136 THE KING OF THE BIRDS. 
as they are ip the nest. The parents bring 
them more food than they can eat ; and frag- 
ments of fish, flesh, and fowl, lie scattered 
round the tree; so that an eagle's nest can be 
scented at a great distance. As soon as the 
young eaglets can fly, the parents consider 
them able to get their own living, and do not 
choose to be burdened with them any longer. 
They turn them out to shift for themselves ; 
but the eaglets do not always wish to go, 
and come back again, wanting to be taken 
in. Then the old birds push them ofi* the 
nest, and will have nothing to say to them. 
The utmost favour shown them is permis- 
sion to roost upon the branches close by. 
But in a few weeks they get more courageous, 
and go into the world to seek their for- 
tunes. 
I have mentioned^the forest being on fire, 
and the rushing of all living creatures to get 
out of the way of the flames. 
But there is another event that occasions 
quite as much dismay in the forest. It is after 
an unusually heavy rain, when the mighty 
rivers of America overflow their banks, and 
cause a flood. The flood spreads over miles 
