BIRD LEGEND AND LIFE 



to him gradually as he sat on his shanks and threw out his 

 breast in pride at his aceomphshment. Such long, deep 

 breaths he took as he had never taken before. 



How brave and strong he felt! 



Soon he was followed by his baby sister, who came and 

 saw him do it all. His bravery had given her confidence. His 

 going had looked so simple that she followed with hardly any 

 fear. Indeed, she alighted with a faint rattle of bravery. 

 With brief intervals between, one by one, they were joined 

 by the others. 



Returning after an unusually long absence, there the 

 mother found them scattered about among the tall grasses. 

 How proud she was to see them out here in the light! Quite 

 like herself they looked in their coats of bright blue, and 

 collars and belts of chestnut. The resemblance was certainly 

 striking. 



It was really the first time she had ever seen them in 

 the light. Of course she had caught occasional glimpses of 

 them backing into the tiumel to make room for her home- 

 coming, but as for seeing all of any one of them, she had 

 never had the pleasure. As she moved about among them, 

 rattling her approval, such pride as she felt in them only a 

 mother could understand. They were but four weeks old — < 

 possibly a few days older — ^yet they looked almost like grown-- 

 up birds — from the front, at least — ^but when they turned 

 around their brevity of tail betrayed their youth. 



After a few days they were moving around quite com- 

 fortably among the flags and grasses, as comfortably as 

 though they had always lived there. They went forward 

 mostly now, for backing around among grasses and things 

 wasn't altogether pleasant. Besides, now that they had the 

 advantages of light, they were beginning to like to see where 



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