58 



OUR BACKDOOR NEIGHBORS 



article of diet. However, seldom did more 

 than a day elapse without a chicken being 

 served in proper Cooper Hawk style, even 

 then. The prairie gray squirrel (Franklin's 

 spermophile) and the striped ground squirrel 

 were the only small animals that the Naturalist 

 knew them to take. In fact, no insects or rep- 

 tiles or other small animals, as far as he could 

 tell, entered into the diet. 



When the first of the three young birds left 

 the nest it was captured, and together with the 

 other two taken to the home of the Naturalist, 

 where they were placed in a large cage. Their 



Two of the birds finally killed and ate the third one. 



