When Sammy Jay asked Peter Rabbit why he was so anxious to know where Ol’ Mrs. Buzzard had laid her eggs, Peter hesitated. Then he blurted out the whole story. He told Sammy how it had popped into his head that he never had seen the nest of Ol’ Mistah and Mrs. Buzzard; how he had made up his mind that of course they must have a nest; how he had thought that such big people must have a big nest; how he had looked for it until his neck ached; how he had watched Ol’ Mrs. Buzzard, and finally how Ol’ Mistah Buzzard had told him that they hadn’t a nest but that they had two eggs.

“If they have two eggs, where are they? I ask you that, Sammy Jay?” concluded Peter.

Sammy had listened with growing interest. It so happens that he never had given a thought to the affairs of Ol’ Mistah and Mrs. Buzzard, which was rather odd, as Sammy is usually interested in the affairs of everybody in his neighborhood. Again he scratched his topknot thoughtfully.

“I shall have to look into this,” said he at last, winking at Peter. “If Ol’ Mistah Buzzard told you on his word of honor that he hasn’t a nest, why, he hasn’t, and that is all there is to that. If he hasn’t a nest and yet Mrs. Buzzard is sitting on two eggs, why those two eggs must be somewhere.”

Peter nodded. “Of course,” said he.

“And if others who have no nests lay their eggs on the ground, why shouldn’t Mrs. Buzzard?” continued Sammy. “Why shouldn’t she do as Mrs. Boomer the Nighthawk and Mrs. Whip-poor-will do?”

“True enough,” said Peter gravely. “True enough. Why shouldn’t she? I hadn’t thought of that because, you see, I didn’t know about Mrs. Boomer and Mrs. Whip-poor-will until you told me. Of course, those eggs must be on the ground. The question is, where? I haven’t seen Ol’ Mrs. Buzzard anywhere on the ground. I wish I had thought of the ground before. If I had it would have saved my neck. Funny, isn’t it, that any one so fond of the air and flying so high should lay eggs on the ground?”

“We don’t know yet that they are on the ground,” Sammy Jay broke in. “You are jumping at things just as usual, Peter Rabbit. Now I am going to see what I can find out. If my eyes are not sharp enough to find any one as big as Mrs. Buzzard, I shall think there is something the matter with them.” Sammy spread his wings ready to fly.

“If you find out where those eggs are, you’ll come back and tell me, won’t you, Sammy?” Peter asked anxiously.

“Perhaps,” replied Sammy Jay, with a grin.

“Oh, but you must!” cried Peter. “You wouldn’t have known anything about them if I hadn’t told you.”

“I don’t know anything about them now,” retorted Sammy. “That is why I am going to look for them.”

“But please, Sammy, come back and tell me if you find them,” begged Peter. “I’ll wait right here.”

“Perhaps,” replied Sammy provokingly, and flew away.