BIRD STORIES 



would belong to you ; for ospreys hunted food for them- 

 selves and for their young in that lake centuries and cen- 

 turies before a white man even saw it, and before nets 

 and hooks were invented; and besides, in most places, 

 the children of men can live and grow if they never eat a 

 fish, while the children of the osprey would die without 

 such food. So we admire Fisherman Osprey for his 

 strength and swiftness and skill, and are glad for him 

 when he flies off with the prize, which is his very own as 

 long as he can keep it. 



But when he drops it, it is his no longer, but the 

 eagle's, who fishes wonderfully in the air — a game de- 

 pending on the keenness of his sight, his strength, his 

 quickness, and his skill; and the fish that belonged first 

 to itself, and then to the osprey, belonged in the end to 

 the eagle; and all this is according to the Law of Nature. 



Uncle Sam was not selfish about that fish. He gave it 

 to his twins, and they did enjoy their dinner very, very 

 much, indeed. A fresh brook trout, browned just right, 

 never tasted better to you. For they had been hungry, 

 and the food was good for them. 



Uncle Sam and his mate, whom the children who lived 

 within sight of their nest named Aunt Samantha, had 

 many a hunting and fishing trip to take while the twins 

 were growing; for the bigger the 3"oung eagles became, 

 the bigger their appetites were, too. But at last the 



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