The eagle is the king of the birds. Today, it is the bird emblem of the United States. In earlier days, it was the totem pole of some Native American tribes. To some natives the eagle was the Thunder-Bird. This is a legend about him.
Thunder-Bird lived on top of a mountain overlooking Lake Superior. Its nest was built on the jagged rocks of the highest peak where no Native American could climb.
Sometimes the mountain would smoke like a great furnance. Lightning would shoot out of the sides like forked fire. The black waters of the lake would rise and dash against the rocky shore.
Then Thunder-Bird's voice would roar out across the lake like a great Native American drum. The people in the valley would stay by their firesides. They would say, "Thunder-Bird is flying again." The beating of Thunder-Bird's enormous wings would cause thunder and wind in the sky.