Other birds bring only one mouthful at a time, and when there are five or six in the nest, they have to make as many journeys before all are fed.
Some persons who have studied birds think that each nestling is fed in its turn; but they look so much alike, and are so close together, that it is hard to tell, and I am not sure that it is so.
I will tell you a story I have heard about feeding little birds. A child picked up a young goldfinch who had fallen out of the nest. He took him home and put him into the canary's cage, which was hanging on the front porch.
Soon the family heard a great noise among the birds, and went out to see what was the matter. The baby goldfinch had hopped on to a perch in the cage, and seemed to be afraid to come down, though the old birds had brought food for him, and were calling him to take it.
The canary looked on a while, and then all at once he flew to the wires and took the food from the birds outside; then he went back to the perch beside the little one and gave it to him. This he did many times.
The next day another young goldfinch was picked up and put in the cage, and the canary took food from the parents and fed both.
After a few days the old birds came with a third little one, and as all were now old enough to fly, the cage door was opened, and they all flew away.