THE MESA TRAIL 



but not so swift or secretive but some small 

 sailing hawk or lazy crow, perhaps one or 

 two of each, has spied upon him and come 

 drifting down the wind to the killing. 



No burrower is so unwise as not to have 

 several exits from his dwelling under pro- 

 tecting shrubs. When the badger goes 

 down, as many of the furry people as are 

 not caught napping come up by the back 

 doors, and the hawks make short work of 

 them. I suspect that the crows get no- 

 thing but the gratification of curiosity and 

 the pickings of some secret store of seeds 

 unearthed by the badger. Once the ex- 

 cavation begins they walk about expec- 

 tantly, but the little gray hawks beat slow 

 circles about the doors of exit, and are 

 wiser in their generation, though they do 

 not look it. 



There are always solitary hawks sailing 

 152 



