A boy and a girl once found a shell.
As they put it close to the ear,
It seemed to be calling from Seaside Land, "Come hither, my dears, come here.
It"s calm and cool, it"s better than school, Where the green waves meet the shore;And you shall say such picnic play Has never been yours before.
"So I"m fetching a wish from the birds and fish That live in Ozone Bay.
I must tell you all to come and call, For they"re wishing you here to-day;And, if you but learn to wish in turn, It"s very clear to meThat nothing on land will be half so grand As a picnic down to the sea.
"They"ve swept the sea with a blue-gum tree, So the tide won"t rise too high;They"ve washed the shore as never before,
And they"re hanging it out to dry; The fish will talk, the mollyhawks hawk,And maybe the whale appear To spout the sea as high as can be,If you"ll come and see and hear. "
- Donald Macdonald
About the Author.-Donald Macdonald (1857-1932) was born in Fitzroy, Victoria, of Highland ancestry and was one of Australia"s best- known newspaper writers. For many years he was on the staff of The Argus, Melbourne. He wrote articles on all subjects, but in later years specialized in nature-study. Mr. Macdonald was a war correspondent at the time of the Boer War.
General Notes.-Is Seaside Land better than school? What makesyou think so? Who swept the sea? Who washed the shore? Tell of all the things we see and hear at the shore.