30 OUR BACKDOOR NEIGHBORS 



The Naturalist is, thus, sometimes unable to 

 protect his friends, even at home. 



Mr. and Mrs. Red-tail looked the ground 

 over and decided that they would begin house- 

 building in a tall tree near the Naturalist's 

 house. The Naturalist was much pleased, but 

 anxious, for Tommy had passed the word 

 around that a pair of chicken hawks were in 

 the neighborhood. Within a mile of the tree 

 which the Red-tails had selected there are 

 fourteen houses. At each of these fourteen 

 homes chickens are raised, and, accordingly, 

 the inhabitants thereof are very watchful lest 

 a hawk should rear a family in the neighbor- 

 hood and thus endanger the lives of the chick- 

 ens. 



Mr. and Mrs. Red-tail lived a precarious 

 life during the following weeks. The area in 

 which they might nest was small, and thirteen 

 guns were ready loaded and war already de- 

 clared. Whenever a small boy would see 

 them soaring high overhead, he would 

 scamper to the house to give the alarm that 

 chicken hawks are coming. Dad or big 

 brother would take a look to see whether there 

 was any chance to get within gunshot. Mr. 

 and Mrs. Red-tail kept far to the open fields, 



