THE MURDEROUS CAT 201 



nest, not because of any lack of desire, but be- 

 cause a Hawk hunts by sight and a nest is al- 

 ways hidden. Next he thought of a raccoon, or 

 perhaps a possum, but both those creatures hunt 

 at night and it was now in the full glare of an 

 afternoon sun. The boy decided, at last, that it 

 must be either a red squirrel or a snake, for the 

 parent birds were too panic-stricken for their cries 

 to denote any of the robber birds, such as Grackle, 

 Jay or Crow. 



Shan felt himself to be the patron and protector 

 of that Thrush's nest. Moreover, he had a dis- 

 tinct personal affection for the little birds, each 

 of whom he had named and in each of whom in- 

 dividual characteristics had begun to appear. 

 The Thrushes were his folks. 



Determined, therefore, to save his feathered 

 chums from harm, Shan stepped out from the 

 blind, grabbing the heavy stick he generally 

 carried when he went through the woods. If the 

 foe were a red squirrel, he could, at least, frighten 

 him away. If it were a snake, he could break the 

 marauder's back. 



At the risk of alarming the parent birds and 

 thereby spoiling his picture chances for the day, 

 Shan searched diligently, moving as little as possi- 



