206 



In Qi/esf of 



4— 



he bristled his feathers and raised his wings, 

 while he carried his neck and head down 

 close to the ground, like a big snake. The 

 wings, his only weapons, were half raised for 

 a blow; but the fierce-hissing yet harmless 

 head would surely hold the attention of any 

 attacking animal — just as an owl snaps his 

 beak to frighten you and keep your eyes 

 away from his dangerous claws until he gets 

 them into you unexpectedly. Any wild ani- 

 mal, if he were brave enough to attack, would 

 naturally avoid the snakelike hissing and leap 

 over it for the larger body, only to be met by 

 a stinging blow in the face from the power- 

 ful wings. If the delicate neck were carried 

 high, any animal would naturally leap for it, 

 and Waptonk's fight would be over almost 

 before he could strike a blow. As it is, Wap- 

 tonk carries his most vulnerable point as close 

 to the ground as possible, as a ship carries 

 her magazine below the water-line, and by 

 scaring an animal with his snakelike hiss he 

 gets a fair chance to use his weapons, and so 



takes care of himself splen- 

 didly against all prowlers. 



