The Eagle, the Jackdaw, and the Shepherd
An over-excited jackdaw goes out of his league, and pays the price.
An over-excited jackdaw goes out of his league, and pays the price.
A jackdaw is a member of the crow family, with a little silver sheen to the back of its head. It is not one of the larger crows, but in this story, a jackdaw’s envy leads him to forget that.
ONCE upon a time, a mighty eagle swooped down from his lofty stone perch, and carried off a lamb.
A jackdaw watched it with rising envy, until he was so overcome with the desire to imitate him that, with a great whirring of wings, he landed on a full-grown ram, and promptly got tangled up in its fleece.
He fluttered and flapped, but could neither get free nor carry off his intended prey. At length, a shepherd came to see what all the commotion was.
Since evening was drawing on and it was time to go home, he caught the jackdaw, clipped his wings, and gave him to his children for a pet.
When they asked him what kind of a bird it was, he replied “Well if you ask me, I’ll tell you he’s a jackdaw.
“But if you ask him, he’ll tell you he’s an eagle.”
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
What prompted the jackdaw to try to snatch a sheep?
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
A jackdaw watched an eagle. The eagle carried off a lamb. The jackdaw was very envious.