“Just then the magpie saw the snake standing up on his tail, so that he could look upon the baby without a mother. She could see that there were tears in the snake’s eyes, and he was moving his head back and forth in sorrow. So the magpie thought, ‘Here at last is one who will take the baby,’ and she said, ‘Snake, can you not take this baby into a cave somewhere and look after him?’ And the snake said, “My wife and I would like to have the baby, for often we are lonely. We could bring him frogs and mice to eat, and we could scare all the bad people away so that he would be safe. But we must not take this baby. Nobody likes us, and it would be bad for him to grow up with us.’ Then all at once he was afraid again, and he slid into the grass and flowed away like fast water, making a sound like _sho--sho--sho sho--sho sho_. “So the old-woman magpie pointed her sharp nose towards the wings-of-the-air who were sitting together on their side of the hoop of peoples. And when she saw the eagle, she said, ‘Eagle, you are the great head chief of all the wings of the air, and you always make a kill. You are so strong that the baby could ride on your back between your wide wings. I am sure _you_ can raise this baby that has no mother.’ And the eagle said, ‘Yes, I am chief of all the winged ones because I am the strongest of them all, and I always make a kill; but I cannot take this baby, for I live in such high places that it is always cold up there, and the baby would get sick and die.’ “While the eagle was talking, everybody was very still, and when he was through, nobody said anything for a while. You could hear the baby whimpering in the grass. Then all at once the wren sent forth a small thin voice, and she said, ‘If I were as big as some of the winged ones around here, I myself would take this baby to raise, for it makes me sad to hear him crying for his mother. Small as I am, I would take him anyway, but my tepee is so little I could never get him into it. I think Hawk could take him. _He_ is big and strong, and _he_ does not live high up where it is cold.’ “When the tiny oriole heard the wren putting it out so boldly, it made her brave too, and she sent forth _her_ thin little voice. ‘I am small too, and little as _I_ am, I would take this baby; but my tepee is so narrow that even I can hardly get into it. I too think Hawk should raise the baby. He can always get something good to eat.’ “‘_Who! Who! Who!_’ cried the owl, which is the same as when we say ‘_how! how!_’ And the bluejay screamed, ‘_hiyay! hiyay!_’ It pleased them to hear the smallest of the winged ones making so brave. “Eagle turned his head slowly and looked hard at Wren and Oriole. Hawk turned his head slowly and looked hard at Wren and Oriole. All the people were looking too, and they saw Wren and Oriole fluffing up their feathers and pulling their heads in, the way they do when they are cold; for all at once they did not feel brave at all.”