coast, spoke first.

"'The North is a fine country,' he said. 'The sounds are full of fish,
and there are points and islands without number. Most of these are
uninhabited, and the birds will find plenty of room there. The humans
do a little fishing and sailing in the sounds, but not enough to disturb
the birds. If the sea birds follow my advice, they will move north
immediately.'

"When the gull had finished, the lark, who had explored the land back
from the coast, spoke:

"'I don't know what the gull means by his islands and points,' said the
lark. I have travelled only over great fields and flowery meadows. I
have never before seen a country crossed by some large streams. Their
shores are dotted with homesteads, and at the mouth of the rivers are
cities; but for the most part the country is very desolate. If the field
birds follow my advice, they will move north immediately.'

"After the lark came the grouse, who had flown over the midlands.

"'I know neither what the lark means with his meadows nor the gull with
his islands and points,' said he. 'I have seen only pine forests on this
whole trip. There are also many rushing streams and great stretches of
moss-grown swamp land; but all that is not river or swamp is forest. If
the forest birds follow my advice, they will move north immediately.'

"After the grouse came the loon, who had explored the borderland to the
west.

"I don't know what the grouse means by his forests, nor do I know where
the eyes of the lark and the gull could have been,' remarked the loon.
There's hardly any land up there--only big lakes. Between beautiful
shores glisten clear, blue mountain lakes, which pour into roaring
water-falls. If the fresh-water birds follow my advice, they will move
north immediately.'

"The last speaker was the snow sparrow, who had flown along the western
boundary.

"'I don't know what the loon means by his lakes, nor do I know what
countries the grouse, the lark, and the gull can have seen,' he said. 'I
found one vast mountainous region up north. I didn't run across any
fields or any pine forests, but peak after peak and highlands. I have
seen ice fields and snow and mountain brooks, with water as white as
milk. No farmers nor cattle nor homesteads have I seen, but only Lapps
and reindeer and huts met my eyes. If the cliff birds follow my advice,
they will move north immediately.'

"When the five scouts had presented their reports to the assembly, they
b