ADMIRING THUIR OWN Fi;i;T 



Photo by Howard II. Cleaves 



This was a failing among the black-backs. It was often done after the preening was 



completed 



With new eyes and a change in posture, 

 the owl looked like the real, living thing; 

 indeed, it worked almost too well when 

 put out for the experiment. The dummy 

 was perched prominently on a side hill, 

 and with a companion I crawled beneath 

 a canopy of pine boughs and gave a few 

 scolding crow-calls to bring on the van- 

 guard of the mob. 



SAVAGE ATTACKS BY A HAWK 



Like magic, fish-crows and common 

 crows appeared on the scene, seeming to 

 come from every point of the compass. 

 They formed themselves into a croaking, 

 cawing, swirling spiral and heaped their 

 wrath upon the immovable barred owl on 

 the side hill below. 



Soon a red-shouldered hawk sailed 

 smoothly out from a woodland to investi- 

 gate the row. On sighting the owl he 

 broke into rapid flight and went scream- 

 ing at the head of the poor wretch. 



The uproar had reached its height and 

 one photograph had been made when sud- 

 denly the hawk left the scene, and the 

 crows, v/ith a few sharp caws, faded into 



the distance. Looking from the blind, we 

 perceived a bare-headed woman and her 

 son racing toward us through thickets 

 and brambles, and when we stepped forth 

 and the woman came up to where we 

 stood she demanded to know what we 

 were doing to the birds. It was a strik- 

 ing demonstration of the spirit of, bird 

 protection, even though our sport had 

 been spoiled for the day. 



The next time the owl was put up in 

 a spot more remote from human habita- 

 tion and with uninterrupted success. A 

 fish-crow was the first to give the alarm, 

 and presently there were fully 75 crows 

 in the air and in trees close by. Care 

 had been taken to put the dummy only 

 a hundred yards from the nest of a red- 

 shouldered hawk, and the male bird, who 

 had been noted scouting about the vicin- 

 ity, was not long in being attracted by 

 the rumpus. 



Strangely enough, this very hawk a 

 few minutes before had been harassed by 

 the crows, but in the presence of the new 

 enemy the black raiders forgot these for- 

 mer differences ; in fact, they were quite 

 willing: to resign in favor of the red- 



13 



