“How many did you condemn as really bad cannibals?” asked Nat, speaking to the Eagle.  “The Sharp-shinned Hawk, and the Great Horned Owl are held over for further trial!” answered Judge Eagle.  “These two are the only ones who have been brought before this court, though accusations have been made against that big brother of his whom the Sharpshin spoke of, and also against a still bigger relative he did not mention.  The names of these two offenders are Cooper’s Hawk and the Goshawk, who will both be brought to the bar of justice at our next session.  This court is now adjourned!”

[Illustration:  Bald Eagle]

After the children had spent some time in looking at the Hawks and Owls, Nat asked, “What are the ‘game birds,’ uncle, that those cannibals sometimes eat?”

“That is not an easy question to answer, my boy; but as we are coming to these birds next, you will learn about them separately.  Game birds as a whole are those chiefly useful as food, and the hunting of them is the occupation of sportsmen.  These birds may belong to the working guilds, and all have habits interesting to bird-lovers; but as regards their value to the world, it is mostly in the shape of food for House People.”

“Then it isn’t wrong for people to kill these birds for food?”

“No, not if it is done fairly, in a true sportsmanlike spirit, and not with traps or snares, or in the nesting season, when no bird should be molested.  The true sportsman never shoots a bird out of season, or a song bird at any time, and it is owing to his care that laws are made to stop the pot-hunters.”

“Are the game birds tree birds, or what?” asked Dodo.

“There are many kinds,” said the Doctor.  “Some of them have cooing notes and build their nests in trees; these belong to the Pigeon family.  Some scratch about and feed on the ground, where they also nest, like our barnyard poultry.  Others run along the banks of rivers or on the sea-beaches, where they wade in shallow water to pick up their food, like Snipes and Plovers; while others swim with their webbed, feet and take their food from deep water, like Geese and Ducks.  There are a few game birds in this glass case—­some Pigeons and Grouse; suppose we finish the morning in their company?

“We will call Pigeons the Birds that Coo; and Grouse are some of the Birds that Scratch, so called because they all have much the same habit as our domestic fowls of scratching the ground for food and to raise a dust in which they take a sort of bath.  See, this Cooer is called the Passenger Pigeon.”

CHAPTER XXVI

A COOING PAIR

THE PASSENGER PIGEON AND THE MOURNING DOVE