It was only a few days after Peter Rabbit found out the secret of Ol’ Mistah and Mrs. Buzzard that Reddy Fox took it into his head to visit that part of the Green Forest where lay the great hollow log in which were the two helpless Buzzard babies. Reddy wasn’t looking for them. He had no interest in Ol’ Mistah Buzzard or his affairs. Probably if he ever had thought of the matter at all he would have taken it for granted, as Peter had, that Ol’ Mistah Buzzard’s nest would be in a tall tree.

The fact is he was hunting for the nest of Mrs. Grouse and it had popped into his head that it might be over in that particular part of the Green Forest. He knew all about that big hollow log. There are few such places Reddy doesn’t know about. Many a time had he peeped into it, hoping to surprise Peter Rabbit there.

Just as Peter did Reddy stole softly alongside the old log and poked his head around the end to look inside. Just imagine how surprised he was when two funny little heads were suddenly raised and two funny mouths opened wide. The baby Buzzards had heard him and thought it was their mother coming to feed them.

Reddy jumped in front of the opening and sat down to stare, for he never had seen any babies at all like these and he didn’t know what to make of them.

“Now whose babies are these?” he muttered. “Not that it makes any real difference, for they will make just as good a dinner as if I knew all about them,” he added and grinned as only Reddy can. Then he started to crawl in after them.

Right that very instant things began to happen. With an angry hiss such as Reddy never had heard before something struck him and knocked him over and over. Before he could get his breath or even look to see what or who had hit him he received such a shower of blows that it seemed to him there wasn’t a spot on his whole body that wasn’t hit. The air seemed to be filled with great claws and beaks which tore his red coat and made him yell. He had just one thought and that was to get away from that place, to get as far away from it as he could.

At last he managed to get to his feet and then how Reddy did run! He didn’t even look behind to see who it was who had pounded and scratched and pecked him so. He simply ran and ran and ran, whimpering with every breath. He was running for his life. At least he thought he was. Every instant he expected to be knocked over again.

Of course you know what had happened. Mrs. Buzzard had been standing just back of a little tree only a few steps from the great hollow log. She had seen Reddy just as he started to crawl in after her precious babies and she hadn’t wasted any time. She had rushed at him like a fury. With her great wings she had pounded him and with claws and beak she had pulled his hair out and torn his coat. And all the time she had kept up a hissing quite frightful to hear.

When Reddy at last got away from her she had not tried to follow him, but had rushed back to her precious babies to make sure that they were safe. Reddy didn’t know this. He was too badly scared to know much of anything save that he wanted to get home as quickly as his legs could take him. He was sure this terrible creature was right at his heels all the way there, and to this day he doesn’t know whose babies he found, for it was a long, long time before he dared visit that part of the Green Forest again and by that time the baby Buzzards were big enough to sail round and round high up in the blue, blue sky like their father, Ol’ Mistah Buzzard.