Everything and everybody clapped and bowed and cheered. Dogs wagged tails, chickens cackled, roosters crowed, birds sang, and flowers waved themselves.
The Eagle looked about fiercely, bowed slightly, and seated himself on his throne, which was on a little hill.
The entertainment began with a duet given by a wood thrush and a song sparrow. It was very pretty indeed. This was followed by a Virginia Reel given by the daisies and buttercups.
The orchestra was made up of thrushes, whippoorwills and woodpeckers
Then the Eagle rapped loudly with his terrible rod and said, “Every one may dance.” And every one did.
The orchestra was made up of thrushes, whippoorwills and woodpeckers. The woodpeckers beat time on the bark of the trees. Sometimes the robins and song sparrows joined. It all sounded very well indeed until some blue jays and roosters started in. Then an old crow commenced keeping time with his “caw, caw, caw.”
This was too much for the Eagle, who beat angrily on the oak tree with his rod and stopped the dance immediately. “Too much like a jazz band,” he shrieked. “We want real music here. Jays, roosters and crows be silent, or leave the dance hall. No cackling and cawing in my orchestra while I am King of Birds.”
You should have seen the dancing. The flowers kept pretty much to themselves and almost always waltzed.
The birds danced a two-step, flapping their wings to beat time and splitting their dances for a bit of a fly now and then.