Cocky, a rollicking little roadrunner, joins baby jack rabbit Hop-a-long and the other creatures of the desert in the fourth book of the Mesaland Series. The small, gawky bird with his long bill and peculiar running gait first frightens his neighbors, then makes them laugh. But they learn to love and respect him after he defeats the enemy rattlesnake in an exciting fight. New characters featured in this story include field mice, lizards, and a nest-robbing hawk. A villager, rooster, and hunter also keep Cocky jumping.

First published between 1943 and 1949 and now available again, the seven books in the Mesaland Series introduce a new generation of readers to the animals and plants of the great Southwest.