They all rejoiced in advance at the prospect of future good meals.
The big cranes, storks, and herons said: “Our long, sharp, pointed beaks, our long legs, and powerful wings are great possessions, for they help us to get our living. With our legs we wade in the water to seek our food; with our slender necks and long beaks we seize our prey, and when our hunting grounds are far apart, our wings carry us swiftly to them.
“We have also very good eyesight, but in spite of all the gifts we possess, if we were not wary and intelligent, we should not be able to get our living.”
The pelicans praised their big, webbed feet which allow them to swim fast, their big pouches which could hold many fish, and their mighty wings which enabled them to rise from the water and fly when they are heavy with their pouches full of fish.
All these birds began their journey at about the same time. Those that were farther away or who did not fly so fast started before those that were swifter on the wing, for all knew exactly how long it would take to make the journey, and all hoped to be the first to arrive on the hunting-ground.
Many of the ibis had started from the shores of the Nile, where in ancient days their kin was sacred among the Egyptians.
As one looked up into the sky he could see at times birds flying from the east, north, and south (only gulls from the west, where the ocean was), some following the shore, all on their way to the rivers, lagoons, and prairies of the great forest. Some of them were in pairs, others in larger numbers. Those who were in flocks had their leaders at their heads.
How strange they looked as they flew through the air! The great cranes and storks, with their long legs stretched back to their full length and parallel with their bodies and protected by them, so that in their flight they might not be impeded by the wind. How knowing they were!
The pelicans had their feet close to their bodies, for otherwise these would have obstructed their flight if they had been hanging down.
Onward and onward they flew, covering an immense distance in a day, resting here and there to feed or to sleep. At last they all reached their destination.