to have anything like those snowshoes of Strutter's.

"Cousin Peter was just saying that he should think I would find it
lonesome over here in the Green Forest. He forgot that you and Mrs.
Grouse stay all winter, and he forgot that while most of the birds who
spent the summer here have left, there are others who come down from the
Far North to take their place."

"Who, for instance?" demanded Peter.

"Snipper the Crossbill," replied Jumper promptly. "I haven't seen him
yet this winter, but I know he is here because only this morning I found
some pine seeds on the snow under a certain tree."

"Huh!" Peter exclaimed. "That doesn't prove anything. Those seeds might
have just fallen, or Chatterer the Red Squirrel might have dropped
them."

"This isn't the season for seeds to just fall, and I know by the signs
that Chatterer hasn't been about," retorted Jumper. "Let's go over there
now and see what we will see."

Once more he led the way and Peter followed. As they drew near that
certain pine-tree, a short whistled note caused them to look up. Busily
at work on a pine cone near the top of a tree was a bird about the size
of Bully the English Sparrow. He was dressed wholly in dull red with
brownish-black wings and tail.

"What did I tell you?" cried Jumper. "There's Snipper this very minute,
and over in that next tree are a lot of his family and relatives. See in
what a funny way they climb about among the branches. They don't flit
or hop, but just climb around. I don't know of any other bird anywhere
around here that does that."

Just then a seed dropped and landed on the snow almost in front of
Peter's nose. Almost at once Snipper himself followed it, picking it up
and eating it with as much unconcern as if Peter and Jumper were a mile
away instead of only a foot or so. The very first thing Peter noticed
was Snipper's bill. The upper and lower halves crossed at the tips.
That bill looked very much as if Snipper had struck something hard and
twisted the tips over.

"Have--have--you met with an accident?" he asked a bit hesitatingly.

Snipper looked surprised. "Are you talking to me?" he asked. "Whatever
put such an idea into your head?"

"Your bill," replied Peter promptly. "How did it get twisted like that?"

Snipper laughed. "It isn't twisted," said he. "It is just the way Old
Mother Nature made it, and I really don't know what I'd do if it were
any different."

Peter scratched one long ear, as is his way