These birds are easily watched; and a French gentleman, who has written the best account of the birds of Africa,[11] says that he has found at least a hundred of these nests, and watched the birds for a whole morning together, and never saw one sitting on the small nest as a watch-bird; but has seen both the male and female arrive at the nest together, perch upon the nearest branch, hop from this upon the edge of the little nest, and then putting their heads into the hole, dart into the large nest. And now, boys, what do you think about the use of these little pockets?" "Oh, Uncle Philip, we think that what you tell us is always right, because you know a great deal more than we do." "But, boys, you do not understand me. I may be mistaken, though I do know more than you. I have been telling you my reasons for thinking these little pockets are nothing but perches. Do you think the reasons are good ones?" "Why, yes, Uncle Philip, we do. The French gentleman who watched the birds so much would have seen some of them using the pockets for a place to keep watch in, if they were made for that." "Right, boys. What I wish to teach you is to think for yourselves. Whenever any one gives you a reason for a thing, just ask yourselves, 'Is this a good reason?'" "But, Uncle Philip, how did it happen that the other people who saw these birds should have said that these pockets were for the male bird to sit in and watch?" "I suppose, boys, that they really thought so; but then they had not noticed the birds enough to find out the truth. It requires a great deal of time and patience to find out the truth about animals: and this is the reason why so many mistakes have been printed about them. It is a pity that such mistakes have been made; for really there is enough that is very curious about them, without men's making stories to appear strange. But I think that there will be fewer mistakes made in future." "Why so, Uncle Philip?" "Because, boys, men are taking more pains to see for themselves. There are more naturalists now than there were formerly; and I hope there will be more still, especially in our own large and beautiful country, where there have not yet been many. I hope that natural history will be studied in all our schools before a great while. But let us go back to our African birds.