Friends in Feathers and Fur, and Other Neighbors Part 9

10. The fish-hawk preys upon fish. He sails slowly over the water until his sharp eyes see a fish, and then he dives down so straight and swift that he rarely misses.

11. Sometimes, when he comes up from the water, an old eagle that has been on the watch pounces upon him. The hawk tries to get away, but the eagle soon overtakes him.

12. With an angry scream the hawk drops the fish, and the eagle swoops downward so quickly that he catches the fish before it reaches the water. With his prey in his talons, he then soars away to his nest in the tree-tops, or high up among the rocks on the mountain-side.

LESSON XXII.

_LONG LEGS WITH FEATHERS._

[Ill.u.s.tration]

1. We have here the picture of a heron, a very curious bird. It has long legs, a large body, a long neck, and a long pointed bill.

2. Its toes are long and pointed, and when spread out they cover a large s.p.a.ce. It can turn its neck and bill so that sometimes it looks as if it would wring its own neck off.

3. The heron lives on frogs and fish. With its long legs it can wade out in the shallow water, and its toes spread out so it does not sink in the mud.

4. When ready for breakfast, it wades in where the water is half-leg deep. Then it stands so still that the fish, the frogs, and the water-rats will swim all about its legs.

5. All at once, as quick as a flash, down plunges the beak, and up comes a frog from the water, and down it goes, whole, into the long throat. Another comes along, and goes the same way.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

6. When it has had enough, it steps ash.o.r.e, cleans its feathers with its long bill, and goes to sleep standing on one leg. Its middle toe has a double nail, and with this it scratches off the down that sticks to its bill after cleaning its feathers.

7. The heron flies high in the air. When flying, its legs extend out straight behind, and its neck curls over and rests on its back.

8. The stork is another bird with long legs that wades in the water and eats frogs and fish. In Holland, the stork is so tame that it lives in the farm-yard, and often builds its nest on the house-tops.

LESSON XXIII.

_BO-PEEP AND THE ROOK._

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Little Bo-peep sat down on a heap Of hay--she was tired with running; When up came a rook, who at her did look, And nodded his head and looked cunning.

Little Bo-peep said, "Why do you keep So near to me every day, sir?

With your very sharp beak, pray what do you seek, For you always seem just in my way, sir?"

"Little Bo-peep, it is your sheep, Not you, that I come to see, ma'am; Their wool is so soft, that I want it oft In my nest for my young ones and me, ma'am."

Said little Bo-peep, "The wool you may sweep From the hedges and many a thorn, sir; But don't make your attacks upon my sheep's backs, For I will not have their wool torn, sir."

The rook he cawed, and he hummed and hawed, And muttered, "What matter, what matter?"

Bo-peep she said, "Go--I have said no, no; So it's useless for you to chatter."

"There's a merry brown thrush sitting up in the tree; He's singing to me! He's singing to me!"

"And what does he say, little girl, little boy?"

"'Oh, the world's running over with joy!

Don't you hear? Don't you see?

Hush! Look! In my tree I'm as happy as happy can be.'"

LESSON XXIV.

_THE MOUSE AND ITS WAYS._

[Ill.u.s.tration]

1. Here are some of our near neighbors, little fellows in fur, who are so very friendly that they visit us by night and by day, and seem as much at home in our house as we are.

2. When, in the night, we hear tiny feet as they patter over the floor, or scamper across the pillow, or we find in the morning that the loaf for breakfast has been gnawed and spoiled, we are not apt to feel friendly toward the mouse.

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3. But, as he stands here by the trap, let us take a good look at him.

We find that he has a coat of fine fur, which he always keeps clean, and a long tail that has no hair. He has whiskers like the cat; sharp claws, so that he can run up the side of a house, or climb anything that is a little rough; and eyes that can see in the night.

4. He has large ears, so that he can hear the faintest sound; and short legs, so that he can creep into the smallest hole.

5. His nose is pointed, and his under jaw is shorter than the upper one. In front, on each jaw, he has two sharp teeth, shaped like the edge of a chisel, and these he uses to gnaw with.

6. These teeth are growing all the while; and if he does not gnaw something hard nearly every day, so as to wear them off, they will soon become so long that he can not use them.

LESSON XXV.

_STORIES ABOUT MICE._

[Ill.u.s.tration:

When the cat's away The mice will play.]