“Here we have one of the larger birds of the Finch family, who is both nervous and shy, and so quick to slip out of sight that he always surprises one.

“To see the Towhee as he hops away from the briers that hide his nest, you would never dream that he is a cousin to the meek brown Sparrows.  A very smart bird is ‘Jore-e Blur-re,’ as he keeps telling you his name is, trig in his glossy black long-tailed coat, his vest with reddish side facings, white trousers, and light-brown shoes and stockings.  A knowing glance has he in the ruby-red eyes that sparkle in his coal-black head, while inside that little head are very wise thoughts.”

“How are his eyes red, Uncle Roy?” asked Dodo.  “Are they all plain red or only red in a ring around the seeing part where mine are blue?”

“They are ‘red in a ring,’ as you say; we call this ring the iris, and the ‘seeing part’ the pupil.”

“Please, what does iris mean?  Iris is the name of one of the lily flowers that grow in the garden.”

“Iris is a word that means rainbow, which as you know is a belt of beautiful colors, made by the sun shining through rain.  The iris of the eye is a film of color covering the watery inside part of the eyeball, and the pupil is a round hole in the iris that lets the light into the back of the eye.  This opening expands and contracts according to whether the eye needs much or little light.  I tell you this now, but you will need to remember it when we come to the Owls, who have curious ways of keeping too much light from their eyes.

“The iris in birds, as in House People, may be of many different colors—­red, as in the Vireo I told you about, and as you now know it is with the Towhee.  Each has a brother with white eyes.  You remember the White-eyed Vireo, and in Florida there is a Towhee who has white eyes; but this is so unusual that it makes the bird look to you as if it were blind, until you understand that it is the natural color.  Most birds’ eyes are brown of some shade, or perfectly black; a few have blue or green eyes.  But where did I leave Mr. Jore-e Blur-re?” “You were saying that he is wise,” answered Rap.

“Well, he is wise enough never to fly either straight to or from his nest, which is a rather poor affair, down on the ground, within reach of every weasel or snake that cares to rob it.

“He does not sing on the ground, but moves silently among the leaves and litter of old ferns, such as are found near ponds and streams.  A stick will crackle perhaps, and thus draw your attention to him.  When he knows that he is seen, he will flip his wings and flirt his tail, like suddenly opening and shutting a fan, as he flits on before you with his head on one side, giving the pert call ‘Towhee! towhee!’ that is one of his names.  Some people think he says ‘Chewink! chewink!’ and call him by that name; while some who have noticed where he lives, and seen that the color of his sides is like the reddish breast of the Robin, call him the Ground Robin, though he is no relation of the Thrush family.