NATURAL HISTORY. 195 



one gives you a reason for a thing, just ask 

 yourselves, c Is this a good reason ?' : 



" But, Uncle Philip, how did it happen that 

 the other people who saw these birds should 

 have said that these pockets were for the male 

 bird to sit in and watch ?" 



" I suppose, boys, that they really thought 

 so ; but then they had not noticed the birds 

 enough to find out the truth. It requires a 

 great deal of time and patience to find out the 

 truth about animals : and this is the reason 

 why so many mistakes have been printed 

 about them. It is a pity that such mistakes 

 have been made ; for really there is enough 

 that is very curious about them, without 

 men's making stories to appear strange. But 

 I think that there will be fewer mistakes 

 made in future." 



" Why so, Uncle Philip ?" 



" Because, boys, men are taking more pains 

 to see for themselves. There are more natu- 

 ralists now than there were formerly ; and I 

 hope there will be more still, especially in our 

 own large and beautiful country, where there 

 have not yet been many. I hope that natural 

 history will be studied in all our schools be- 



