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FROM THE WIGWAM OF THE GREAT SPIRIT (page 2) FROM THE WIGWAM OF THE GREAT SPIRIT (page 2)
 THE BOOK OF NATURE MYTHS

 BY FLORENCE HOLBROOK

 PRINCIPAL OF FORESTVILLE SCHOOL, CHICAGO

 
 HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY

 BOSTON · NEW YORK · CHICAGO · DALLAS SAN FRANCISCO

 The Riverside Press Cambridge

 Children's Room

     COPYRIGHT 1902 BY HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO.
 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The Riverside Press
 CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS
 PRINTED IN THE U.S.A

 PREFACE.

     In preparing the Book of Nature Myths the desire has been to make a second reader which would be adapted to the child's interest, ability, and progress.
     The subject-matter is of permanent value, culled from the folk-lore of the primitive races; the vocabulary, based upon that of the Hiawatha Primer, is increased gradually, and the new words and phrases will add to the child's power of expression. The naïve explanations of the phenomena of nature given by the primitive races appeal to the child's wonder about the same phenomena, and he is pleased and interested. These myths will gratify the child's desire for complete stories, and their intrinsic merit makes them valuable for oral reproduction.
     The stories have been adapted to youthful minds from myths contained in the works of many students of folk-lore whose scholarship is undisputed. Special acknowledgment is due Miss Eva March Tappan for her valuable assistance in the final revision of the text.
 CONTENTS.

   PAGE The Story of the First Humming-bird.    Part I. The Great Fire-mountain 1    Part II. The Frolic of the Flames 4    Part III. The Bird of Flame 7 The Story of the First Butterflies 10 The Story of the First Woodpecker 13 Why the Woodpecker's Head is Red 15 Why the Cat always falls upon her Feet 19 Why the Swallow's Tail is Forked 23 Why the White Hares have Black Ears 28 Why the Magpie's Nest is not well built 31 Why the Raven's Feathers are Black 34 How Fire was brought to the Indians.    Part I. Seizing the Firebrand 36    Part II. The Firebrand in the Forest 40    Part III. The Firebrand in the Pond 41 How the Quail became a Snipe 43 Why the Serpent sheds his Skin 47 Why the Dove is Timid 50 Why the Parrot repeats the Words of Men 52 The Story of the First Mocking-bird 56 Why the Tail of the Fox has a White Tip 60 The Story of the First Frogs 64 Why the Rabbit is Timid 68 Why the Peetweet cries for Rain 70 Why the Bear has a Short Tail 72 Why the Wren flies Close to the Earth 76 Why the Hoofs of the Deer are Split 79 The Story of the First Grasshopper 83 The Story of the Oriole 86 Why the Peacock's Tail has a Hundred Eyes 89 The Story of the Bees and the Flies 93 The Story of the First Moles 96 The Story of the First Ants 98 The Face of the Manito 103 The Story of the First Diamonds 107 The Story of the First Pearls 111 The Story of the First Emeralds 114 Why the Evergreen Trees never lose their Leaves 118 Why the Aspen Leaves tremble 122 How the Blossoms came to the Heather 125 How Flax was given to Men 128 Why the Juniper has Berries 133 Why the Sea is Salt 135 The Story of the First Whitefish 138 Was it the First Turtle? 142 Why the Crocodile has a Wide Mouth 145 The Story of the Picture on the Vase 150 Why the Water in Rivers is never Still 155 How the Raven helped Men 160 The Story of the Earth and Sky 165 How Summer came to the Earth.    Part I. 169    Part II. 172 The Story of the First Snowdrops 175 Why the Face of the Moon is White 179 Why all Men love the Moon 184 Why there is a Hare in the Moon 188 The Children in the Moon 193 Why there is a Man in the Moon 197 The Twin Stars 200 The Lantern and the Fan 204 Vocabulary 211 
     
 THE BOOK OF NATURE MYTHS.