114 BIRD STORIES FROM BURROUGHS 



mates in his service, he even robbed the cats to 

 feed the hawk. His usefulness as a boy of all 



work was seriously impaired. " Where is J ? " 



" Gone after a squirrel for his hawk. " And 

 often the day would be half gone before his hunt 

 was successful. The premises were very soon 

 cleared of mice, and the vicinity of chipmunks and 

 squirrels. Farther and farther he was compelled 

 to hunt the surrounding farms and woods to keep 

 up with the demands of the hawk. By the time 

 the hawk was ready to fly, it had consumed 

 twenty-one chipmunks, fourteen red squirrels, 

 sixteen mice, and twelve English sparrows, be- 

 sides a great deal of butcher's meat. 



His plumage very soon began to show itself, 

 crowding off tufts of the down. The quills on his 

 great wings sprouted and grew apace. What a 

 ragged, uncanny appearance he presented ! but 

 his look of extreme age gradually became modi- 

 fied. What a lover of the sunlight he was ! We 

 would put him out upon the grass in the full blaze 

 of the morning sun, and he would spread his wings 

 and bask in it with the most intense enjoyment. 

 In the nest the young must be exposed to the 

 full power of the midday sun during our first 

 heated terms in June and July, the thermometer 

 often going up to ninety-three or ninety-five de- 

 grees, so that sunshine seemed to be a need of 



