The Life Cycle of the Red Footed Sparrow

Tessie's latest drawings have taken on a scientific aspect. Here, she shows the entirely fictional (as far as we know) Red Footed Sparrow.

The largest image shows the adult of the species, and its life cycle proceeds clockwise. Folow the arrows to the four eggs, which then hatch into "baby birdies," who then become "teenagers."

The range map, at lower left, covers "Mexico and a little bit of Alabama." The color-coding refers to population density as follows:

• M: Many
• N: None
• L: Lots
• NSM: Not so much
• S: Some

Lastly, there's a depiction of the birds' dietary staples at top. Grapes for the adults, and because "their beaks are teeny-tiny," breadcrumbs for the young.

Tessie tells us that this species lived concurrently with the dinosaurs, and "just a little longer." Sadly, there are none left in the wild.