CHAPTER XV 



SOME BIRD NOTABILITIES 



SOME of the nobility of the bird world are well- 

 known to every one ; the eagle has for ages 

 been considered the king of birds, and he 

 deserves the title for his strength and majesty ; 

 the peacock and the swan can claim the rank 

 of princes for their beauty ; the nightingale 

 is the prince of singers, and the parrot tribe 

 are the jesters. The raven also has always 

 claimed a high rank for his wisdom. Our 

 Saxon ancestors believed that Odin, their 

 chief god, had two ravens, Thought and 

 Memory, who flew about the world all day 

 and came back at evening, to sit one on each 

 of his shoulders, and tell him all that they 

 had seen going on. 



But there are other notable birds which are 

 not so well known to most people as these, 

 but have nevertheless got such reputations 



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