Chapter 4

Chapter 4 Mrs. Wong examined the band. "There's writing on it," she told the kids. "But it's too small for me to read." "What is it?" Josh asked. "It's a name tag," said Mrs. Wong. "Just like you'd hang on a dog's collar. Someone thinks he owns this bird." Josh was holding the falcon, still partly wrapped in his T-shirt. It sat quietly, watching the

humans. "I wonder if he's hungry," Ruth Rose said. "What do falcons eat?" "Peregrines mostly eat other birds," Josh said. "But they'll eat fish and other stuff, too." "Let's find out!" said Mrs. Wong. She opened a small refrigerator and pulled out some raw hamburger. She pinched off a chunk and held it under the falcon's beak. "Come on, take it," Josh murmured. Suddenly, the falcon's head shot forward. In one quick gulp, the meat was gone. "Boy, I guess he was hungry!" Ruth Rose said. "We should name him Flash!" Flash began making a loud, piercing call. He shrieked over and over until Mrs. Wong fed him another piece of hamburger meat. After the second helping, he stopped fussing and closed his eyes. "What should we do with him?" Josh asked Mrs. Wong. She reached for the phone. "For starters, we should ask Doc Henry to look him over." The kids listened as Mrs. Wong told the veterinarian about Flash. She hung up the phone and said, "He'll take a look if you kids bring the

bird to his office. He's right over on East Green Street." Josh bundled Flash into his shirt again, and the kids hurried to Doc Henry's office. While Josh washed his hands, Doc Henry examined Flash. "And you found this guy where?" Doc Henry asked. "Out in the woods," Josh said, pulling his shirt back on. He explained how they'd gone to see the young falcons, only to find the nest empty. "Well, this is a young peregrine, all right," the vet said. "Pretty rare around here." Doc found the band on Flash's leg and cut it off. Then he gently spread the falcon's wings and probed for broken bones. "He seems healthy enough," Doc said. "Probably just starting to fly. But lookee here. Someone's trimmed his wing feathers!" The kids crowded around. "See?" the vet continued. "Peregrines normally have long, pointy wings. These have been rounded off with scissors." Just then, a tall woman with black hair came up to the table. "What's everyone looking at?" she asked.

"Oh, hi, Grace," Doc said. "Kids, this is my new assistant, Grace Lockwood. Grace, these kids brought in a young peregrine." The woman gave the kids a long look. Her eyes were piercing. They reminded Dink of an eagle's eyes. She turned and ran her hands over the bird's back. Suddenly, Flash bit her finger. "Ouch!" she said. The vet chuckled. "Better wear your gloves, Grace."

"What should we do with him?" Josh asked. "I'll keep him here for a couple days," Doc said. "We'll make sure he's okay. Then we can decide what to do." The kids said good-bye and headed back to Main Street. "Well, at least he'll be safe there," Josh said. "I wonder where the other two are." "Wherever Flash was before he escaped!" Ruth Rose said. "What I want to know," Dink said, "is why someone would trim Flash's wings." "Why don't we ask Curt?" Josh said. "He knows a lot about falcons."