It does make sense that birds are different, especially having witnessed Sweetie's very pronounced personality! I'm sorry I won't have the chance to experiment more with the water, among other sorrinesses.

The Black-Eyed Pea story isn't anything new; it's the brothers Grimm's "Straw, Coal, and Bean (http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm018.html)" adapted for specific use! A story told only at certain times builds up a mystique that's impossible to resist or forget. My brother and I both owe our fondness for black-eyed peas to this story and my grandmothers retellings.