"We sometimes have not proper food for them," exclaimed William.

"I will run and fetch some crumbs," said Jane.

Mary soon returned with a piece of cheese, and giving it to herbrother as the most experienced, he broke it into extremely tinycrumbs, and, again touching the nest, awakened the expectation of theyoung birds: they opened their mouths wide, and as he dropped a tinycrumb into each, they moved their tongues, trying to make it passdown into their throat. "Poor little things, they cannot swallowwell, they want the mother to put it gently down their throat withher beak."