S22 CITIZEN BIRD 



" Are there any Owls in these woods, Uncle Roy ? " 

 asked Nat. " Yon know we haven't seen an Owl yet, 

 thongh we hear one almost every night." 



" Doubtless there are ; but the best place to find 

 Owls is in the old w^ood, far up by the lake, wdiere 

 the lumbermen have their camp. The Great Horned 

 Owl nests there, and many Hawks besides. I will 

 take you all there some day, and, if you do not find 

 the birds themselves, you can see the w41d places 

 where they like to nest." 



" Couldn't we go very soon, uncle ? Next week, 

 perhaps?" urged Dodo. 



" Fourth of July comes next week," said Nat, " and 

 uncle said we could go down to the shore again, and 

 take our fire-crackers I It will be such fun to stick 

 them in rows in the sand and make them sizzle — 

 more fun even than OavIs ! Don't you think so. 

 Dodo?" he asked anxiously. 



" Oh, yes ; and then it wouldn't be polite either 

 not to have fire-crackers on the Fourth of July. I 

 think the American Easfle or the President or some- 

 body expects children to have fire-crackers. Mammy 

 Bun says the first American Eagle was hatched on 

 the Fourth of July, you know," said Dodo earnestly. 

 *' Do you think he was, uncle ? " 



" No ; it was the United States that were hatched 

 on the Fourth of July, seventeen — seventy — six," 

 said Nat, hesitating a little over the date. 



" You are both right in a way," laughed the Doctor ; 

 *' but you need not give up the Owls in order to cele- 

 brate the Eagle's birthday. We will have an Eagle's 

 birthday party at the beach on the Fourth ; and on 



