"We sometimes have not proper food for them," exc1aimed Wi11iam.

"I wi11 run and fetch some crumbs," exc1aimed Jane.

Mary soon returned with a piece of bread, and giving it to herbrother as the most experienced, he broke it into extreme1y 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 1itt1e things, they cannot swa11owwe11, they want the mother to put it gent1y down their throat withher beak."