e."

So he called together all the birds, and told them what he had seen, and
they all agreed to hide themselves the next day and lie in wait for the
thief.

By this time Jim Crow thought himself perfectly safe, and success had
made him as bold as he was wicked. Therefore he suspected nothing when,
after rolling himself in the chalk, he flew down the next day into the
forest to feast upon birds' eggs. He soon came to a pretty nest, and was
just about to rob it, when a chorus of shrill cries arose on every side
of him and hundreds, of birds--so many that they quite filled the air--
flew straight at the white one, pecking him with their bills and
striking him with their wings; for anger had made even the most timid of
the little birds fierce, and there were so many of them that they gave
each other courage.

Jim Crow tried to escape, but whichever way he might fly his foes
clustered all around him, getting in his way so that he could not use
his big wings properly. And all the time they were pecking at him and
fighting him as hard as they could. Also, the chalk was brushed from his
feathers, by degrees, and soon the birds were able to recognize their
old enemy the crow, and then, indeed, they became more furious than
ever.

Policeman Blue Jay was especially angry at the deception practiced upon
him, and if he could have got at the crow just then he would have killed
it instantly. But the little birds were all in his way, so he was forced
to hold aloof.

Filled with terror and smarting with pain, Jim Crow had only one
thought: to get to the shelter of his nest in the pine-tree. In some way
he managed to do this, and to sink exhausted into the hollow of his
nest. But many of his enemies followed him, and although the thick
feathers of his back and wings protected his body, Jim's head and eyes
were at the mercy of the sharp bills of the vengeful birds.

When at last they left him, thinking he had been sufficiently punished,
Jim Crow was as nearly dead as a bird could be. But crows are tough, and
this one was unlucky enough to remain alive. For when his wounds had
healed he had become totally blind, and day after day he sat in his
nest, helpless and alone, and dared not leave it.

Chapter VIII
Jim Crow Has Time to Repent His Sins

"WHERE are you going, my dear?" asked the Blue Jay of his wife.

"I'm going to carry some grubs to Jim Crow," she answered. "I'll be back
in a minute."

"Jim Crow is a robber and a