Some Feathered Diggers 



t "Are they the only kind of food you eat?" 

 ventured Peter. 



Killy laughed. It was a shrill laugh. "I 

 should say not," said he. "I eat spiders and 

 worms and all sorts of insects big enough to give a 

 fellow a decent bite. But for real good eating 

 give me a fat Meadow Mouse. I don't object to 

 a Sparrow or some other small bird now and then, 

 especially when I have a family of hungry young- 

 sters to feed. But take it the season through, 

 I live mostly on grasshoppers and insects and 

 Meadow Mice. I do a lot of good in this world, 

 I'd have you know." 



Peter said that he supposed that this was so, 

 but all the time he kept thinking what a pity it 

 was that Killy ever killed his feathered neighbors. 

 As soon as he conveniently could he politely bade 

 Killy good-by and hurried home to the dear Old 

 Briar-patch, there to think over how queer it 

 seemed that a member of the Hawk family should 

 nest in a hollow tree and a member of the Swallow 

 family should dig a hole in the ground. 



[167] 



