BIRDS' ENEMIES. 1 63 



and the eyes of such enemies are so sharp that most 

 birds prefer to keep near bushes or trees so that 

 they may dive into them at the first sight of their foe. 

 Chickadees fly from tree to tree, and if they come to 

 an open space they sHp over, one by one, as hurriedly 

 as possible. A hat thrown up when they are starting 

 frightens them so that they hurry back to shelter. 

 These midday enemies are mostly hawks, swift, strong 

 robbers, with crooked claws and powerful bills. Some 

 of them have very long wangs, so that they can go 

 like an arrow at their victim, and when they reach 

 him and strike their t?Jons into his breast, the force 

 of their flight often strikes him to the ground, where 

 the hawk's hooked bill soon makes an end of the 

 unfortunate bird. 



Other enemies fly softly about at dusk. You have 

 already read about the owls and know how the birds 

 hate the sight of them. There is another night wan- 

 derer whom many of the birds fear and despise as 

 much as they do an owl. It is an animal of which 

 you are probably very fond, your own gentle Pussy. 

 But if Pussy were four or perhaps ten times as big as 

 you are, and you saw her big yellow eyes glaring at 

 your little brothers and sisters or friends, ready to 

 spring at them and eat them, you would set up a cry 

 of warning, too, just as the wrens do when they see 

 her. Many a poor mother- Robin has seen her young 



