. Bird legend and life . olling about, teasing and snappingplayfully at each other, more every day, thus, unconsciously,making themselves strong enough to succeed in the new out-door life which was soon to be theirs. As they scrambledabout in their play, every day their little claws grew strongerthrough clasping and unclasping the scattered bones. Now they were becoming venturesome enough to go farout into the passageway to meet their mother as she returnedfrom her marketing, and were able to give her a rattlinggreeting almost as grown-up in its sound as her own. On coming to meet her, it neve
. Bird legend and life . olling about, teasing and snappingplayfully at each other, more every day, thus, unconsciously,making themselves strong enough to succeed in the new out-door life which was soon to be theirs. As they scrambledabout in their play, every day their little claws grew strongerthrough clasping and unclasping the scattered bones. Now they were becoming venturesome enough to go farout into the passageway to meet their mother as she returnedfrom her marketing, and were able to give her a rattlinggreeting almost as grown-up in its sound as her own. On coming to meet her, it never occurred to them toturn around and follow their bills when she drove them backinto the oven-shaped dining-room before serving the custom-ary refreshments. They seemed to think that in going backto any place it was necessary to move backward, and thisthey always did. And so it was that from constant practicethey learned to travel backward even faster than they didforward. The motive was stronger. Their forward move- 102. Photograph by James H. Miller YOUNG KINGFISHERS ; Their first view of the beautiful outside world. THE LONE FISHER ments were prompted by idle curiosity, while hunger andwarmth called them the other way. After their first view of the great outside world, whereall good things to eat came from—a world so airy and greenand beautiful—their dreams of a life there were many. Moreand more often they came to the opening of the passagewayto feast their eyes on the beauty before them, and to breathethe cool, fresh air. Nothing but fear held them in the oldhome now. The tired mother, worn and thin from work and re-sponsibility, felt sure that they were now old enough to light-en her labors by taking care of themselves, so she decided toconquer their foolish fears. She did not feed them so oftennow, but allowed them to grow hungry enough to brave al-most any danger to satisfy the craving within them. Hungeris a wonderful inspiration sometimes. With fear warning him ba
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidbirdlege, booksubjectbirds
