. Wood folk at school. close call! And with a white, scared face, ashe saw the ugly wound that the herons beak hadopened, he dragged me away as if there had been abear in the water grass. The black-cat had not yet received punishmentenough. He is one of the largest of the weasel fam-ily, and has a double measure of the weasels savage-ness and tenacity. He darted about the heron in aquick, nervous, jumping circle, looking for an openingbehind; while Quoskh lifted her great torn wings as ashield and turned slowly on the defensive, so as alwaysto face the danger. A dozen times the fisher jumped,f
. Wood folk at school. close call! And with a white, scared face, ashe saw the ugly wound that the herons beak hadopened, he dragged me away as if there had been abear in the water grass. The black-cat had not yet received punishmentenough. He is one of the largest of the weasel fam-ily, and has a double measure of the weasels savage-ness and tenacity. He darted about the heron in aquick, nervous, jumping circle, looking for an openingbehind; while Quoskh lifted her great torn wings as ashield and turned slowly on the defensive, so as alwaysto face the danger. A dozen times the fisher jumped,filling the air with feathers; a dozen times the stiffenedwings struck down to intercept his spring, and everyblow was followed by a swift javelin thrust. Then,as the fisher crouched snarling in the grass, off hisguard for an instant, I saw Mother Quoskh take asudden step forward, her first offensive move — justas I had seen her twenty times at the finish of a frogstalk — and her bill shot down with the whole power. *-?••. A DOZEN TIMES THE FISHER JUMPEDFILLING THE AIR WITH FEATHERS ^uoskh the Keen Eyed 105 of her long neck behind it. A harsh screech of painfollowed the swift blow; then the fisher wobbled awaywith blind, uncertain jumps towards the shelter ofthe woods. And now, with her savage enemy in full flight, afierce, hot anger seemed to flare within the motherheron, burning out all the previous cool, calculatingdefense. Her wings heaved aloft, as the soldiers of oldthrew up their shields in the moment of victory; whileher whole frame seemed to swell with power, like ahero whose fight is won. She darted after the fisher,first on the run, then with heavy wing beats, till sheheaded him and with savage blows of pinion and beakdrove him back, seeing nothing, guided only by fearand instinct, towards the water. For five minutesmore she chevied him hither and yon through thetrampled grass, driving him from water to bush andback again, jabbing him at every turn; till a rus
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjecta, booksubjectanimals
