found in any locality, will be the first bird you will meet 
when you try to make bird acquaintances ; but, are you sure 
that you are able to tell a sparrow from a swallow ? 
If the birds are at rest, they may instantly be told apart 
by their bills, for each bird has in his bill a tool that fits 
him to get the kind of food he likes, almost as well as does 
our hand, which we use to satisfy our needs. 
Swallows live on insect life, which they catch as they 
fly through the air, so that they need as large a trap, as 
they can conveniently carry, in which to capture their food. 
@recon Taken by Mrs. C. E. Forsyth 
“Western Chipping Sparrow and Her Youngling 
The aaa wide, flat bill, with several bristles at the outer 
edges of the jaw and the wet mouth, makes the whole front 
of a swallow a kind of a sticky net, which the powerful wings 
sweep back and forth, wide open, through a cloud of insects. 
The catch is swallowed when the net i is full, when it is ready 
to be filled again. | 
The sparrow’s bill has a ‘differcnt kind of work to do. It 
is used, to mes sure, in the nesting season to capture large 
20 
