, and he
didn't have any better manners than to laugh right out in meeting,
making such a racket with that shrill voice of his that you'd have
thought more than a dozen birds were trying to see which could make
the most noise.

"Mr. Crow waited till the ill-mannered Jay had quieted down a bit, and
I could see that the old fellow had all he could do to keep his
temper, which is not to be wondered at when you consider that the
president of the club was only trying to protect the members against
those who had no business in that part of the big woods. Then he said,
turning to some of us of the Fur section, who were not so impudent as
to interrupt:

"'There is no reason why we should not forbid certain birds and
animals from venturing on these premises, and once that has been done
we shall live in peace, to say nothing of being able to sleep the
whole night through without interruption.'

"There was so much good sense in this remark that I clapped my paws to
show my appreciation of it, when suddenly we heard a dreadfully rough
voice cry:

"'Are you foolish creatures really thinking it'll do any good to
forbid our doing this or that?'

"Looking up quickly, whom should I see but the Professor, who was
slowly circling around the tree as if trying to make up his mind which
of us he would invite to breakfast. Oh me! oh my! what a scurrying
there was to get under cover! I went into the thorn bushes head first,
nearly scratching my eyes out, and Cheeko's brother followed close at
my heels, while as for Mr. Jay, he flew off with a screech, for more
than one member of his family had gone to dinner with the Professor
and never come back.

"Then, if you'll believe it, that miserable hawk lighted on the very
lowest branch of the tree, where he could have an eye on all of us who
had taken to cover, and Cheeko's brother said to me, his teeth
chattering with fear so badly that I could hardly understand a word:

"'Now we're in the soup for certain! If one of us makes the littlest
kind of move that villainous old Professor will pounce down. I wish
Mr. Crow had attended to his own private matters instead of calling us
together where, rather than protecting ourselves, we're likely to
give that old scoundrel a breakfast.'

"'Keep under the sharpest thorns, no matter how badly your coat may be
torn,' I whispered, and the Professor cocked his eye at me in a way
that told he was figuring how he could best get his claws in my back."