Some Merry Seed-Eaters 



pick up a meal there, for Farmer Brown's boy is a 

 very good friend of mine. I know he won't let 

 me starve, no matter what the weather is. I think 

 it is going to snow some more. I like the snow. 

 You know I am sometimes called the Snowbird." 



Peter nodded. "So I have heard," said he, 

 "though I think that name really belongs to Snow- 

 flake the Snow Bunting." 



"Quite right, Peter, quite right," replied Slaty. 

 "I much prefer my own name of Junco. My, 

 these seeds are good !" All the time he was busily 

 picking up seeds so tiny that Peter didn't even see 

 them. 



"If you like here so much why don't you stay all 

 the year?" inquired Peter. 



"It gets too warm," replied Slaty promptly. 

 "I hate hot weather. _Give me cold weather every 

 time." 



"Do you mean to tell me that it is cold all sum- 

 mer where you nest in the Far North ?" demanded 

 Peter. 



"Not exactly cold," replied Slaty, "but a lot 

 cooler than it is down here. I don't go as far north 

 to nest as Snowflake does, but I go far enough 

 to be fairly comfortable. I don't see how some 

 folks can stand hot weather." 



"It is a good thing they can," interrupted 

 Dotty. "If everybody liked the same things it 

 [ 303 ] 



