Part 11

“Oh, what funny little things,” said Frank.

As soon as he spoke, the baby chaffinches stretched out their slender little necks, opened their wide, gaping mouths, and cried for food.

“Pink, Pink, Pink!” came from a neighbouring tree.

“Come down, Frank!” Uncle George whispered. “Let us go back from the nest, and we will perhaps see the old birds feeding them.”

With another “Pink, Pink, Pink,” the cock chaffinch flew down and stood on the edge of the nest. He had something in his bill. This he dropped into one of the gaping little mouths, and flew away.

Next came the hen bird with something in her bill. She fed another of the hungry little birds, and flew away also.

The boys were greatly interested. They wanted to stay the whole afternoon and watch the chaffinches feeding their young, but their uncle would not allow this.

“No, no, my dear boys,” he said, “we must not annoy our little feathered friends too much, or they may forsake their beautiful nest and their helpless young ones.

“We will come back in a fortnight and see the young birds. You will not know them then, for they will be fully fledged.”

“What do you mean by ‘fully fledged,’ Uncle George?” Tom asked.

“It means covered all over with feathers, does it not?” said Frank.

Their uncle nodded.

“Are these little birds not cold without feathers?” asked Tom.

“Oh, dear, no,” his uncle answered. “During the day they cuddle up together in their cosy nest. At night the mother bird folds her wings over the nest.”

“Where does the cock bird go at night?” asked Tom.

“He sleeps on a branch quite near the nest,” his uncle answered.

“I have just two more questions to ask, Uncle George,” said Frank. “What do the chaffinches feed their young ones on? and what becomes of the young birds after they are fledged?”

“They feed their young chiefly on small worms, flies, grubs, beetles, and other insects. When the young chaffinches are fledged, their parents lead them from the nest. They teach them to fly, and show them where to find their food. They never lose sight of them until they are quite grown up and able to take care of themselves.”

Exercises on Lesson VIII.

1. Describe and compare the nests of rook, thrush, and chaffinch. Where would you look for each? 2. How does the chaffinch, in building his nest, imitate the colour of the tree it is built on. Can you see any special reason for this? 3. Make a list of all the British birds you know. Then divide this list into—(1) pretty birds; (2) plain birds; (3) singing birds. 4. Write a description of any bird’s nest you have seen, stating where and how it was built, and also what you learned from it.

IX.—PLANTS THAT ARM THEMSELVES.

“Some time ago,” said Uncle George, “I promised to tell you something about how plants arm themselves. And here, in this hedgerow, we have some good examples of armed plants.”

“There is the stinging nettle,” said Tom, pointing to a large patch at the roadside.

“The stinging nettle is certainly well protected,” said his uncle. “You have only to touch any part of it lightly with your hand to find that out. Every part of the plant is covered with small needle-shaped hairs. These hairs are hollow and contain a poisonous juice. At the base of each hair there is a bag filled with this juice, while the tip of each is sharp and very brittle.

“When your hand touches a nettle—unless you grasp it tightly—the sharp hair pierces the skin. It’s brittle point breaks off and the poisonous juice is poured out.”

“Why is the nettle covered with these horrid stings?” asked Frank.

“To save it from being eaten up, of course. The nettle is a tender and juicy plant, and, if it were not for its stings it would soon disappear altogether.

“Now, here is another armed plant, the blackberry or bramble. The stem and also the backs of the leaves are covered with large curved prickles. These prickles not only protect the plant from grazing animals, but they help it to climb and scramble up walls and hedges.