THE CHICKEN THIEF 57 



Jones's chickens were going. During the first 

 few weeks of the observation no evidence of 

 any food other than poultry, pigeons, or birds 

 was found. Breakfast, dinner or supper, it 

 was spring chicken, pigeon, or quail. Of 

 course, the diet was varied with such deli- 

 cacies as robin, flicker, or thrush, but such 

 commonplace food as mice and gophers was 

 spurned. Chicken, being the most easily 

 available, was perhaps more often served than 

 any other single item. 



When it comes to supplying six to a dozen 

 chickens a week to a family of hawks, even a 

 large flock soon shows the effects, and the 

 Naturalist did not wonder that Tommy was on 

 the warpath. When finally the Naturalist told 

 Tommy about the nest and the daily menu, 

 his indignation knew no bounds. What he 

 thought of the Naturalist is better imagined 

 than told. Still he refused to be convinced 

 that the Red-tail family had not been equally 

 guilty. About the first week in July the 

 farmers were putting up their hay and harvest- 

 ing their small grain. By the rath the fields 

 were clean, and the ground squirrels could be 

 seen everywhere scampering about. Ground 

 squirrel now became for a time a favorite 



