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.