awk family. At first he thought it was Redtail. Then he caught a
flash of white, and he thought it was Whitetail the Marsh Hawk, in spite
of the fact that it didn't fly like him. Peter didn't stop to think of
that. It was enough for him that a member of the Hawk family was headed
that way, and he didn't care a twitch of his funny little tail which
member it was. He felt that the stomach of one was quite as undesirable
a place for Peter Rabbit as the stomach of another, and he had no
intention of filling any if he could help it.

He remembered that there was an old house of Johnny Chuck's under the
Big Hickory-tree on the bank of the Smiling Pool, and he wasted no time
in getting there, lipperty-lipperty-lip, as fast as he could go. He
would stay there until the way was clear to get home to the dear Old
Briar-patch. As soon as he was safe in the old house of Johnny Chuck, he
turned and poked his head out of the doorway. He wanted to see if any
one would be caught. He hoped not, but if any one was caught, he wanted
to see. You know Peter never misses anything if he can help it. On came
Mr. Hawk, and when he was right over the Smiling Pool, he turned and
made a short circle high in the air. Then Peter saw that he had a white
waist-coat and was a stranger.

"I wonder who he is?" thought Peter, staring very hard. "He's bigger
than either Redtail or Whitetail. I hope he isn't going to make his home
here, because we have trouble enough as it is."

Suddenly Mr. Hawk paused high up in the air, then closed his wings and
shot straight down like an arrow. Plunge! Peter couldn't believe his own
eyes. Mr. Hawk actually had disappeared in the Smiling Pool! A second
later there was a great splashing, and out of the water rose Mr. Hawk,
flapping his great wings heavily, scattering spray in all directions.
Up, up he went, and then Peter saw that in his great claws was a fish.
Peter watched him fly away with the fish, and when he felt that it was
quite safe to do so, he came out. Over on the end of an old log among
the bulrushes sat Jerry Muskrat just where Peter had left him. It was
very plain that Jerry hadn't been the least bit frightened by Mr. Hawk.
Peter couldn't understand it. His eyes fairly popped out of his head
with excitement and curiosity.

"Who was that?" he asked eagerly.

"That? Why, that was Plunger the Osprey, though some people call him
Fish Hawk," replied Jerry. "I thought everybody knew him. Why did you
run away,