to follow too long, particularly with
boys, whose interest will be greater when they know that the father too
has a vital interest in the life of his offspring. Moreover, there is a
certain spiritual value in connecting the equal need and responsibility
of both parents in the creation of their offspring. The child then
knows that he has the whole truth, and half truths are never quite
safe.

If the child knows the story of flower, fish, and frog life, he will
draw his own conclusions about the birds, and it will be wiser frankly
to tell him this part of the story. If he knows nothing of the earlier
work, and the mother begins with the young birds in the nest, according
to his age and surroundings he should be told more or less, the mother
always remembering that if she defers too long somebody may anticipate
her with the kind of information she particularly desires to avoid.

Another question often asked concerning the bird is, "Would the egg be
laid if it were not fertilized?" It might be or it might not. In all
forms of life the sensitive reproductive system responds with peculiar
readiness to its environment. In birds if it does not receive the
stimulus that comes from mating, the ova may not develop at all, but
remain small and attached to the ovary. Or, a few may be completed and
laid, as is often seen in the case of caged female canaries. But these
eggs of course could never hatch. They are perfect so far as the ovum
is concerned, but lacking fertilization they cannot continue their
development.

Another question often asked, and of peculiar meaning, is, "If the
reproductive system be not exercised, will it not perish for lack of
exercise?" The latest word of science on this subject is that it will
not, either in the bird or elsewhere. In a healthy organism it can
safely remain inoperative with the certainty of becoming active at a
later period if then it receive the normal stimulus.

The lessons to be learned from the birds are many. From them can be
answered all questions, for now we have passed that most difficult of
all points, the relation of father to child in the animal world, and
everything else can be explained through the knowledge already gained.
The well-taught child will recognize the justice and necessity for the
existing processes of life. He will realize their deep meaning, their
far-reaching influence, and their tremendous importance in preserving
upon the earth the multitudes of living forms