[Mypgp-devel] off to his nest when it occurr

[Mingioni K. <pro...@dr...>]

Of the youngsters, badly frightened, ran back to the mother. The other
remained, limp and motionless, in the owl's corner, with a set of
steel-like talons clutching it. "The mother started to the rescue
boldly. But the moment she left the rest of the litter the second owl
hopped over toward them. She paused in an agony of irresolution. Then
she turned and scurried back. She could not sacrifice all for the sake
of one. But as she gathered the survivors to her she barked and
chattered furious defiance at the murderer. Her clatter brought down the
Little Villager himself, and together they hurled all the insults they
could think of at the owl, who, however, calmly turned his feathery back
upon them and proceeded to devour his easy prey. "For some days there
was renewed vigilance, and the little ones kept close to their parents'
side. But the memory of a prairie dog, especially of a young prairie
dog, is distinctly short. Soon there was more wandering from the nest,
and then a lot of childish racing about the floor of the burrow. Again a
youngster went too near the owls' corner and remained there. This time
there was no fuss about it, because the slaughter was accomplished quite
silently, and the mother did not happen to see. After this there would
never be more than two or three days go by without the sudden
disappearance of one or another of the litter, which, after all, kept
the burrow from becoming too crowded. The youngsters were getting so big
by now that their parents began to lose all interest in them. It became
time for them to be weaned. But as the interest of the owls had been
increasing as that of the parents diminished, it happened by this time
that there was not one left to wean. So the duty of the furry little
mother, with her silly nose and her big, childish eyes, was singularly
simplified. It was no use making more trouble with her unfriendly guests
over a matter that was now past remedy. So all was overlooked, and the
burrow settled down once more to the harmony of mutual aversion." Uncle
Andy stopped and proceeded to refill his pipe, waiting fo