l me about it, Grandfather Frog," begged
Peter. "Please, please, please."

Now how could Grandfather Frog resist that? He couldn't. He didn't even
try to. He just cleared his throat once or twice and began.

"Once on a time, long, long ago, lived the very first of all the Loons,
the ever-and-ever-and-ever-so-great-grandfather of Dippy, whose voice
frightened you so last night."

"How did you know it frightened me?" exclaimed Peter, for he had taken
care not to tell Grandfather Frog anything about that.

Grandfather Frog chuckled and went right on with his story. "Right from
the beginning Mr. Loon was a mighty independent fellow. It didn't take
him long to find out that Old Mother Nature had too much to do to waste
any time on those who didn't try to take care of themselves, and that
those would live longest who were smartest and most independent. He had
sharp eyes, had old Mr. Loon, just as Dippy has today, and he used them
to good account. He saw at once that with so many birds and animals
living on the land it was likely to get crowded after a while, and that
when such became the case, it was going to be mighty hard work for some
to get a living. So Mr. Loon went to Mother Nature and told her that if
she had no objections he would like a pair of swimming feet and would
live on the water.

"Now Old Mother Nature had just fitted out Mr. Duck with a pair of
webbed feet that he might swim, so she was quite prepared to fit Mr.
Loon out in like manner.

"'I suppose,' said she, 'that you want a bill like Mr. Duck's.'

"Mr. Loon shook his head. 'Thank you,' said he, 'but I would prefer a
sharp bill to a broad one.'

"'How is that?' exclaimed Mother Nature. 'Mr. Duck has been delighted
with his bill ever since I gave it to him.'

"'And with good reason,' replied Mr. Loon. 'Did I propose to live as Mr.
Duck lives, I should want a bill just like his, but I find that fish are
more to my liking. Also I have noticed that there are fewer who eat
fish.'

"So Mother Nature gave him the kind of bill he wanted, and Mr. Loon
went about his business. He managed to get fish enough to keep from
going hungry, but he found that the only way he could do it was to sit
perfectly still until a fish swam within reach and then strike swiftly.
In fact, his fishing was much like that of Mr. Heron, save that the
latter stood instead of sitting. Success was chiefly the result of luck
and patience.

"Now this sort of thing was not at all t