462 DAN BEARD'S ANIMAL BOOK 



he was having fun with the eagle and teaching 

 him how it feels to be the under one. Soon the 

 eagle was glad to leave the osprey and seek the 

 shelter of the dense wood on the other side of the 

 lake from the abandoned quarry. Perched upon 

 the boy's shoulder, Jim then told all about the 

 affair. . 



"Caw," says Jim, "caw. Sam is nothing much. 

 I saw Long Legs, the blue heron, at the leaning 

 maple, whip him Sam can't fight a little bit 'nless 

 he has everything his way caw, caw!" 



Nobody but crows and Dick understand crow 

 talk, but Dick understands all the woodfolks' lan- 

 guages. 



All unknown to her parents and Dick, little 

 Debby had toddled after her brother to Birdville. 

 Wearied with the long walk, the baby girl now 

 slept peacefully among the blue flowers of the 

 lupine, near the sparrows' nest. The impertinent 

 and noisy bluejay came chattering over to see why 

 Debby was there, and incidentally to rob a nest 

 or two by the way, but the king-bird raised the hue 

 and cry and drove the gaudy bandit away, and as 

 the jay disappeared down the tote road his mock- 

 ing, high-keyed voice was heard to cry, "Got Mm, 

 got 'im, I've got him!" 



"Who? Who?" asked the barred owl, aroused 

 from his day nap by the tumult. 



"Phebe," mournfully replied a faint voice; and 

 Dick s'aid to Jim, "I hope not." 



But the crow was not there to hear him. Just 



