CHAPTER XIII 

 AROUND THE OLD BARN 



This day the bird lovers from Orchard Farm were 

 having a picnic in the hickory and oak woods back of 

 the fields. It was a charming place for such a day's 

 outing, for on the edge of the woods stood an old two- 

 storied hay barn, Avhich was empty in early June and a 

 capital place in which to play ''I spy" and "feet 

 above water." On the other side of the wood was an 

 old swampy meadow full of saplings and tangled bushes, 

 such as birds love for nesting places. 



The Doctor had set Rap, Nat, and Dodo roaming 

 about to look for birds, and promised to tell them some- 

 thing of their habits when each child had written down 

 the description of two birds. 



The children divided their hunting ground, so that 

 they might not interfere wdth each other. Dodo chose 

 the woods, because she wanted to stay near Olive, who 

 was making a sketch of some ferns ; Rap took the old 

 barn and a bit of bushy pasture near it, and Nat went 

 down to the swampy meadow with its border of cedar 

 trees. While they tramped about the Doctor sat with 

 his back against the side of the barn, looking over the 

 beautiful scene and thinking. 



The children did not return until after ^Nlammy Bun 

 had spread out a delicious luncheon in the barn, and 



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