"Oh, it's simple enough--only you have to balance a plane, as well as drive it."
"Do you think I'll ever learn?"
"Of course you will. It takes time and practice--that's all."
"I wonder how birds learn to fly?" Dorothy glanced down at the wide vista of rolling country over which they were traveling. The dark green of the wooded hills, the lighter green of fields, criss-crossed by winding roads and dotted with houses, all in miniature, seemed like viewing a toy world. And here and there, just below them, there was the occasional flash of feathered wings, as the birds darted in and out among the treetops.
"Birds have to learn to fly, too. They get into trouble sometimes."
"They do?"
"Certainly--watch gulls on a windy day--you'll see them sideslip--go into spins--and have a generally hard time of it!"
"Oh, really? I'd never thought of that. But of course they can fly much better than a plane."
Bill shook his head. "That's where you are wrong. No bird can loop, or fly upside down. Reverse control flying and acrobatics--stunting generally is impossible for them.--But look below! Recognize the scenery?"
"Why, we're almost over New Canaan. There are the white spires of the Episcopal and Congregational churches--and there's Main Street--and the railroad station!"