190 UPLAND SHOOTING. 



pair of young grouse. As the owls slept all day and the 

 chickens slept all night, peace reigned supreme. At even- 

 ing, when I returned to camp, after the day's ride over 

 the range, and fed my pets, they would all eat from 

 my fingers, and the only sign of a quarrel would be when 

 three of the birds would unite to rob the lucky fourth of 

 some especially tempting morsel; but, in a most unfort- 

 unate hour, I discovered a pair of Western red-tailed 

 hawks up the canon. They were circling above a nest 

 in an old pine- tree, and I instantly made up my mind that 

 another ornithological prize was mine. I threw the bridle 

 over the horse's head, and commenced to climb, and a 

 hard forty-foot pull it was, but I met with no serious 

 trouble until almost within reach of the nest. "Then 

 the trouble began to brew." It did not brew long. It 

 naturally burst, and those old hawks fanned my back 

 with their powerful wings, and flew into my face with 

 such fury that I was about ready to slide down as grace- 

 fully as possible. My wrists still bear the scars received 

 from the talons of the mother bird. But my blood was 

 up. I could hear the young hissing in the nest just 

 above my head, so I made a last effort, obtained a foot- 

 hold, and being in position to fight, soon had the melan- 

 choly and irate parents flapping twenty feet above me. 

 The young birds were as large as full-grown prairie fowl, 

 and well able to fly if they had possessed sufficient sense 

 to leave the nest. As it was, they fought most viciously, 

 but my handkerchief bound one and a piece of string the 

 other, and the success of the expedition was assured. The 

 old hawks followed me back to the cabin, though they 

 were content to remain at a respectful distance. I clipped 

 the wings of the captives, and put them in durance vile. 

 Chicks and owls gave them a wide berth, and I thought 

 I discerned signs of an approaching storm, so I gave 

 them a hearty meal, to which the hawks did full justice, 



