GULLS AND TERNS AT HOME 413 



" Why, there is one of the men from the Farm with a 

 team," said Rap, as they tacked close to the beach half 

 an hour later. " He is waving a letter or something, 

 I think." 



It did not take the party long to land, or the 

 Doctor to read his letter, which said that Nat's and 

 Dodo's parents were coming to the Farm in a couple of 

 days. . 



^' So we must go home to-morroAv," said the Doctor. 



" I want to see mother awfully much," said Dodo, 

 " and father too ; but don't you think if you told them 

 bird stories. Uncle Roy, j^ou might be able to coax 

 them to make you a long visit before they take us 

 home? " 



''I think father would rather go up to the logging 

 camp, and see the coons that Rap says they catch there 

 in the fall ; there are red foxes, too, he says, and little 

 fur beasts." 



The Doctor did not give them a very satisfactory 

 answer ; but if they had looked they would have seen 

 a merry twinkle in his eye. And Dodo, who had 

 learned not to tease during her happy summer, nestled 

 up to Olive and said, " I smell a secret somewhere, but 

 I can wait ; for I know that hereabouts secrets are al- 

 ways nice surprises." 



When five more tables had been written — the last 

 ones Uncle Roy gave the children this summer — they 

 were like this : 



The Canada Goose 



Length three feet or more. 



Body brown above, gray below, with black head, neck, tail, and 

 long feathers of the wings, the tail white at the roots above and 



