Chapter 17 Summary

Palmer awakes the next morning to the feeling of his earlobe being pinched and realizes that the pigeon is standing next to his head looking straight into Palmer's eyes. Palmer retrieves some cereal and spreads it on the snow outside his bedroom window through which the pigeon flies to get his breakfast.

During the next few days Palmer adjusts to life with his pigeon and even takes out a library book to become more familiar with pigeon behavior. Palmer immerses himself in pigeon details but cannot find any information about why people would want to shoot them. By the end of the week, Palmer assumes that the pigeon belongs to him and names him Nipper, based on the bird's quick nips on Palmer's ear as part of their wakeup routine.

During the days, Palmer lets Nipper out the window and is sure to...