CHAPTER III: Blacky Finds Out Who Owns The Eggs

 Two big white eggs in a tumbledown nest, and snow and ice everywhere! Did ever anybody hear of such a thing before?

 

“Wouldn't believe it, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes,” muttered¹ Blacky the Crow. “Have to believe them. If I can't believe them, it's of no use to try to believe anything in this world. As sure as I sit here, that old nest has two eggs in it. Whoever² laid them must be crazy to start housekeeping at this time of year. I must find out whose eggs they are and then—”

 

Blacky didn't finish, but there was a hungry look in his eyes that would have told any who saw it, had there been any to see it, that he had a use for those eggs. But there was none to see it, and he took the greatest care that there should be none to see him when he once again started for a certain lonesome corner of the Green Forest.

 

“First I'll make sure that the eggs are still there,” thought he, and flew high above the tree tops, so that as he passed over the tree in which was the old nest of Red-tail the Hawk³, he might look down into it. To have seen him, you would never have guessed that he was looking for anything in particular. He seemed to be just flying over on his way to some distant place. If the eggs were still there, he meant to come back and hide in the top of a near-by pine-tree to watch until he was sure that he might safely steal those eggs, or to find out whose they were.

 

Blacky's heart beat fast with excitement as he drew near that old tumble-down nest. Would those two big white eggs be there? Perhaps there would be three! The very thought made him flap⁴ his wings a little faster. A few more wing strokes⁵ and he would be right over the tree. How he did hope to see those eggs! He could almost see into the nest now. One stroke⁶! Two strokes! Three strokes! Blacky bit his tongue to keep from giving a sharp caw of disappointment⁷ and surprise.

 

There were no eggs to be seen. No, Sir, there wasn't a sign of eggs in that old nest. There wasn't because—why, do you think? There wasn't because Blacky looked straight down on a great mass of feathers which quite covered them from sight, and he didn't have to look twice to know that that great mass of feathers was really a great bird, the bird to whom those eggs belonged.

 

Blacky didn't turn to come back as he had planned. He kept right on, just as if he hadn't seen anything, and as he flew he shivered⁸ a little. He shivered at the thought of what might have happened to him if he had tried to steal those eggs the day before and had been caught doing it.

 

“I'm thankful I knew enough to leave them alone,” said he. “Funny I never once guessed whose eggs they are. I might have known⁹ that no one but Hooty the Horned¹⁰ Owl¹¹ would think of nesting at this time of year. And that was Mrs. Hooty I saw on the nest just now. My, but she's big! She's bigger than Hooty himself! Yes, Sir, it's a lucky thing I didn't try to get those eggs yesterday. Probably both Hooty and Mrs. Hooty were sitting close by, only they were sitting so still that I thought they were parts of the tree they were in. Blacky, Blacky, the sooner you forget those eggs the better.”

 

Some things are best forgotten As soon as they are learned¹². Who never plays with fire Will surely¹³ not get burned.

 

1 muttered   

轻声低语，咕哝地抱怨( mutter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He muttered a curse at the other driver. 他低声咒骂另一位开车的人。
• She turned away and muttered something unintelligible. 她转向一旁，嘴里不知咕哝些什么。

2 whoever   

pron.无论谁，不管谁；任何人

参考例句：

• I'll find the person who did this,whoever he is.我要找出干这件事的人，不管他是谁。
• Whoever does best will get the prize.谁做得最出色谁就得奖。

3 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

4 flap   

n.垂下物，帽沿，袋盖；v.拍打，拍动

参考例句：

• Although I moistened it,the flap doesn't stick to the envelope.我把信封弄湿了，可是信封口盖还是粘不上。
• With a flap of its wings the sparrow flew off.麻雀忒儿一声飞了。

5 strokes   

中风； a sudden loss of consciousness resulting when the rupture or occlusion of a blood vessel leads to oxygen lack in the brain.； （游泳或划船的）划( stroke的名词复数 )； 中风； （打、击等的）一下； （成功的）举动

参考例句：

• Apply the paint thickly in even strokes. 涂颜料要厚，笔画要匀。
• To improve your tennis strokes you try using a different grip. 为了提高你网球的击球法，你试试用另一种握拍方法。

6 stroke   

n.笔画，击打，连续的动作，中风，心跳；vt.奉承，轻抚； vi.击打，心跳...

参考例句：

• He drove in a nail with one stroke of the hammer.他一锤就把钉子敲进去了。
• He broke the lock with one stroke of the hammer.他一锤就把锁砸坏了。

7 disappointment   

n.失望，挫折；令人失望的事

参考例句：

• The disappointment was cruel.失望是令人痛苦的。
• She couldn't hide her disappointment.她无法掩饰自己失望的情绪。

8 shivered   

（因寒冷，害怕等）颤抖，哆嗦( shiver的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• We shivered in the damp of the forest. 我们因树林里的湿气而打寒颤。
• She shivered involuntarily as he approached her. 他离她越来越近，她不由自主地颤抖起来。

9 known   

adj.大家知道的；知名的，已知的

参考例句：

• He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
• He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。

10 horned   

adj.有角的，角状的

参考例句：

• The young bull horned the old cow out of the herd. 小公牛用角把老母牛从牛群中顶了出去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• This is a horned cattle. 这是一只有角的牛。 来自辞典例句

11 owl   

n.猫头鹰，枭

参考例句：

• Her new glasses make her look like an owl.她的新眼镜让她看上去像只猫头鹰。
• I'm a night owl and seldom go to bed until after midnight.我睡得很晚，经常半夜后才睡觉。

12 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

13 surely   

adv.确实地，无疑地；必定地，一定地

参考例句：

• It'should surely be possible for them to reach an agreement.想必他们可以达成协议。
• Surely we'll profit from your work.我们肯定会从你的工作中得到益处。