's feathers are like 

 a mouse's fur." 



" How funny ! " said Dodo. " But how are a bird's 

 wings like fore legs, when they haven't got any paws 

 or toes or fingers or claws only just long feath- 

 ers ? " 



"They have fingers, and some birds' wings have 

 claws ; only you cannot see them, because they are all 

 wrapped up in the skin and covered over with the 

 feathers. Some day not to-day, because you have 

 had a long lesson already I will show you a bird's 

 wing with only its bones. Then you will see that it 

 has finger-bones at the end, then hand-bones next, then 

 bones that run from the wrist to the elbow, and then 

 one bone that runs from the elbow to the shoulder > 

 almost the same bones that people have in their fingers, 

 hands, wrists, and arms. So you see wings are the 

 same to a bird that fore legs are to a mouse or arms 

 are to us. 



" I could go through all the inside parts of birds, 

 and show you something like the same parts in people, 

 stomach and bowels, to take care of the food they 

 eat and turn it into blood to nourish them ; lungs to 

 breathe with, and keep the blood pure ; heart to beat 



