m he pecked at her eyes; and then,
screaming a defiance to all the world, Jim Crow flew into the air and
sailed away to a new life in another part of the world.

Chapter III
Jim Crow Finds a New Home

I'LL not try to tell you of all the awful things this bad crow did
during the next few days, on his long journey toward the South.

Twinkle almost cried when she found her pet gone; and she really did cry
when she saw the poor murdered chickens. But mamma said she was very
glad to have Jim Crow run away, and papa scowled angrily and declared he
was sorry he had not killed the cruel bird when he shot at it in the
corn-field.

In the mean time the runaway crow flew through the country, and when he
was hungry he would stop at a farm-house and rob a hen's nest and eat
the eggs. It was his knowledge of farm-houses that made him so bold; but
the farmers shot at the thieving bird once or twice, and this frightened
Jim Crow so badly that he decided to keep away from the farms and find a
living in some less dangerous way.

And one day he came to a fine forest, where there were big and little
trees of all kinds, with several streams of water running through the
woods.

"Here," said Jim Crow, "I will make my home; for surely this is the
finest place I am ever likely to find."

There were plenty of birds in this forest, for Jim could hear them
singing and twittering everywhere among the trees; and their nests hung
suspended from branches, or nestled in a fork made by two limbs, in
almost every direction he might look. And the birds were of many kinds,
too: robins, thrushes, bullfinches, mocking-birds, wrens, yellowtails
and skylarks. Even tiny humming-birds fluttered around the wild
flowers that grew in the glades; and in the waters of the brooks waded
long-legged herons, while kingfishers sat upon overhanging branches and
waited patiently to seize any careless fish that might swim too near
them. Jim Crow decided this must be a real paradise for birds, because
it was far away from the houses of men. So he made up his mind to get
acquainted with the inhabitants of the forest as soon as possible, and
let them know who he was, and that he must be treated with proper
respect.

In a big fir-tree, whose branches reached nearly to the ground, he saw a
large gathering of the birds, who sat chattering and gossiping
pleasantly together. So he flew down and joined them.

"Good morning, folks," he said; and his voice sounded to th