"What's that?" whispered Rap, pointing toward the river, whence a strong, rapid, musical song came, ending before you could catch the syllables, and then being repeated two or three times. "It is the Cardinal," said, the Doctor, in some surprise--for the bird was singing almost at noon. "I can see his red liberty cap near the top of the tallest hemlock!" "Che-o--hoo--hoo," called the Cardinal, and then the ice-cream pail arrived, escorted by Nat. "This is a festival for us as well as for the Cardinal," said Rap. The Indigo Bird Length five and a half inches. Male: bright blue, of a greener tint than the Bluebird; wings and tail dusky. Female: plain brown above and whitey brown below, with a few streaks, including a sharp black one under her beak. A pleasant neighbor and good Citizen, belonging to the southern branch of the Finch family. A Tree Trapper and a Weed Warrior. A Summer Citizen of the eastern United States, west to Kansas and north to Canada. From Kansas to the Pacific Ocean he is replaced by his brother, the Lazuli Bunting. CHAPTER XVII A MIDSUMMER EXCURSION It was that wonderful week after the middle of June. The week that holds the best of everything; the longest days of the whole fly-away year; the biggest strawberries and the sweetest roses. Everything at its height; birds in full song; bees in the flowers; children in hammocks under the trees, and a Wise Man humming happily to himself as he breathed it all in. "I don't think that anything nicer than this can happen," said Nat, swinging so hard in his hammock that he rolled out into the long grass. "It doesn't seem as if it _could_" answered Dodo; "only here at Orchard Farm there is so much niceness you never can tell what is the very nicest." The Wise Man laughed to himself, and then whistled an imitation of the White-throated Sparrow's call--at which sound Dodo promptly rolled out of her hammock and bumped into Nat, who was still lying in the grass; then both the children sat up and listened. "All day--whittling--whittling--whittling," whistled the notes. "You ought to be further north building your nest," said Nat. "Don't you know that, Mr. Peabody?" "It's Uncle Roy!" cried Dodo, spying him back of the apple-tree perch. "How would you like to go down to the seashore to-morrow, little folks?" "There!" exclaimed Dodo; "you see there is more niceness yet!" "I suppose by that you mean 'yes,'" laughed the Doctor. "Olive and I have planned to take the six-seated surrey, with a hamper of good things to eat, and drive down to the sandy shore where the river broadens into salt water. There is a house on the bay where we can have our dinner, and the meadows and marshes are full of birds--don't quite smother me, Dodo! Then in the cool of the afternoon we can return and have a picnic supper at some pretty place on the way, for to-morrow night the moon is full!" "Can Rap go with us--for he hardly ever gets down to the shore?" "Certainly!"