175 



Fig. 151. FIELD SPARROW. 



male was the carpenter^ her mate's part consisting of bring- 

 ing part of the material. Both birds would usually depart 

 together, but she always returned first and had her grasses 

 w^ound into place and was ready to take his as soon as he 

 appeared. 



In the course of three weeks^ three of the four eggs that 

 she had laid^ hatched. When the young were six days old, 

 several 23ictures were taken of scenes at the nest. As in the 

 case of the Chipping Sparrows no attempt at concealment 

 was made ; the camera was within three feet of the nest and 

 I was seated on the ground just back of it. The birds paid 

 scarcely any attention to me and were back at the nest in 

 less than ten minutes after I had things in readiness for 

 them. Ants^ spiders and plant lice formed the bulk of the 



