234 



Charley s Wo7iderful Journeys. 



ornis, " and have you warm blood like the 

 birds ? " 



"Yes," said Charley. 



" Well, that is lucky," said the Hesper- 

 ornis; "I am sure you must be tired of 

 standing, and you can sit on my eggs while 

 I go fishing." 



Charley thought it was a very strange 

 thing to ask him to do, but he was always 



dropped the fish and stood still with open 

 jaws as if turned to a fossil. 



Charley sat very still, waiting for the 

 Hesperornis to speak first, and at length 

 the astonished bird recovered himself suf- 

 ficiently to say " Hallo." 



" Hallo," said Charley, quietly. 



" What are you doing sitting on our 

 eggs?" asked the Hesperornis. 



r-^;^^?/' • 



THE HESPERORNIS STOOD STILL WITH OPEN JAWS. 



willing to oblige, so he said he wouk! keep 

 the eggs warm with pleasure until she came 

 back. So he sat down very softly on the 

 eggs, and she straddled off to the sea to go 

 fishing. 



She hadn't been gone very long before 

 her husband came back with a big fish in 

 his jaws, and as the island was all covered 

 with mounds of guano, he never saw 

 Charley until he was close to the nest, when 

 he suddenly caught sight of him, and was 

 so startled at the strange sight that he 



" Mrs. Hesperornis, that is your wife, 

 asked me to sit on them and keep them 

 warm while she went fishing." 



" How dare you call my wife such bad 

 names, I won't stand it," said the Hesper- 

 ornis, gnashing his teeth with rage. 



" If you please, sir," I didn't mean any 

 harm, and it isn't a bad name." 



" Isn't a bad name ! " screeched the 

 Hesperornis; "what does it mean then?" 



"If you please," said Charley, "it only 

 means that you live out west." 



