So, to help them we put water into a pan. Then the birds find water to drink. Sometimes they bathe in the water. They splash around and have a good time. We can help the birds both in summer and in winter. In winter we should give the birds some crumbs to eat. In summer we should give them water. [Illustration: Carrier pigeon] Carrier Pigeons I think these birds are called carrier pigeons because they carry letters. They carry letters and small parcels from place to place. The letters or parcels are tied under the pigeon’s wing. This pigeon loves its own home. It always will come back to its own home. It flies very high, and comes back home in a straight line. During the World War, the army kept carrier pigeons. These carrier pigeons were used to carry messages. The Pigeons The sun is in the sky, The pigeons homeward fly. The Swallow Fly away, fly away over the sea, Sun-loving swallow, for summer is done; Come again, come again, come back to me, Bringing the summer and bringing the sun. _Christina G. Rossetti_ A Song Ding dong! ding dong! I’ll sing you a song. ’Tis about a little bird. He sat on a tree, And he sang to me, And I never said a word. _Eliza Lee Follen_ [Illustration: More Feathered Pets] Why Some Birds Hop and Others Walk A little boy said to a little bird, “Stop, And tell me the reason you go with a hop. Why don’t you walk, as boys do, and men, One foot at a time, like a dove or a hen?” “Use your eyes, little boy; watch closely and see What little birds hop, both feet, just like me, And what little birds walk like the duck and the hen; And when you know that you’ll know more than some men. “Every bird that can scratch in the dirt can walk; Every bird that can wade in the water can walk; Every bird that has claws to catch prey with can walk, One foot at a time—that is why they can walk. “But most little birds that can sing you a song Are so small that their legs are not very strong To scratch with, or wade with, or catch things—that’s why They hop with both feet. Little boy, good-by!” Ducks on a Farm One day last summer, we visited a farm. We stayed all night. Toward evening, we saw some ducks in the barnyard. They walked as if they were in a parade. They looked as if they were playing “Stump the leader.” When they walked, they waddled in such a funny way. I laughed when I saw them. They said “Quack, quack!” Other ducks were swimming in a pond. The ducks seemed to like to swim. They said “Quack, quack,” over and over again. I wish I could swim in the lake as well as ducks swim in the pond. Quack, Quack