says so, it is so. You'd better join our school, Johnny Chuck, and
learn a little about your own relatives."

Johnny Chuck blinked his eyes and for a minute or two couldn't find
a word to say. He knew that if Peter were telling the truth as to
what Old Mother Nature had said, it must be true that he was member
of the Squirrel family. But it was hard to believe. "What is this
school?" he finally asked.

Peter hastened to tell him. He told Johnny all about what he and
Jumper the Hare had learned about their family, and all the
surprising things Old Mother Nature had told them about the
Squirrel family, and he ended by again urging Johnny Chuck to
join the school and promised to call for Johnny the next morning.

But Johnny Chuck is lazy and does not like to go far from his own
doorstep, so when Peter called the next morning Johnny refused to
go, despite all Peter could say. Peter didn't waste much time
arguing for he was afraid he would be late and miss something.
When he reached the Green Forest he found his cousin, Jumper the
Hare, and Chatterer the Red Squirrel, and Happy Jack the Gray
Squirrel, already there. As soon as Peter arrived Old Mother
Nature began the morning lesson.

Happy Jack," said she, "you may tell us all you know about your
cousin, Chatterer."

"To begin with, he is the smallest of the Tree Squirrels," said
Happy Jack. "He isn't so very much bigger than Striped Chipmunk,
and that means that he is less than half as big as myself. His