Next came the hen bird with something in her bill. She fed another of the hungry little birds, and flew away also.
The boys were greatly interested. They wanted to stay the whole afternoon and watch the chaffinches feeding their young, but their uncle would not allow this.
“No, no, my dear boys,” he said, “we must not annoy our little feathered friends too much, or they may forsake their beautiful nest and their helpless young ones.
“We will come back in a fortnight and see the young birds. You will not know them then, for they will be fully fledged.”
“What do you mean by ‘fully fledged,’ Uncle George?” Tom asked.
“It means covered all over with feathers, does it not?” said Frank.
Their uncle nodded.
“Are these little birds not cold without feathers?” asked Tom.
“Oh, dear, no,” his uncle answered. “During the day they cuddle up together in their cosy nest. At night the mother bird folds her wings over the nest.”
“Where does the cock bird go at night?” asked Tom.