But
he didn't say anything until Farmer Brown's boy was so near that he
couldn't help but see that nest and Hooty himself, sitting up very
straight and snapping his bill angrily at his tormentors. Then
Blacky gave the alarm, and at once all the Crows rose in the air and
headed for the Green Meadows, cawing at the top of their
lungs. Blacky went with them a little way. The first chance he got
he dropped out of the flock and silently flew back to a place where
he could see all that might happen at the nest of Hooty the Owl.
When Farmer Brown's boy first caught sight of the nest and saw the
Crows darting down toward it and acting so excited, he was puzzled.
"That's an old nest of Red-tail the Hawk, " thought he. "I found
that last spring. Now what can there be there to excite those Crows
so?"
Then he caught sight of Hooty the Owl. "Ha, so that's it!" he
exclaimed. "Those scamps have discovered Hooty and have been having
no end of fun tormenting him. I wonder what he's doing there."
He no longer tried to keep out of sight, but walked right up to the
foot of the tree, all the time looking up. Hooty saw him, but
instead of flying away, he snapped his bill just as he had at the
Crows and hissed.
"That's funny, " thought Farmer Brown's boy. "If I didn't know that
to be the old nest of Redtail the Hawk, and if it weren't still the
tail-end of winter, I would think that was Hooty's nest."
He walked in a circle around the tree, looking up.
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