A BIRD IN THE HAND, 1 07 



ing she kept at work, and at noon I could easily see 

 that the walls were much thicker and more smoothly 

 covered. 



On the twenty-second of May there was one ^^^ in 

 the nest ; the next morning, a second. On the twenty- 

 sixth I placed a short ladder against the tree, so that 

 when I climbed it my head was level with the nest 

 and within two feet of it. 



I climbed the ladder twice, to accustom the bird to 

 her strange visitor, and the third time I offered her 

 a cankerworm. She took it, but flew off with it. 



The next morning I "made the fourth ascent of the 

 ladder and offered the vireo a large black ant, which 

 I caught on the tree itself. She swallowed it without 

 leaving the nest, and a dozen more disappeared as 

 quickly as I could give them to her. These black 

 ants were evidently considered very choice food, and 

 as there were large colonies of them in the hollow^s of 

 the tree, there was always a busy line following up 

 or down the limb against which the ladder rested. 

 The simplest way, therefore, to feed my friend was to 

 stand on the ladder, waylay each passing ant and offer 

 it to her. 



The next morning, on my fifth ascent, she again 

 ate freely from my hand and from my lips. She even 

 left her. eggs and perched on the edge of the nest, 

 reaching forward if I held the ant too far from her ; 



