Mrs. Duck and the little ducks went to the brook to have a swim in the fresh water.
And Robin Redbreast took a bath in the puddle under the oak tree.
SAMMY"S FLYING MACHINE
I
Sammy Red Squirrel was sitting on the stone wall eating a nut.
"Caw, caw!" called Blacky Crow, as he flew over the field.
"Caw, caw, caw!" he called. "What are you doing, Sammy?"
Sammy stopped eating the nut, and looked up to see who was talking to him.
He saw Blacky Crow sailing round and round over his head.
"I am eating my breakfast," he answered. "Would you like to have a nut to eat, too?"
"Oh, no," answered Blacky Crow. "I can find something better than that.
"I am going to the pasture now to get my breakfast."
Then Blacky Crow flapped his big wings and flew far, far away.
Sammy watched the crow fly over the tallest tree and out of sight.
"I wish I could fly," he said to himself. "I know I could if I had some wings."
Just then a flock of sparrows flew over head.
"Twitter, twitter!" they said.
"Twitter, twitter, twitter!"
Sammy watched the sparrows flying until they were out of sight.
"I know I could fly," he said to himself again, "if I had some wings.
"Perhaps I could make some wings," he thought.
Just then something hit Sammy on the head.
He looked up to see what it was, and there at his feet lay an oak leaf.
He looked up in the top of the tree.
West Wind flew by and shook the branches of the tree very gently.
And another leaf floated softly down to the ground beside its brother.
Sammy sat there watching the leaves for a few minutes.
Then he jumped up and clapped his hands.
"I know what I can do," he said. "I can make some wings for myself out of those oak leaves.
"I will ask all the other squirrels to come and watch me fly."
Sammy hunted on the ground until he found two very large oak leaves.
"I can hold them out with my front paws," he said. "I think they will look just like wings."
Sammy put the two leaves on the ground and covered them with a stone.
He was not going to let West Wind carry them away.
Then he scampered off to tell all the other squirrels what he was going to do.
He told all the red squirrels first.
He told them he was going to fly from the big oak tree.
"If you wish to see me fly," he said, "you must be at the tree in a few minutes."
All the red squirrels scampered off to get the best seats among the branches of the oak tree.
Sammy saw Bobby Gray Squirrel and told him to ask all the gray squirrels to come and see him fly.
Then Sammy found Bunny Rabbit.
When Bunny heard what Sammy was going to do, he wanted to try to fly, too.
"You are much too large for my wings," said Sammy.
"You would have to go to Mr. Man"s garden and ask him for some of the leaves from the rhubarb plants."
Blacky Crow was flying over the field. He heard Sammy tell Bunny that he was going to fly.
"Ho, ho!" he laughed, "I should like to see Sammy fly with those oak-leaf wings.
"I will fly to the oak tree this very minute."
As he flew over the meadow he saw the sparrows and told them where he was going.