An episode appeared twice a month
in The Michigan Farmer magazine.
A Visitor from the Sky
"The rest of the winter, life in the beaver colony went pretty
well," Uncle Joe went on with his story of Flattail and the rest
of the beavers of Friendly Creek. "Spring softened the ice and
snow and soon Friendly Creek was tumbling joyously over the beaver dam.
"Other things were happening in the beaver lodge. More little
beavers were born. This meant that when the lodge was repaired during
the summer it would have to be enlarged.
"Two of the beavers, probably feeling that the lodge was too small
for all of them, left to look for new mates and new locations to start
other beaver colonies. It was just after the beavers left that a visitor
came to the beaver colony, a visitor who was to add one more experience
to Flattail's already long list. It was almost as bad as the time Flattail
fell into a trap."
"Will you tell us about that today, Uncle Joe?" Jerry asked
eagerly.
Uncle Joe smiled. "The story of the eagle, for an eagle was the
visitor I spoke of, should be enough for today.
"It was during the early evening that the visit was made. High
over Friendly River, on a hill stands a lone pine tree," Uncle
Joe paused. "You can see it through the binoculars off to the right,"
he said, handing the glasses to Jerry.
"Gee!" Jerry exclaimed. "It's there sure enough. But
what is that at the top — that big bunch of sticks?"
"That," said Uncle Joe as I took the binoculars, "is
the eagle's nest. It has been there for a number of years and, like
the beaver's lodge, is made larger each year. Well, it was the contents
of that nest which occasioned the visit of the eagle to Friendly Creek
and the beavers. The eaglets had to be fed.
"The father eagle was a beautiful sight as he sailed high in the
sky. Below him the beavers were working. On one side of the lodge one
of the young beavers had crawled to sun himself. He was very comfortable
in the sun and very sleepy. It undoubtedly seemed safe there, for there
was water all around him and the beavers were working nearby.
"The eagle up in the air saw all that was going on below. We get
the term 'eagle-eyed' from the marvelous ability of the eagle to see.
"Down, down he dropped. Slowly he circled. Then, with a scream
he descended, his claws wide for the catch. His great wings opened full
just as he neared the lodge. All the beavers had disappeared except
the young one on the lodge. He had sensed some danger and was scrambling
over the side of the lodge into the water.
"The eagle struck, not the furry back he expected, but the flat
scaly tail. If it had been a larger beaver's tail the claws might have
held. But it was a small beaver and a small tail. The eagle's claws
closed tightly, but the tail slipped through and the eagle rose in the
air with nothing more than a pair of wet feet."
"That was a good story, Uncle Joe," Jerry said. "And
will you tell us about the trap tomorrow?"
"Yes, Jerry, tomorrow for sure," Uncle Joe promised.
Click HERE to read "Flattail
Learns about Traps"
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© 2004 Leo VanMeer
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