forget the funny way in which they waddled. He never had seen anybody
quite so awkward. But when they reached the water he forgot to laugh. He
simply stared open-mouthed in astonishment. You see there they were as
graceful as they had been awkward on land. Afterward, when Peter had
become acquainted with them and they were the best of friends, he
ventured to speak of their queer feet.

"Do you know," said he, "you have the most interesting feet of anybody I
know of. They are so broad that the first time I saw them I couldn't
believe my own eyes. I didn't suppose anybody had such broad feet. I
suppose there is some special reason why they are so broad and why your
legs are so short. Do you know how Mother Nature happened to give you
feet so different from the feet of other birds, Mr. Quack?"

Mr. Quack chuckled. "I tell you what it is, Peter," said he, "if you'll
tell me why it is you have such long hind legs and such a funny short
tail, I'll tell you why it is that Mrs. Quack and I have such broad
feet, though I must confess that I don't see anything odd about them."

Peter agreed at once. He told Mr. and Mrs. Quack all about what happened
to his grandfather a thousand times removed, the very first Rabbit, way
back when the world was young, and how ever since then all Rabbits have
had long hind legs and short tails. When he had finished Mr. Quack
thoughtfully scratched his handsome green head, looked at his reflection
in the Smiling Pool to make sure that he was looking his very best,
looked behind to see that the feathers in the tip of his tail had the
proper curl, and then gazed off over the Green Meadows with a far-away
look in his eyes as if he were looking way back to the time he was to
tell about. At last, just as Peter Rabbit was beginning to lose patience
Mr. Quack began.