Lutra the Otter Plays a Game
OF COURSE Lutra the Otter had no idea that he had alarmed Croaker the
Frog. He did not even know that Croaker was there.
Lutra the Otter was a near relative of Trailer the Mink's, Snoop the
Weasel's, and Killer the Marten's. He lived in a Friendly Burrow among the
spreading roots of a Giant Cottonwood that stood on the bank of Little
River. The doorway to his home was under water, and you never would have
noticed it.
Lutra spent most of his time fishing. He would catch fish and kill them
just for fun whether he was hungry or not. He was like some people who take
more on their plate than they can eat, and then waste it. Of course, Lutra
had great sport while he was catching the fish; but the one who wastes food
has no excuse whatever.
One reason why Lutra the Otter was such an expert fisherman was that he
was so active in water. He had webs between his toes like a duck, which
enabled him to swim swiftly through the water; and the end of his tail was
flattened like a rudder, which he used for turning himself quickly. Lutra
could stay under water for a long time when he was after fish.
In some countries people have trained Lutra's friends to fish for them.
They send the trained otters into the water, and when an otter has caught a
fish, he brings it to his master just as a trained dog will fetch game.
Lutra the Otter was a great traveler. Sometimes he would be gone from his
Friendly Burrow almost two weeks. Usually he traveled with several of his
friends. They would visit a number of places along Little River, then cross
over to another stream and follow down it a way, and on their way back they
would stop awhile .at the Duck Pond.
It is strange how Lutra the Otter could travel so far without becoming
lost. But he always found his way back to his Friendly Burrow among the
spreading roots of the Giant Cottonwood. That was one of his secrets.
"Let us visit the Black Forest," said Lutra the Otter to his
friends one day.
The Black Forest was one place that Lutra liked to visit. It was there
that Paddletail the Beaver had built a High Dam and made himself a Wildwood
Pond. And the Wildwood Pond held many, many fish. Paddletail the Beaver did
not care if Lutra and his friends caught fish in his Wildwood Pond.
Paddletail did not eat fish, and so he had no use for them. Paddletail ate
the Soft Poplar Wood and Bitter Willow Bark that grew near his Wildwood
Pond.
So Lutra the Otter and his friends started out to visit Paddletail's
Wildwood Pond. They foil,)wed along Little River for quite a distance,
because Little River flowed through the Black Forest before it arrived at
the Old Homestead. It was Little River that Paddletail the Beaver had dammed
to make his Wildwood Pond. Of course, Little River was not very large away
up in the Black Forest where Paddletail lived. It had not had time to grow.
In fact, it was not very large when it reached the Old Homestead. But it was
a jolly, playful, singing Little River nevertheless.
Lutra the Otter and his friends were not in a hurry to reach Paddletail's
Wildwood Pond in the Black Forest. Oh no. They liked to play too well for
that. Besides seeing who could catch the most fish, they had another game
that they played. It was the game of Slide.
If you like to coast downhill, you know how much fun Lutra and his
friends had sliding. But Lutra did not need snow when he went sliding. He
would find a steep bank that sloped downward to a Deep Pool. Then, while his
smooth fur was wet, he would run to the top of the bank and coast down on
his stomach kerplunk into the water. Right behind him was one of his
friends, and soon another would follow. Then Lutra would be back for another
slide.
Kerplunk-kerplunk-kerplunk. Soon the Mud Slide would be wet and slick,
and they could coast faster and faster. It really was great sport. Lutra and
his friends had made a Mud Slide whenever they could find a suitable place
along Little River, and of course whenever they came to a Mud Slide they
stopped to play awhile. Kerplunkkerplunk-kerplunk. Sometimes Lutra came up
with a fish in his mouth.
At last Lutra the Otter and his friends reached Paddletail's Wildwood
Pond. They had built an extra long Mud Slide there. You should have seen how
fast they could shoot down it into the water.
Paddletail the Beaver was out repairing his High Dam when he heard a
splash. Soon there was another and another. Kerplunk-kerplunk-kerplunk.
"Lutra the Otter and his friends must be here again," said
Paddletail.
After they had coasted awhile and had fished until they were tired, Lutra
and his friends crawled into a Hiding Place and went to sleep. Then they
awoke and started back toward the Friendly Burrow among the spreading roots
of the Giant Cottonwood that stood on the bank of Little River on the Old
Homestead.
"Let's go back past the Duck Pond," said Lutra to his friends.
And so they did.
The first thing Lutra did when he arrived at the Duck Pond was to dive
kerplunk into the water. And that is how he happened to make such a splash
right by Croaker the Frog just in time to frighten Croaker away before
Longlegs the Heron caught him.
Of course it would not have made any difference to Lutra the Otter even
though he had seen that Longlegs wanted to catch Croaker, for Lutra was
having too much fun to care.
Kerplunk-kerplunk-kerplunk went Lutra and his friends.
Mr. Mallard Flies Again
IT HAD been three weeks since Mr. and Mrs. Mallard had arrived at the
Duck Pond on the Old Homestead. Of course Mr. Mallard had not been able to
fly with his wounded wing. He had had to be contented to swim around the
Duck Pond. And so he had not been over to Little River, and he had not seen
much of the Old Homestead.
Mrs. Mallard had not gone far from the Duck Pond either, because she had
wanted to stay near Mr. Mallard. They had lived most of the time in the
Sheltered Little Cove.
One day Mr. Mallard saw Great Diver the Loon fishing on the other side of
the Duck Pond. He wondered if he dared attempt to fly over for a visit with
Great Diver.
Mr. Mallard spread his wings and fluttered them swiftly. His wounded wing
seemed to be all right. He ran along on the water for a way while he flapped
his wings faster and faster. Soon he was in the air, and Mrs. Mallard was
surprised to see him flying across the Duck Pond to see Great Diver the
Loon.
Mr. Mallard was quite out of breath when he alighted on the water near
Great Diver, but he managed to purr a low greeting with his coarse voice.
Great Diver the Loon was a large cousin of Diver the Grebe's. He was
almost as large as Honker the Goose. He could dive about as well as Diver
the Grebe. When he was on land, he did not stand on his feet as most of his
Feathered Friends did. He sort of sat up straight on his stubby tail and
rested with his legs as well as his feet on the ground. That made him look
very dignified.
Great Diver liked to fish. He could dive under the water and swim long
distances before he came up again. Or if he wished, he could swim with only
his head showing. That was one secret that
Mr. Mallard did not know, but Diver the Grebe had also learned it.
Have you ever read about a submarine boat that travels entirely under
water when the captain wants it to? Before it is submerged, the air is taken
out of certain rooms, and they are filled with water. That makes the boat
heavy so it will sink. When the water is pumped out, the boat rises to the
surface of the water again.
Great Diver the Loon had learned that secret, but he knew it better than
did Fearful the Man. When he wanted to settle under the water, he emptied
the air out of his lungs, and down he sank without diving. He did not even
have to stop to fill himself with water in order to become heavy.
Great Diver was fishing when Mr. Mallard arrived. It was the first time
he had visited the Duck Pond, but he seemed to be enjoying himself. He had
just caught a fine fish.
"Do you plan on staying at the Duck Pond this summer?" purred
Mr. Mallard.
"Oh no," replied Great Diver; "I stopped here only to rest
and catch some fish. You see, I am afraid Mrs. Loon would think the Duck
Pond too small. With Lutra the Otter and Alcyon the Kingfisher and Bigmouth
the Pelican and Osprey the Fish Hawk and others all catching fish, it might
be hard to feed two babies. We shall find a Nesting Place on a large lake
farther north where fish are more plentiful."
Mrs. Loon had a queer way of building her nest. First she bent over some
Tumbled Bulrushes until they touched the water. Then she piled other rushes
and Swamp Grass on these until she had enough on which to lay her eggs. If
the water came higher, her nest floated and rose with the water. And if the
water lowered, her nest went down also.
Once Mrs. Loon was not careful enough. She did not fasten her nest well
enough to the rushes. When a stray wind blew, her nest broke loose from its
moorings and went floating across the lake with Mrs. Loon on it.
It is hard to say how long Mr. Mallard and Great Diver would have visited
if they had not been disturbed. But Sharptoes the Duck Hawk had spied Mr.
Mallard, and said he to himself, "Ah, to-night I shall enjoy a fine
duck supper! "
Sharptoes was a wise bird. He flew around behind the Drooping Willow
Trees where Mr. Mallard could not see him. Then when Mr. Mallard and Great
Diver were not looking, he sailed out of the trees and swooped down upon
them.
But there was one who had seen Sharptoes the Duck Hawk. It was Boomer the
Bittern. Boomer had been hidden in the Swamp Grass. He was standing very
quietly in the water, with his beak pointed almost straight up, waiting for
Croaker the Frog or Forktongue the Snake to pass close by. Then he would
have grabbed them.
When he saw Sharptoes the Duck Hawk sail over, he knew that Sharptoes was
up to mischief. He knew that Sharptoes was after one of the Mallards or the
Spoonbills or Midget the Teal. Boomer thought he would warn them.
Just then Mr. Mallard and Great Diver heard a long b-o-o-m, and
immediately dived out of sight under the water, and Sharptoes the Duck Hawk
had to look elsewhere for a supper.
Of course, the long b-o-o-m came from Boomer the Bittern. It sounded very
much as if he had his head under water and was blowing out his breath
through a bass horn. Boomer made such a queer noise that Bud and Mary Smith
called him a thunder pump.
After Sharptoes had gone, Mr. Mallard flew back to Mrs. Mallard in the
Sheltered Little Cove, and Great Diver left the Duck Pond. His wings were
rather small, and so he had to run on the water to gain speed before taking
to the air. But he was soon out of sight on his way to find a larger lake in
the Land of Cool Breezes.
Trailer the Mink Takes a Hunt
TRAILER the Mink was hungry. He had been sleeping all day in his Hidden
Den near the Bank of Little River. His Hidden Den was not far from the home
of his big cousin Lutra the Otter. Trailer was different from Lutra in
several ways. He liked to live near Little River, but he did not like to
play in the water so well as Lutra did. Also, he preferred to eat birds,
while Lutra liked to eat fish. Of course, Trailer the Mink was fond of fish
also, but he found it easier to catch birds. Some times he found fish that
Lutra had killed just for the fun of fishing, and then Trailer had a feast.
He always enjoyed eating some one else's catch.
It was not yet dark when Trailer came out of his Hidden Den and looked
around. Trailer was deciding where he would go.
"I believe I'll go over by the Duck Pond and see what I can
find," he said to himself.
Trailer knew that along the Duck Pond there were many Fuzzy Cat-tails and
Tumbled Bulrushes and much Swamp Grass. He also knew that along the Marshy
Banks was the favorite haunt of Jack Snipe, Sicklebill the Curlew, and
Longbill the Rail. It was Trailer's Favorite Hunting Ground.
Trailer sat by his Hidden Den and listened. He wondered if it was dark
enough so that he would dare to start.
"Cur-lew, cur-lew," said Sicklebill the Curlew over near the
Duck Pond. He was very proud of his name, and kept repeating it.
"Scaipe, scaipe," said Jack Snipe.
That was too tempting for Trailer the Mink. He left his Hidden Den and
started through the grass and brush toward the Duck Pond where he heard
Sicklebill the Curlew and Jack Snipe.
It was not strange that Sicklebill and Jack both liked the Marshy Banks
along the Duck Pond, because they were near relatives. They were also
related to Killdeer the Plover and Sharpnose the Woodcock. One would have
thought that Longbill the Rail was also one of their cousins, because he was
small and had a very long, pointed bill. Instead, Longbill was a cousin of
Sandhill the Crane.
It seems queer that Longbill the Rail, who was not more than half as
large as Bobby White, could be related to Sandhill the Crane, who was almost
as tall as Bud Smith. But that is true nevertheless. Longbill had long toes
as well as a long bill, and these enabled him to run across muddy ground
without sinking. His big cousin, Sandhill the Crane, did not always stay
near swamps, but many times lived far from water on the Broad Prairie.
There was one thing about Sicklebill the Curlew that was different from
his cousin Jack Snipe. Whenever he alighted on the ground, he always held
his wings up in the air for a while, and then very deliberately folded them,
as if he were quite particular how it was done.
When Trailer the Mink left his Hidden Den and started through the grass
and brush, he did not go far until he smelled the track of Jimmy the Swamp
Rabbit. It smelled fresh, so Trailer slipped noiselessly through the weeds
and grass, following Jimmy's trail, and thinking he might surprise him.
You see, Trailer had a very keen nose. He could not see Jimmy's tracks in
the grass, but he could smell them. Trailer had soft feet, for they were
padded with hair. If Jimmy did not see him coming, Trailer would have him by
the throat before he knew he was near.
After a while Jimmy's trail came back to Little River. That was as far as
Trailer could follow him, because Jimmy had swum right across, and had not
left any scent for Trailer to follow. Trailer decided he was thirsty, and
jumped into Little River for a drink and a bath. Before he came out he found
a crawfish. Trailer rather liked crawfish, but one crawfish was not enough
to satisfy Trailer's ravenous appetite.
"Cur-lew, cur-lew," called Sicklebill from the Swampy Bank.
"Scaipe, scaipe," answered Jack Snipe.
And away went Trailer the Mink again to see if he could find one of them
for supper. Trailer's little black eyes looked sharply here and there. Every
little way he stopped and sniffed to see if the Playful Air Whiffs were
bringing him the odor of supper. Then he would slip quietly through the
Swamp Grass and Waving Wild Rice for a while, and then stop and sniff again.
Suddenly Trailer the Mink stopped and sat up. He was not far from the
edge of the Duck Pond. He sniffed again to make sure that he had not been
mistaken.
"I smell duck," he said to himself. "My, how good fat duck
will taste!"
Trailer slipped through the grass to the bank of the pond, and there,
only a few feet away sat Midget the Teal busily engaged in oiling his
feathers. You see, Midget carried a small oil holder like a pimple on the
top of his tail. Before he went into the water he first rubbed his bill on
the oil holder and then on his feathers. In that way he kept them from
getting wet.
Trailer crept a little nearer and made ready to spring. He was lying so
flat in the grass that Midget did not see him. And, besides, Midget was too
busy to think about looking. He was in a hurry to get his feathers oiled so
he could go for a swim. In fact, Midget was careless.
Just as Trailer was ready to spring on Midget the Teal, there was a loud
noise overhead. "Zoom!" went Zoomer the Nighthawk, as he shot down
through the air. Of course Midget looked up to see what was going on, and
saw Trailer. You may be sure Midget did not wait to finish oiling his
feathers.
Mrs. Mallard Builds a Nest
WHERE are you going?" asked Mr. Mallard one day, as Mrs. Mallard
left the Duck Pond and started walking into the dense Swamp Grass and Fuzzy
Cat-tails along their Sheltered Little Cove.
"I am going to look for a Nesting Place," replied Mrs. Mallard.
"I heard Mrs. Spoonbill tell Shoveler yesterday that she had already
found a place that suited her." And away sneaked Mrs. Mallard as
quietly as possible, for she did not want any of the other Little Wild
Creatures to see her.
You see, Mrs. Mallard has to be very careful where she builds her nest.
She must keep it hidden from Billy Coon and Trailer the Mink and Snoop the
Weasel and Reddy Fox and many other enemies. Mrs. Mallard cannot build her
nest in a tree where Reddy Fox could not get to it, because her feet were
not made for roosting in trees.
And so Mrs. Mallard was looking for a place on the ground where Trailer
the Mink and Billy Coon and Reddy Fox were not likely to go. That was quite
a problem for Mrs. Mallard, because there are few places that are safe from
the keen noses of Reddy Fox and Trailer the Mink.
Now, if Mrs. Mallard had been like her cousin Mrs. Wood Duck, it would
have been quite easy to build a nest where not even Billy Coon could get to
it. That is, it would have been easy if a suitable Hollow Nesting Tree could
have been found. Mrs. Wood Duck finds a Hollow Nesting Tree not far from
water. If it has a small doorway, then Billy Coon cannot get in and take the
Fluffy Ducklets when they are hatched.
How do you suppose the Fluffy Ducklets get out of that hole and to the
water before they can fly? First Mrs. Wood Duck takes a Fluffy Ducklet in
her bill and flies to the water with it. She leaves it in a Hiding Place and
flies back after another and another and another. Soon all of her Fluffy
Ducklets are enjoying their first swim, and whenever Mrs. Wood Duck sounds a
note of warning, all of the Fluffy Ducklets scamper to a Hiding Place.
Mrs. Mallard did not know this secret. She always built her nest on the
ground. But Mrs. Mallard had some secrets of her own, which no doubt were as
good as Mrs. Wood Duck's. One of them was to cover herself with old leaves
while she was sitting on her eggs. Mrs. Mallard's dress was a grayish-brown
striped with black, and when she covered herself with dead leaves and grass,
with only her head sticking out, she looked just like a pile of trash.
And so Mrs. Mallard was quite particular where she built her nest. Once
she found a place that suited her exactly, but the color did not match her
own. Already the grass was getting green, and there was too much contrast
between it and her brown dress.
At last Mrs. Mallard found just the place she was looking for. It was
between two roots of a Drooping Willow Tree, and was entirely hidden by
vines and brush. The ground was covered with the leaves that had fallen the
previous fall, and these would make a natural blanket for her. The doorway
was between two bushes that hid the Nesting
Place from the front, and the big trunk of the Drooping Willow Tree
itself would be a protection from the back. And the Nesting Place was just
near enough to the Sheltered Little Cove so that Mrs. Mallard could run down
for a drink and a swim sometimes.
It was not much trouble for Mrs. Mallard to build her nest after she had
once found a Nesting Place, and especially when everything was so handy.
First she hollowed out a low place between the two roots which formed the
sides of her nest. Then she carried some fine grass and Fuzzy Cattail tops
and made a nest in the hollow place. After that she plucked some Soft Warm
Down from her own breast and lined the nest so the Fluffy Ducklets would not
get cold after they were hatched.
Mrs. Mallard was very much pleased with her nest, and one day she took
Mr. Mallard to see it. Already it held four eggs that looked as if they had
been stained a yellow-drab color. Of course, Mrs. Mallard kept them mostly
hidden with leaves when she was away, but even if she had not, they were so
near the color of the leaves they would have been hard to see.
Within a few more days Mrs. Mallard had a nestful of eggs, and she
decided it was time to stay on her nest and keep the eggs warm so that every
one would be a Fluffy Ducklet. That left Mr. Mallard alone most of the time
when he was not hiding near Mrs. Mallard to watch for enemies. Shoveler the
Spoonbill was also alone, and sometimes he and Mr. Mallard met for a visit.
One day Bud and Mary Smith went to the Duck Pond for a walk. They noticed
that Mr. Mallard and Shoveler were alone.
"I wonder if Mrs. Mallard and Mrs. Spoonbill are on their nests, or
if something has caught them," said Mary.
"My guess would be that they are staying on their nests," said
Bud. "It isn't likely that something would catch both of them. That
would be quite unusual."
"Oh, I can hardly wait to see the Fluffy Ducklets," said Mary.
"I wonder how many the Mallards will have."
After that Bud and Mary each made frequent trips to the Duck Pond when
the other wasn't watching. Each wanted to be the first to see the Fluffy
Ducklets and tell the other about it.
But Mrs. Mallard was so interested and busy with her own affairs that she
knew nothing about Mary's and Bud's interest in her Fluffy Ducklets. She was
expecting her yellow-drab eggs to hatch almost any time, and she wanted to
be near to care for the Fluffy Ducklets when they broke open the shells and
came out. She knew that if she did not keep them covered, an enemy might see
them.
A Night Prowler
VIRGINIA OPOSSUM lived in a Warm Hollow Log in the Woodlot that joined
the Wide Wide Pasture on the Old Homestead. Virginia had lived there two
years. Her nearest neighbor was Worker the Gray Squirrel, who lived in a Big
Stick Nest in the top of a tree not far away. His cousin, Chatterer the Red
Squirrel, lived in a Hollow Den Tree in the Wide-Wide Pasture, but Worker
and Chatterer did not get along at all friendly.
Virginia Opossum was not much interested in her neighbors. Sometimes
Chatterer the Red Squirrel poked his head into Virginia's Warm Hollow Log to
see if Worker the Gray Squirrel had stored any nuts there that he could
steal. But when he saw Virginia's pink mouth greeting him wide open, with
its rows of needlelike teeth, Chatterer went on about his business scolding.
Bud Smith knew where Virginia lived, but he did not disturb her. He had
found her home one day while he was in the Woodlot with Nero the Hound. Nero
would sniff in every Friendly Burrow and Warm Hollow Log that they passed.
Then he would run and catch up with Bud and follow along behind until they
passed another.
Once when Nero was walking behind Bud, he stopped suddenly and put his
nose to the ground. Then he ran off across the Woodlot barking loudly for
Bud to follow. You see, Virginia had passed by on her way home the night
before, and Nero's keen nose led him right to her Warm Hollow Log. When Bud
looked in, there was Virginia sound asleep. Or it might have been that she
was pretending she was dead. Bud called it "playing 'possum."
You see, Virginia had a queer habit of playing dead whenever she was in
danger. Perhaps that was why Nero the Hound was so anxious to catch her this
time. Once he had surprised her at night on one of her journeys to the
cornfield. He had grabbed her by the back with his mouth and carried her
away. He had thought Virginia was dead. So when he saw Ranger the Coyote
running across the Green Meadow, he dropped Virginia and started after him.
He thought he would come back after Virginia later. Of course, as soon as
Nero was out of sight Virginia suddenly came back to life and ran away; and
when Nero returned, there was no Virginia in sight.
That was why Nero was so glad when he found Virginia's home. But Bud
called him away, and let Virginia sleep. It seemed she was always sleepy.
Perhaps it was because she spent most of the night walking through the
Woodlot in search of softshelled nuts and wild berries to eat, or rambling
about in the cornfield looking for a roasting ear if it was the right time
of year, or hoping to find Tiny the Meadow Mouse. Virginia was not at all
particular about what she ate as long as it was something she could chew.
Sometimes she ate insects, and if she could not find anything else, she ate
the tender roots of plants that grew in the Woodlot.
One evening about dusk Virginia decided she would go for a walk over by
the Duck Pond. She had, eleven babies, but that did not worry her at all.
Oh no. Instead of leaving them at home to catch their death of cold, she
took them right along with her.
You see, Virginia had a warm sack on her stomach. As soon as her babies
were born, she put them in the sack and carried them everywhere she went.
They did not come out of the sack until they were more than two months old.
Even after they left the sack, they did not leave their mother for another
month, but clung to her long fur. Sometimes they wrapped their tails around
her tail, which she held over her back, and that helped them to hang on.
There are other Feathered Friends and Furry Friends that have sacks in
which they carry things also. Bigmouth the Pelican has a large pouch under
his chin in which he can carry many, many fish. And Satchelface the Pocket
Gopher has a pocket on each side of his mouth in which he carries food and
other things. Then, there is Mrs. Kangaroo of Australia, who also has a sack
on her stomach in which she carries her baby.
Virginia Opossum did not walk very fast. She was never in a hurry no
matter what she did. Sometimes she stopped and climbed bushes to see if she
could find berries on them. At other places she stopped to dig in the ground
after roots, or tried to catch a large, fat grasshopper. If she could have
found the nest of Crooner the Dove, she probably would have eaten the eggs
or the Baby Doves, whichever happened to be there.
Virginia thought she might find the nests of Mrs. Mallard or Mrs.
Spoonbill or Mrs. Curlew or Mrs. Snipe in the Marshy Banks along the Duck
Pond. Then she would have a feast if they were not watching.
But Virginia walked so slowly that it was rather late when she arrived at
the Marshy Banks. She was walking quietly through the Fuzzy Cat-tails and
Tumbled Bulrushes, trying not to awaken anyone, when all at once she almost
ran over Killdeer the Plover.
"Kill-deer, kill-deer," he piped as loudly as he could;
"kill-deer, kill-deer."
Of course, that awakened all the Little Wild Creatures, and they were on
the lookout for an enemy. And there was Killdeer the Plover circling around
over Virginia and saying, "Kill-deer, killdeer," every place she
went.
So Virginia Opossum turned and started back to her Warm Hollow Log,
carrying her babies with her, and feeling as a boy does when he is caught in
mischief
It was almost daylight when Virginia arrived at the Woodlot, and she was
very tired. She wanted to curl up and sleep. But Virginia knew that she
would have to keep going if she reached her home before the Laughing Yellow
Sun came up. And the Laughing Yellow Sun told many secrets.
Bigmouth the Pelican Goes Seining
BIGMOUTH the Pelican was fishing. He was catching a breakfast for his two
babies. This is how he was doing it: He would swim across the Duck Pond,
just barely skimming over the water. Then suddenly he would plunge headfirst
into the water with his large mouth wide open. In a few seconds he would
come to the top of the water, and almost always he would be holding a fish
in the big pocket under his chin.
Of course, Bigmouth always dipped up a mouthful of water, but that did
not bother him. He simply waited until the water ran out the corners of his
mouth, and then he swallowed the fish.
Bigmouth was a queer-looking bird. He had a very long beak, and under it
he carried his big sack. He used his sack for seining, or rather as a dip
net. It would easily hold a gallon of water.
Usually Bigmouth did not fish alone. As a rule, he lived in a colony with
many of his friends, and they fished together. If they were fishing on a
small lake, they would spread out in a long line and fly across it, each one
beating the water with his wings to scare the fish ahead of them. Then when
they had almost reached the other side, down they would go with their mouths
open, and dip up as many fish as they could.
When they were through fishing, they would fly back to their nests, and
then what a. feast the Baby Pelicans would have! Instead of being a seine,
the big pocket under Bigmouth's chin was then a family dish out of which all
the Baby Pelicans ate. Sometimes they would stick their bills so far down
Bigmouth's throat that their heads would be entirely out of sight.
But this summer Bigmouth and Mrs. Pelican had decided to live at the Old
Homestead. They had built a crude nest of sticks and grass in a Secret Place
near Little River, and it kept Bigmouth busy feeding his two babies, and
especially when he had to fish alone. Of course, Mrs. Pelican usually helped
Bigmouth feed the babies; and, besides, it was easier to catch fish when
they were together.
Bigmouth was not the only one who had babies to feed. There was Osprey
the Fish Hawk, who had a nest on the side of High Cliff not far from Aquila
the Golden Eagle. Osprey had lived there five years, and each year he had
added to his nest until it was several feet high. Osprey also had two baby
birds to feed, and that is how he happened to be at the Duck Pond at the
same time that Bigmouth the Pelican was seining.
"What a queer way to catch fish!" said Osprey to Bigmouth, as
they met at the edge of the Duck Pond. Bigmouth was standing in the water
and draining the water from his sack after he came up from a dive. Osprey
was sitting on the limb of a tree near by.
"It's a very good way," replied Bigmouth, as he swallowed a
fish.
"I like my way better," said Osprey.
Now, although Osprey undoubtedly caught larger fish than Bigmouth caught,
yet Bigmouth preferred small ones, and more of them. It was just a matter of
personal taste. But Osprey was like some folks. They think no way is quite
so good as their way of doing a thing. Osprey thought he was quite the best
fisherman on the Old Homestead. But there were others who were just as
expert in their own way, and who didn't seem to care whether others thought
so or not.
Longlegs the Heron preferred to stalk quietly alongshore, or stand on one
foot for an hour if necessary, and spear the fish when they came within
reach. Lutra the Otter dived right in after them. And then there was Alcyon
the Kingfisher. Alcyon fished very much like Osprey the Fish Hawk, except
that usually he sat on a high limb until he saw a fish swim beneath him and
then plunged in after it. And, of course, Alcyon's fish were smaller than
Osprey's because Alcyon was a much smaller bird.
"I'll show you how I catch fish," said Osprey, and away he
flew.
When Osprey had risen high in the air, he stayed in one spot for a time
by beating the air with his wings. His sharp eyes watched the water beneath
him. Suddenly he folded his wings and shot feet first with the speed of an
arrow into the water. When he came up, he was holding a fish that weighed
fully a third as much as he did.
Osprey squealed with delight as he flew over Bigmouth and started toward
his nest with the fish. It was the largest he had ever caught in the Duck
Pond.
Now, Baldy the Eagle was very fond of fish, but he was not much of a
fisherman. And so he would wait until he saw Osprey flying toward his nest
with a fish, and then he would fly after him and take it away from him.
Osprey had lost many fish that way, and he should have been more careful. He
was so interested in showing Bigmouth how to catch fish that he forgot all
about watching for Baldy.
The first that Osprey knew Baldy was near was when he heard a terrible
scream. Then it was too late to escape with his heavy fish. He could not fly
fast enough. There was nothing for Osprey to do but to drop his fish. That
was just what Baldy wanted, and he swooped down and caught it in the air
before it had fallen very far.
Then Osprey had to go back and catch another and carry it to his nest
when Baldy the Eagle was not watching.
Baldy was like some people who do not like to work. They would rather get
some one else to do their work for them, and then after it is done they
expect to enjoy the results. But Baldy was worse, because he was a pirate
and a bully. He could have caught his own fish, but he would rather take
them from Osprey.
WHAT'S
NEW? 
