A Fishing Party 



Grandfather Frog over on his green lily pad. 

 Perhaps he can tell me." 



So Peter hopped along until he was near enough 

 to talk to Grandfather Frog. "What kind of a 

 nest does Rattles the Kingfisher build?" repeated 

 Grandfather Frog. "Chug-arum, Peter Rabbit! 

 I thought everybody knew that Rattles doesn't 

 build a nest. At least I wouldn't call it a nest. 

 He lives in a hole in the ground." 



"What!" cried Peter, and looked as if he 

 couldn't believe his own ears. 



Grandfather Frog grinned and his goggly eyes 

 twinkled. "Yes," said he, "Rattles lives in a 

 hole in the ground." 



"But but but what kind of a hole?" 

 stammered Peter. 



"Just plain hole," retorted Grandfather Frog, 

 grinning more broadly than ever. Then seeing 

 how perplexed and puzzled Peter looked, he went 

 on to explain. "He usually picks out a high 

 gravelly bank close to the water and digs a hole 

 straight in just a little way from the top. He 

 makes it just big enough for himself and Mrs. 

 Rattles to go in and out of comfortably, and 

 he digs it straight in for several feet. I'm 

 told that at the end of it he makes a sort of 

 bedroom, because he usually has a good-sized 

 family." 



[157] 



