XXI 



FLEETWING THE SPARROW HAWK 



THE first time I saw him he was chasing over the 

 fields close in the wake of another bird of almost ex- 

 actly his own size but not quite so brilliantly colored. 

 Back and forth they flew, circling and dashing first one 

 way and then another, occasionally giving utterance to a 

 shrill little cry. Whenever they came near, all the small 

 birds took to cover at once. I probably would not have 

 seen them had not the old white rooster called my atten- 

 tion to the fact that they were near. Immediately every 

 hen in the vicinity gave a startled cackle and started toward 

 the chicken house or into the brush near by. This sort of 

 thing had happened so often before that I knew there 

 must be some sort of hawk about. Looking around I saw 

 two birds not much larger than doves dashing about over 

 the pasture. 



"Very well," I said to myself, "I will try to find time 

 to locate your nest and study you this summer." You are 

 perfectly harmless little fellows, and as far as I am con- 

 cerned you may nest where you please. It may be inter- 

 esting to see what you are about from time to time. There 

 are a good many mice in the field and about the poultry 

 yard, and if you will but decide to nest in the deserted 

 flicker's hole in the top of the old hickory tree you will 



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