ya} THE AUDU BOWN?S Oi Eee 

over which could fly de highes’. “Of co’se,’ say de eagle, “evahbody 
knows dat I can fly de highes’ of any bird dat flies.’ ‘No you can’t,’ say 
de turkey buzzard, ‘I can fly de highes’.’ So dey bof flew highah and 
highah till dey flew as high as any bird can fly, an’, of co’se de eagle 
was de highes’. ‘Now,’ say de eagle, ‘you see, I done tol’ you I could fly 
de highes’.’ But de little old wren bird had all de time been a hidin’ 
undah de ole eagle’s wing, and he flew out an’ lit on de eagle’s haid, and 
de little ole wren bird say, ‘No you can’t, foh now I is de highes’ of any 
bird whut flies.” Dat made de ole eagle so mad dat he chase dat little 
wren bird down, down, way down to de cornah of de fence, an’ he say, 
‘Now little wren bird, don’ you evah let me catch you any highah dan de 
fence, or I'll kill you.’ An’ I always did heah dat dey nevah do go any 
highah dan de fence.” 
A certain tree in front of my camp was a favorite perch of an eagle, 
and the river, the favorite fishing grounds of an osprey. When I told 
mammy about the frequent combats in which the eagle always flew 
away with the fish, she explained it to me. 
“At firs’ de fish hawk couldn’ build a nes’ but he could catch fish. De 
eagle couldn’t catch fish but he could build a nes’. So dey all had a 
‘oreement. De eagle ’greed to show de fish hawk how to build a nes’ if 
de fish hawk would show de eagle how to catch fish. So de eagle done 
showed de fish hawk how to build de nes’, and den de fish hawk went 
back on his ’greement, and wouldn’t show de eagle how to catch a fish. 
An’ dey all do say dat from dat day to dis, de eagle gets every fish he 
can whut de fish hawk catches.” 
And so mammy had an interpretation for the characteristics of the 
birds and animals about her. Whether she was right or wrong, they 
seemed to understand her and to feel that they were understood. I 
sometimes wonder if they miss her presence from the old farm, as I 
miss it in my life. 
ETHEL M. Towns, 
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

Photograph by Howard T. Middleton 
BiuE Jay Srncinc ScHoo. 
