Peter Learns Something About Spooky 



anybody. Of course there wasn't a leaf on that 

 tree, and he could see all through it. Peter blinked 

 and felt foolish. He knew that had there been 

 any one sitting on any one of those branches he 

 couldn't have helped seeing him. 



"Don't look so high, Peter; don't look so high," 

 said the voice with a chuckle. This time it sounded 

 as if it came right out of the trunk of the tree. 

 Peter stared at the trunk and then suddenly 

 laughed right out. Just a few feet above the 

 ground was a good sized hole in the tree, and poking 

 his head out of it was a funny little fellow with big 

 eyes and a hooked beak. 



"You certainly did fool me that time, Spooky," 

 cried Peter. "I ought to have recognized your 

 voice, but I didn't. " 



Spooky the Screech Owl, for that is who it was, 

 came out of the hole in the tree and without a 

 sound from his wings flew over and perched just 

 above Peter's head. He was a little fellow, not over 

 eight inches high, but there was no mistaking the 

 family to which he belonged. In fact he looked 

 very much like a small copy of Hooty the Great 

 Horned Owl, so much so that Peter felt a little cold 

 shiver run over him, although he had nothing in 

 the world to fear from Spooky. 



His head seemed to be almost as big around as 

 his body, and he seemed to have no neck at all. He 

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