476 DAN BEARD'S ANIMAL BOOK 



cured; but it was not the hold-up which bothered 

 us, we Americans have grown accustomed to hold- 

 ups. 



THE HAWK PURSUED BY THE EAGLE 



flew directly over our heads and not far 

 above the roof of the log house; the hawk 

 was piping loudly for help and apparently 

 hoped for assistance from us, but we were 

 all so anxious to see the eagle swoop down 

 and catch the falling fish when the hawk in ter- 

 ror should abandon its prey, that it never occurred 

 to us to interfere with the game. However, the 

 osprey is not without friends in Pike County and 

 his cry of distress reached old "Jim," the crow, 

 who for years has nested in the hemlock down in 

 the swail. Jim no sooner heard the call for help 

 than he boldly took wing and unhesitatingly at- 

 tacked Uncle Sam from above, and lightly floating 

 on the summer's breeze a bunch of eagle feathers 

 drifted over the tree tops. 



Evidently one blow on the back from the mallet- 

 like beak of the crow was all that Uncle Sam 

 wanted, for he immediately fled across the pond to 

 the shelter of the dense woods at the inlet. 



But when the eagle was perched on a dead limb 

 I noticed that the crow kept out of reach of the 

 big bird; although the black rascal did occupy the 

 same branch it did not dare to come within six feet 

 of Uncle Sam, but contented itself with making 

 slurring and uncomplimentary remarks presumably 



