ke the others?" he asked.

"Your claws grew too hooked, and your toes too large while you were up
there on the cliff," Akka replied. "But you'll make a fine bird all the
same."

The eaglet's wings soon grew so large that they could carry him; but not
until autumn, when the goslings learned to fly, did it dawn upon him
that he could use them for flight. There came a proud time for him, for
at this sport he was the peer of them all. His companions never stayed
up in the air any longer than they had to, but he stayed there nearly
the whole day, and practised the art of flying. So far it had not
occurred to him that he was of another species than the geese, but he
could not help noting a number of things that surprised him, and he
questioned Akka constantly.

"Why do grouse and lemming run and hide when they see my shadow on the
cliff?" he queried. "They don't show such fear of the other goslings."

"Your wings grew too big when you were on the cliff," said Akka. "It is
that which frightens the little wretches. But don't be unhappy because
of that. You'll be a fine bird all the same."

After the eagle had learned to fly, he taught himself to fish, and to
catch frogs. But by and by he began to ponder this also.

"How does it happen that I live on fish and frogs?" he asked. "The other
goslings don't."

"This is due to the fact that I had no other food to give you when you
were on the cliff," said Akka. "But don't let that make you sad. You'll
be a fine bird all the same."

When the wild geese began their autumn moving, Gorgo flew along with the
flock, regarding himself all the while as one of them. The air was
filled with birds who were on their way south, and there was great
excitement among them when Akka appeared with an eagle in her train. The
wild goose flock was continually surrounded by swarms of the curious who
loudly expressed their astonishment. Akka bade them be silent, but it
was impossible to stop so many wagging tongues.

"Why do they call me an eagle?" Gorgo asked repeatedly, growing more and
more exasperated. "Can't they see that I'm a wild goose? I'm no
bird-eater who preys upon his kind. How dare they give me such an ugly
name?"

One day they flew above a barn yard where many chickens walked on a dump
heap and picked. "An eagle! An eagle!" shrieked the chickens, and
started to run for shelter. But Gorgo, who had heard the eagles spoken
of as savage criminals, could not control his anger. He snapp