John Ledbetter, age 10, Of Asheville, NC, for his question:

How does a mother dove feed her young?

Only the furry mammals feed their infants on mother's milk. The feathery doves and pigeons, as everyone knows, are birds and not mammals. Yet, these birds feed their young on what we call pigeon's milk. If you watch their nests, you will see the youngsters poke their bills fax down the throats of either the mother or the father birds.

The baby birds are dipping down for their meal of pigeon's milk. The parents fill their crops and partly digest the food. Then they fly back to the hungry youngsters in the nest. Doves and pigeons are always devoted parents and the mother and father birds take turns at letting the children dip for the pigeon's milk in their crops.