wheels. So they were not true hobby-horses. Something of the kind
occurred with the elder-whistles.'

"'The what?' I asked.

"'Whistles that boys make of elder-sticks with the pith scooped out,'
said the beetle. 'The real instruments would not allow them to play
with them. The elder-whistles said they would not have joined had they
been asked. They were amateurs, and never played with professionals. So
they have private concerts with the combs and curl-papers. But, bless
you, toys of this kind are endless here! Teetotums made of old cotton
reels, tea-sets of acorn cups, dinner-sets of old shells, monkeys made
of bits of sponge, all sorts of things made of breastbones and
merrythoughts, old packs of cards that are always building themselves
into houses and getting knocked down when the band begins to play,
feathers, rabbits' tails--'

"'Ah! I have heard about the rabbits' tails,' I said.

"'There they are,' the beetle continued; 'and when the band plays you
will see how they skip and run. I don't believe you would find out that
they had no bodies, for my experience of a warren is, that when rabbits
skip and run it is the tails chiefly that you do see. But of all the
amateur toys the most successful are the boats. We have a lake for our
craft, you know, and there's quite a fleet of boats made out of old
cork floats in fishing villages. Then, you see, the old bits of cork
have really been to sea, and seen a good deal of service on the
herring-nets, and so they quite take the lead of the smart shop ships,
that have never been beyond a pond or a tub of water. But that's an
exception. Amateur toys are mostly very dowdy. Look at that box.'