48 OUR BACKDOOR NEIGHBORS 



in sight at the time when new losses were dis- 

 covered among his chickens, his feelings 

 nearly overcame him. On such occasion, if 

 opportunity offered, he was very free to tell 

 the Naturalist, in language more forceful than 

 eloquent, just what he thought of him and his 

 hawks. 



This time the Naturalist was not entirely 

 above reproach, for he had a secret. He knew 

 the thief and knew where the stolen birds were 

 served daily at dinner. The Naturalist was 

 not in sympathy with the thief, but he was 

 anxious to learn the real facts concerning the 

 habits of an undesirable family of neighbors 

 and was patiently watching them to find out. 

 Besides, if Tommy Jones had used his eyes to 

 good advantage he might have known also. 



Mr. and Mrs. Cooper Hawk, like criminals 

 generally, were very shy in their movements. 

 While they fed daily from the poultry yards 

 of the neighborhood, few persons ever saw 

 them come, and when they were seen their 

 movements were so swift that the observer had 

 but a confused idea of the bird he saw. 

 Tommy Jones was not the only one who 

 charged the Red-tails with the theft of the 

 chickens taken by the Cooper Hawks. While 



