hird one she came to, and the others had floundered around and told
about birds I'd never heard of. I didn't really know which of mine were
rare, because I'd never seen any of them but once, you know, and I was
afraid I should strike something that was a good deal commoner than a
robin, and then it would be all up with me. So I boldly read off these
three, because I was sure they were rare. You should have seen her face
when I got to the pink-headed one," said Mary, beginning suddenly to
appreciate the humor of the situation. "Did you invent them?"

"Only the names," said Betty, "and the stories about finding them. I
thought of nestle, and Katherine made up the others. Aren't they lovely
names, Roberta?"

"Yes," said Roberta, "but think of the fix Mary is in."

Mary smiled serenely. "Don't worry, Roberta," she said. "The names were
so lovely and the shelcuff's neck and the note of the nestle and all,
and I am honestly so near-sighted, that I don't think Miss Carter will
have the heart to condition me. But girls, where did you get the
descriptions? Professor Lawrence particularly wanted to know."

Betty looked at Katherine and the two burst into peals of laughter.
"Mary Brooks, you invented most of those yourself," explained Katherine,
when she could speak. "We just showed you the first bird we happened to
see and told you its new name and you'd say, 'Why it has a green crest
and yellow wings!' or 'How funny its neck is! It must have a pouch.' All
we had to do was to encourage you a little."

"And suppress you a little when you put colors like pink and blue into
the same bird," continued Betty, "so Roberta wouldn't get too
suspicious."

"Then those birds were just common, ordinary ones that I'd seen before?"

"Exactly. The nestle was a blue jay, and the euthuma was a sparrow. We
couldn't see what the shelcuff was ourselves, the tree was so tall.

"'The primrose by a river's brim,
A yellow primrose was to him,
And it was nothing more.'"

quoted Mary blithely. "You can never put that on my tombstone."

"Better tell your friend Dr. Hinsdale about your vivid ornithological
imagination," suggested Katherine. "It might interest him."

"Oh, I shall," said Mary easily. "But to-night, young ladies, you will
be pleased to learn that I am invited up to Professor Lawrence's to
dinner, so that I can see his bird skins. Incidentally I shall meet his
fascinating brother. In about ten minutes I shall want to be h