128 Our Bird Friends. 



Broads— makes a most dutiful husband and lather. 

 He helps his wife to incubate the eggs, and when 

 the chicks come forth he works like a slave all day 

 long to hnd them an adequate snppl}' of food. I 

 have seen him feed his young two or three times 

 to his wife's once; and the rather rude mouthful 

 which the chick in our illustration fp. 129) has been 

 caught ))y the camera endeavouring to swallow, testifies 

 to the fact that he believes in liberal suppUes. 



Kittiwake (!ulls are the most gentle and sedate 

 of all sea-l>ir(ls. They will stand on the edge of 

 the nest, as de[)icted on p. lol, for hours together, 

 quietly guarding their young, which in some cases 

 they hardly ever a|)pear to leave whilst there is 

 even the suspicion of an enemy about. 



When dwellers in nests, such as Starlings, 

 lUackbirds, Larks and Robins, have grown large and 

 opened their eyes, they sit on the edges of their 

 little homes and Avatch for the return of their 

 parents with food ; and as soon as ever they see or 

 hear them coming they give a welcome chirrup by 

 way of salute. It is about this time that chicks 

 living in open-topped nests begin to exercise their 

 wings and pass remarks to each other about things 

 in general. One will stand up on tiptoe and flap 

 his rapidly-growing wings as hard as ever he can 

 make them go, whilst the rest of the family look 

 on in evident adujiration, and think of the time 

 when they will all have dominion over the air. 



Some venturesome chicks try to enforce the 



