Project Gutenberg's The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies, by Beatrix Potter

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Title: The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies

Author: Beatrix Potter

Release Date: November 30, 2004 [EBook #14220]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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[Illustration]

[Illustration]

THE TALE OF

THE FLOPSY BUNNIES

BY

BEATRIX POTTER

_Author of
"The Tale of Peter Rabbit," &c._

[Illustration]

FREDERICK WARNE & CO., INC.
NEW YORK

1909

FOR ALL LITTLE FRIENDS

OF

MR. MCGREGOR & PETER & BENJAMIN

[Illustration]

It is said that the effect of eating too much lettuce is "soporific."

_I_ have never felt sleepy after eating lettuces; but then _I_ am not a
rabbit.

They certainly had a very soporific effect upon the Flopsy Bunnies!

When Benjamin Bunny grew up, he married his Cousin Flopsy. They had a
large family, and they were very improvident and cheerful.

I do not remember the separate names of their children; they were
generally called the "Flopsy Bunnies."

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

As there was not always quite enough to eat,--Benjamin used to borrow
cabbages from Flopsy's brother, Peter Rabbit, who kept a nursery garden.

Sometimes Peter Rabbit had no cabbages to spare.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

When this happened, the Flopsy Bunnies went across the field to a rubbish
heap, in the ditch outside Mr. McGregor's garden.

Mr. McGregor's rubbish heap was a mixture. There were jam pots and paper
bags, and mountains of chopped grass from the mowing machine (which always
tasted oily), and some rotten vegetable marrows and an old boot or two.
One day--oh joy!--there were a quantity of overgrown lettuces, which had
"shot" into flower.

[Illustration]

The Flopsy Bunnies simply stuffed lettuces. By degrees, one after another,
they were overcome with slumber, and lay down in the mown grass.

Benjamin was not so much overcome as his children. Before going to sleep
he was sufficiently wide awake to put a paper bag ov