Some Homes in the Green Forest 



with grayish-brown and buff, the lower part having 

 but few streaks. Below this were black spots 

 and bars ending in white. But it was the tail 

 which Peter noticed most of all. It was a rich 

 reddish-brown with a narrow black band near 

 its end and a white tip. Peter understood at 

 once why this big Hawk is called Redtail. 



It was not until Mr. and Mrs. Redtail had gone 

 in quest of more food for their hungry youngsters 

 that Peter dared steal away. As soon as he felt 

 it safe to do so, he headed for home as fast as he 

 could go, lipperty-lipperty-lip. He knew that he 

 wouldn't feel safe until that lonesome place in 

 the Green Forest was far behind. 



Yet if the truth be known, Peter had less cause 

 to worry than would have been the case had it 

 been some other member of the Hawk family 

 instead of Redtail. And while Redtail and his 

 wife do sometimes catch some of their feathered 

 and furred neighbors, and once in a while a 

 chicken, they do vastly more good than harm. 



[135] 



