BIRD STORIES 



tered the spray all about. Then she quickly poked her 

 head under water, as if looking for fish. Father Loon, 

 who had w^aited a little way off, dived a number of times, 

 as if to see w^hat Gavia had scared in his direction. 



Then they both dove deep, and swam under water 

 until they came near the four Neighbor Loons, who had 

 left their two families of young dozing, and had also 

 come out for a good time. 



When Father Loon caught sight of his four neighbors, 

 he sang the Silly Song, after which the six birds ran 

 races on the water. They all started about the same 

 time and went pell-mell in one direction, their feet and 

 wings going as if they hardly knew whether to swim or 

 fly, and ending by doing both at once. Then they would 

 all stop, as suddenly as if one of them had given a signal, 

 and turning, would dash in the opposite direction, racing 

 to and fro again and again and again. Oh ! it was a grand 

 race, and there is no knowing how long they would have 

 kept it up, had not something startled them so that they 

 all stopped and sang the Tremble Song, which sounds 

 like strange laughter. They opened their mouths quite 

 wide and, wagging the lower jaw up and down with 

 every ''ha," they sang ''O, ha-ha-ha, ho!" so many 

 times that it seemed as if they would never get through. 

 And, indeed, how could they tell when the song was 

 ended, for every verse was like the one before? 



62 



