what is it
you've got on your mind?" he demanded.

At once Jimmy told him the queer story Peter Rabbit had told. "I've
been sent up here to find out if you have seen this legless,
headless, tailess creature. Have you?" he concluded.

Prickly Porky slowly shook his head. "No," said he. "I've been right
here all the time, and I haven't seen any such creature."

"That's all I want to know," replied Jimmy. "Peter Rabbit's got
something the matter with his eyes, and I'm going straight back to the
Old Briar-patch to tell him so. Much obliged." With that Jimmy started
back the way he had come, grumbling to himself.

VIII

PRICKLY PORKY NEARLY CHOKES

Hardly was Jimmy Skunk beyond sight and hearing after having made his
call than Redeye the Vireo, whose home is in a tree just at the foot
of the hill where Prickly Porky lives, heard a very strange noise. He
was very busy, was Redeye, telling all who would listen how happy he
was and what a beautiful world this is. Redeye seems to think that
this is his special mission in life, that he was put in the Green
Forest for this one special purpose,--to sing all day long, even in
the hottest weather when other birds forget to sing, his little song
of gladness and happiness. It never seems to enter his head that he
is making other people happy just by being happy himself and saying
so.

At first he hardly noticed the strange noise, but when he stopped
singing for a bit of a rest, he heard it very plainly, and it sounded
so very queer that he flew up the hill towards the place from which it
seemed to come, and there his bright eyes soon discovered Prickly
Porky. Right away he saw that Prickly Porky was in some kind of
trouble, and that it was he who was making the queer noise. Prickly
Porky was on the ground at the foot of a tree, and he was rolling over
and kicking and clawing at his mouth, from which a little piece of
bark was hanging. It was such a strange performance that Redeye simply
stared for a minute. Then in a flash it came to him what it meant.
Prickly Porky was choking, and if something wasn't done to help him,
he might choke to death!

Now there was nothing that Redeye himself could do to help, for he was
too small. He must get help somewhere else, and he must do it quickly.
Anxiously he looked this way and that way, but there was no one in
sight. Then he remembered that Unc' Billy Possum's hollow tree was not
far away. Perhaps Unc' Billy could help. He hop