re, quite as if
nothing had interrupted his song.

Somehow Peter never before had realized how handsome Carol the Meadow
Lark was. As he faced Peter, the latter saw a beautiful yellow throat
and waistcoat, with a broad black crescent on his breast. There was a
yellow line above each eye. His back was of brown with black markings.
His sides were whitish, with spats and streaks of black. The outer edges
of his tail were white. Altogether he was really handsome, far handsomer
than one would suspect, seeing him at a distance.

Having found out Carol's secret, Peter was doubly anxious to find Bob
White's home, so he hurried over to the post where Bob was whistling
with all his might. "Bob!" cried Peter. "I've just found Carol's nest
and I've promised to keep it a secret. Won't you show me your nest, too,
if I'll promise to keep THAT a secret?"

Rob threw back his head and laughed joyously. "You ought to know, Peter,
by this time," said he, "that there are secrets never to be told to
anybody. My nest is one of these. If you find it, all right; but I
wouldn't show it to my very best friend, and I guess I haven't any
better friend than you, Peter." Then from sheer happiness he whistled,
"--Bob White! Bob--Bob White!" with all his might.

Peter was disappointed and a little put out. "I guess," said he, "I
could find it if I wanted to. I guess it isn't any better hidden than
Mrs. Meadow Lark's, and I found that. Some folks aren't as smart as they
think they are."

Bob White, who is sometimes called Quail and sometimes called Partridge,
and who is neither, chuckled heartily. "Go ahead, old Mr. Curiosity,
go ahead and hunt all you please," said he. "It's funny to me how some
folks think themselves smart when the truth is they simply have been
lucky. You know well enough that you just happened to find Carol's nest.
If you happen to find mine, I won't have a word to say."

Bob White took a long breath, tipped his head back until his bill was
pointing right up in the blue, blue sky, and with all his might whistled
his name, "Bob--Bob White! Bob--Bob White!"

As Peter looked at him it came over him that Bob White was the plumpest
bird of his acquaintance. He was so plump that his body seemed almost
round. The shortness of his tail added to this effect, for Bob has a
very short tail. The upper part of his coat was a handsome reddish-brown
with dark streaks and light edgings. His sides and the upper part of his
breast were of the