A WINGED CHUM 191 



would be about the same. Of course he could not 

 know how many days had already passed when he 

 first saw the nest. 



There is a wide variance in the length of time 

 during which different species of birds sit on their 

 eggs. Some of the Sparrows and Finches in- 

 cubate only for ten or twelve days, the Humming- 

 bird takes two weeks, birds like the Fowl and 

 Grouse take three weeks, the Fish-Hawk requires 

 four, Swans need five weeks, and the Condor of the 

 Andes spends two long months on the nest before 

 the little ones come out of the eggs. 



The Wood Thrush which Shan was watching so 

 patiently, however, had only eight days' more of 

 brooding. On the eighth day, Shan, peering from 

 his observation blind, saw the naked big-headed 

 body of one of the chicks. He snapped a film. 

 He would have liked to spend some more time 

 there, hoping to get a photo of a chick as it actually 

 emerged from the egg, but he had work to do at 

 the cabin, and had only a moment to spare. As 

 a matter of fact, he had run all the way and would 

 have to run all the way back. But he was full of 

 satisfaction, for the little chick photo, he felt sure, 

 would be good. 



Next day, the other three eggs had hatched and 



