oss, eagles, cranes, storks. But
_this_ bird--! Its shape was like that of an eagle, but stouter. Its
neck had the length and elegant curve of a swan's neck. Its head was
again like an eagle's, with a hooked bird-of-prey beak, but the
expression in its brown eyes was mild. The long wings were blunt at
the tips, the tail was short and broad. The legs, feathered halfway
down, ended in taloned feet. An iridescent sheen sparkled on its
plumage, reflecting sunlight from the scarlet crest, the golden neck
and back, the breast of silver, the sapphire wings and tail. Its size
alone would have been enough to take David's breath away. He could
have stood beneath the arch of that neck with room to spare.

But the most astonishing thing was that the bird had an open book on
the ground and was apparently trying to learn part of it by heart.

"_Vivo, vives, vive_," the bird read, very slowly and distinctly,
staring hard at the book. "_Vivimos, vivis, viven._ _That_ is simple
enough, you blockhead! Now, then, without looking." It cleared its
throat, looked away from the book, and repeated in a rapid mutter:
"_Vivo vives vive vi_--ah--_vivi_--oh, dear, what _is_ the matter with
me?" Here the temptation to peek overcame it for an instant, and its
head wavered. But it said, "No, no!" in a firm tone, looked carefully
the other way, and began once more.

"_Vivo, vives, vive_--quite correct so far. Ah--_vi_--ah--Oh, dear,
these verbs! Where was I? Oh, yes. _Vivo_--"

David's head reeled as he watched this amazing performance. There was
no need to pinch himself to see if he were dreaming: he was perfectly
wide awake. Everything else around him was behaving in a normal way.
The mountain was solid beneath him, the sunlight streamed down as
before. Yet there was the bird, unmistakably before him, undeniably
studying its book and speaking to itself. David's mind caught hold of
a phrase and repeated it over and over again: "What on _earth_? What
on _earth_?" But of course there was no answer to that question. And
he might have lain hidden there all day, staring out at the bird and
marveling, had it not been for a bee which came droning into the
thicket straight for him.

He had a horror of bees, ever since he had once bumped into a hive by
mistake. When he heard that dread sound approaching, his whole body
broke into a sweat. All thought of the bird was immediately driven
from his head. He could tell from the noise that it was one of those