36 OUR BACKDOOR NEIGHBORS 



Growing birds have voracious appetites, 

 and by the middle of May they were consum- 

 ing much food. On the eighteenth of that 

 month the Naturalist decided that it was time 

 to get some kind of a photograph, so the three 

 youngsters were let down from their high 

 home in a basket. All the time both parents 

 wheeled about far overhead and screamed in a 

 most distressed manner. The young birds also 

 protested to the best of their ability. They 

 kept their mouths open constantly, even when 

 being photographed, and struck with their 

 talons whenever a hand came near. As there 

 was no better place, all three were placed in a 

 row on an old log with a dead pocket gopher, 

 which had just been brought for their dinner. 

 After the picture had been taken they were 

 hauled up again in the basket and replaced in 

 the nest. 



On this red-letter day, when they posed for 

 their first picture, they had three pocket 

 gophers, a large Franklin's spermophile, or 

 prairie gray squirrel, and two field mice 

 served up in the best hawk style. This menu 

 was fairly typical of their daily fare, although 

 it was varied with rats and striped ground 

 squirrels occasionally. 



