So Johnny Chuck and Peter Rabbit started out to find the sweet singers . `` I believe they are down in the old bulrushes around the Smiling Pool , '' said Peter Rabbit , as he stood listening with a hand behind one long ear . So over to the Smiling Pool they hurried . The nearer they got , the louder became the voices singing : `` Spring ! Spring ! Spring ! Spring ! Beautiful , beautiful , beautiful Spring ! '' But look as they would , they could n't see a single singer among the brown bulrushes . It was very strange , very strange indeed ! It seemed as if the voices came right out of the Smiling Pool itself ! When Peter Rabbit made a little noise , as he hopped out on the bank where he could look all over the Smiling Pool , the singing stopped . After he had sat perfectly still for a little while , it began again . There was no doubt about it this time ; those voices came right out of the water . Johnny Chuck stared at Peter Rabbit , and Peter stared at Johnny Chuck . Nobody was to be seen in the Smiling Pool , and yet there were those voices -- oh , so many of them -- coming right out of the water . `` How can birds stay under water and still sing ? '' asked Johnny Chuck . `` Ho , ho , ho ! Ha , ha , ha ! ''
Peter Rabbit and Johnny Chuck whirled around , to find Jerry Muskrat peeping up XXXXX them from a hole in the bank almost under their feet .
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