CHAPTER II 

 THE DOCTOR'S WONDER ROOM 



Nathaniel and Theodora, who were called Nat and 

 Dodo for short, were standing in the hallway outside 

 Dr. Hunter's door, engaged in a very lively argument. 



" I say birds are animals," blustered Nat, pounding 

 his fists together after a fashion of his own. 



"And I'm as sure as anj^thing that they canthe^''' 

 persisted Dodo, " because they have feathers, and noth- 

 ing else has." 



"That doesn't prove anything. Everything that 

 lives and grows is either an animal or a vegetable. 

 Do you think that birds grow like potatoes and are 

 dug out of the ground, or come off trees like apples?" 

 And Nat gave himself an air of great wisdom, such as 

 brothers are apt to wear when the}^ are in the fifth 

 reader, and their sisters are only in the third. 



" But isn't there anything besides animals and vege- 

 tables that they might be ? Perhaps they are miner- 

 als," said Dodo, brightening up as she thought of the 

 word. 



"Oh! oh I what a stupid you are, Dodo I Minerals! 

 Why those are rocks and such things, that can't move 

 and don't live." Nat laughed rather rudely, and, put- 

 ting his hands in his pockets, began to whistle. 



" I think you might tell me ivhat kind of an animal a 



9 



