202 



Language Through Nature 



out waiting to see more another 

 bird chirped, "I can surely build 

 a nest like that," and off she went 

 to begin. 



But the magpie put on more 

 mud and more twigs, pressing 

 the nest into shape and adding 

 leaves and grass to the outside. 

 "Strange that I never thought 



of that," said a third 



bird as she flew away. Soon 

 she was busily at work building 

 a nest of her own, and, though 

 her nest was a rough, unfinished 

 affair, many others are still made just like it. 



The magpie worked away, weaving in thread or 

 hair to make the nest strong, and lining it with 

 straw and soft feathers until it was fine indeed. 



Only a few birds had enough patience to stay 

 for the whole lesson. Long before it was finished 

 most of them had flown away to build nests for 

 themselves. Each had noticed only a part of the 

 building, and so made their separate nests in many 

 different ways. But every bird thought it knew all 

 about nest-building, and so never took another 



Hoiv one bird 

 hangs its nest 



