“No one can make such buns as mammy,” said Olive, old as she was breaking hers in half, to find the lump of sugar soaked with lemon juice that she knew was inside.  “She used to make them for me when I was a little girl; that is why I named her Mammy Bun, and we’ve called her that ever since.”

“I thought it was a funny name,” said Rap.

“One for each of us, and one for the dish,” said Olive, passing the plate around.  “One for the dish?  What do you mean?” said Dodo.

“Mammy says it is always nice to have more food on a dish, than people are likely to eat, so that they shall see there is enough and the dish shan’t feel lonely.  You see, that last bun belongs to the dish.”

“This time the dish will have to feel lonely,” said the Doctor, who had noticed that Rap was looking at his bun, and not eating it; “for I think that Rap would like to take that one home to his mother by and by.”

From that day Rap always believed that the Doctor could look into his head and see what he was thinking of.

“As we have been talking about the insect-killing that Citizen Bird does in order to pay his rent and taxes, as a good citizen should, I will tell you of the six guilds in Birdland, into which these citizens are divided in order to do their work thoroughly.”

“What is a guild?” asked Rap.

“A guild is a band of people who follow the same trade or occupation, and birds are banded together according to the ways in which they work, though some may belong to several guilds.  We will name each of the six guilds: 

“1.  Ground Gleaners.

“The birds who feed largely upon the insects which live in, on, or near the ground.

“2.  Tree Trappers.

“The birds who feed on insects which lurk about the trunks and branches of trees and shrubs.

“3.  Sky Sweepers.

“The birds who, while on the wing, catch flying insects.

“4.  Wise Watchers.

“The large, silent birds, who sit in wait for their prey of field-mice and other little gnawing mammals, as well as insects.

“5.  Seed Sowers.

“The birds who eat wild fruits and berries, and after digesting the pulp and juice, sow the seeds with their bodily wastage.

“6.  Weed Warriors.

“The birds who crack seeds in their stout beaks, eat the kernels, and so destroy millions of harmful weed-seeds.

“You must write the names and definitions of these six guilds down in your books, because when you hear about each bird I will tell you to which guild he belongs, and if you know where and upon what a bird feeds it will be easier for you to find him.  All the Land Birds belong to one or more of these guilds; but perhaps we shall find before we are through that some of the Water Birds have a guild of Sea Sweepers.”

For a few minutes the children scribbled away in silence.

“My book will be very mussy,” said Dodo, “for I can’t write well when I sit all humped up on a branch.”