Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-11-28
YOUNG FOLKS COLUMN.

their visitor, who walked about undar
the tree, gazing at the barred hresst
and tail of whichever bird happened =.
be sitting ut the time.
One day he came and found both hir5,
away, and ascending the tree saw Tn,
down young hawks. For weeks the mar
ent birds fed these helpless nesfljnas
catching. large insects, frogs. mice and
many other small creatures TO STAY The
hunger. BY and by the fledglings wera
ready 70 leave the nest, and my friend
quietly took them away and Skinned
them 10 me that might study their hab-
its for while
For about a month l kept them in =.
cage abort six feet long. with upreb
running from end to end. They did Nor
seem To take their confinement in bat
part, though at times they became rathn.
uneasy. fitting from one end Of fba
perch to the ether, often skipping Ii0ht'v
over each others backs in orler to do -,
When they were fed they showed Ettle
fear, ticking from my hand mice, grass
hoppers or raw beef, and usually carr
ing their food up on the perch to de-
YOUR it. After the manner of hawks In
general, they held it firmly with one or
| both feet and pulled it to pieces swif,,
their hooked bills. At ali times of tho
day they uttered their plaintive whistles
which often half persuaded me to give
them their liberty before / had cotuUJe+ad
| my observations. But | kept ,hem until
the end of the month and then | took
them into the air. one after another
Two of them flew away and | saw
neither of them again for several weeks
when local gunner brought in one of
| them, limp and cod: he had shot If ~
| It sat quietly on n treetop. The third
bird refused TO leave us. He sat in an
apple tree all afternoon and only toward
| night did he fly off to patch of woodland
! n bOnf "a ut19PfpY of "a r11iia from, ba
| Thence we could hear his pathetic Che
| w-e-e-e,' which seemed to gently profess
| against our unkindness in allowing him
| to be hungry. So my wife went out to
the woods with some food, and sitting
| on a fallen tree, whistled softly in imi
| tation of his own voice. In moment he
came to her side, and, although ravenous-
| ~ hungry, took the food as gently as 4
canary.
From that time he has been n Source
of continual pleasure. After being fed
few times in the wood he soon learned
to come into the garden for his food, and
now whenever he is hungry he flies 10
the roof and calls us. We try to re-
spend at once, and when we appear. he
Ines down upon our hands or shoulders
| 10 eat whatver we may have for him
| AZ hrst lie was quite nervous, and if a
stranger appeared or if he heard any I'M
usual sound of any kind he was off to the
NCous, 70 come Dack only after much pa-
tlcnt calling. But now no ordinary SIGHT
o. sound alarms him, and although the
! quick turn of his head shows that moth
! Ing escapes him he will not fly away until
| he has finished his meal.
| lie spends most Of his time al some dis
lance from the house. sitting quietly in
a tree for hours at time. If We happen
TO want him when he is away, it is only
necessary to whistle An answering Che
we-e-e' tells us the summons has been
| heard, and with series of whistles,
sounding nearer and nearer, he comes
! sailing gracefully over the treetops 10
| the roof of the house Then down he
pitches to an outstretched hand. and gen
| lily he takes whatever is offered him. An
! parently he is satisfied with the food
which is given him, for | have not been
able to observe that he catches anything
| for himself
How long he viii stay with MS it re-
mans to be seen, bur ] am inclined to
ehink that, with his contented. gentle dis
POSITION, he will stay until. the nesting
season, unless some gunner sees him on
ms roost and blows him into bits as a
PROOF of good workmanship. FIX
change.