Evening star., 1915-12-07
Little 0prie,
& Bedtime
BY THORNTON w. BURGESS
Copyright. 1915. By J. q. Lloydp
Why Some Birds Fly South and
Some Stay.

When Peter Rabbit asked Prickly
Porky the Porcupine IL it was discon-
tent that caused so many Of the birds
| to fly away to the sunny Southland at
the coming Of cold weather. he did 1t
more to change the subject than with
any hope of learning anything. Prickly
Porky had been preaching to Peter
about contentment, and it had made
Peter feel a, little uncomfortable. You
know nobody likes to be preached to,
Peter least of all. So he tried to change
the subject.
Now, he didn't have the least idea
that PrickIy Porky would really know
anything about the matter. Like AL
most every one else. he always thought
of Prickly Porky as rather a stupid
fellow. He is slow moving and does
little but eat and sleep. and altogether
| is regarded by his more active netgh.
bors as rather stupid. So. Peter didn't
really expect to learn anything when
he asked the question: 1t was matter
| that had bothered Peter for a long
time. He never could see any sense IN
those long journeys which SO many OF
his feathered friends made every year
If Tommy Tit the Chickadee and Drum
mer the Woodpecker. and few others
who stay all winter could stand the
cold, why couldn't the rest? He had
studied and studied the matter without
growing one bit wiser. So, just fmag-
ly Porky stopped eating long enough to
| look down at him and say in the most
scornful way, as IL he thought Peter
the most stupid fellow ever wassto ask
such a foolish question:
'Discontent has nothing to DO with
it. It's simply a matter of getting
enough to eat. l thought everybody
knew that"
Peter didn't like the way in which
fPrickly Porky said that. but he wanted
to know more, so he wisely swallowed
the sharp retort which was on the tip
of his tongue. II didn't" he confessed,
very humbly. "and l don't quite under
stand it now. Little Tommy Tit doesn't
enough to eat in the winter. and IL such
little fellow as he can stand the cold
weather / should think that Welcome
Robin and Carol the Lark and Goidie
the Oriole and all the others could do
it, too"
"What does Welcome Robin eat?" de-
manded Prickly Porky.
why, worms and bugs and things"
replied Peter. in a rather uncertain
voice.
Seen any worms and bugs and things
since Jack Frost arrived?" asked Prick
ly Porky, and the tone of his voice was
enough to make Peter. feel very foolish.
Mo- confessed Peter. "but-'
Porky, sharply.
But doesn't Tommy Tit eat worms
and bugs? And doesn't Drummer the
Woodpecker? If they can find them,
why can't Welcome Robin and the
others?" Peter felt very well pleased
with his retort.
why don't you eat nuts the way
Happy Jack Squirrel does?" demanded
Prickly Porky.
Because 1 haven't got the right kind
of teeth for cracking them," replied
Peter. What silly question:" =
$50, If you had nothing to eat but
nuts you would starve, while Happy
Jack would grow fat, wouldn't you?"
persisted Prickly Porky.
II guess 1 would" replied Peter, look
ing puzzled. But what has that got
to do with Welcome Robin and Drums
mer the Woodpecker?'
"only Drummer has a bill for making
holes in trees and in the bark, where
certain kinds of worms are always to
be found and where bugs hide their.
eggs Welcome Robin hasn't. and
there you are. Drummer can find a
meal any time where Welcome Robin
would starve. It's the same way with
Tommy Tit. He eats millions Of eggs
of insects, so tiny that you wouldn't
be able to see them at all. probably,
and he finds them on the twigs of trees
Robin never could fill up on those, and
even # he could, he couldn't get them.
His feet are not made for clinging up-
side down to little twigs, as Tommy
Tits are. That's all there is to IL
Those who can find enough to eat stay.
and those who can't find enough to eat
go. Simple, isn't it?"