RED- WINGED BLACKBIRD 161 



incubating. I then made her first photograph with the 

 lens within thirty inches of the nest. (Fig. 81.) 



A few days later three young Redwings made their 

 appearance in this nursery. Of all the commotion made 

 by a bird this female's excelled. With a cricket in her 

 bill she would come screaming toward the nest and light 

 within two feet of it. The noise always excited the male 

 and urged him on to a vicious assault on the tent. His 

 attacking the top and sides with all of his vigor and 

 rage seemed to dispel the fears of the female, for she 

 would come to the edge of the nest, feed the young in a 

 deliberate manner, and clean the nest before peacefully 

 departing. All of this time her spouse, with his beauti- 

 ful scarlet epaulets, his dark brown bill, and black feet 

 and legs, was cavorting over the top of the umbrella tent, 

 while from within I frequently tickled the bottom of his 

 feet with a finger. This surprised and greatly bewil- 

 dered him, as he vainly searched for the source of his 

 mate's excitement, but he soon became reconciled and, 

 perched on the center rod of the umbrella, uttering his 

 peculiar "kank-quer-ree! kank-quer-ree ! " while the fe- 

 male sought more food for the begging nestlings, and 

 the bird photographer sweated, smiled and changed plate- 

 holders, getting ready for the next picture. 



Each juicy cricket brought to the young was placed 

 in a gaping mouth, observed by the parent bird — and the 

 photographer — until it disappeared. If the favored 

 youngster was unable to swallow the morsel it was re- 

 moved by the parent, masticated and replaced. Then, 

 if not swallowed, it was removed and given to another 

 and observed until it disappeared. 



The parental instinct was stronger in the female than 

 in the male, but he showed more combative traits than 

 she did. He alone attacked the tent, and the female did 

 all of the feeding, while the young remained in the nest; 

 but the male frequently fed them after they had left it. 



While the young were in the nest the female, after 

 taking a bath at the side of the tent, would return with 

 her feathers wet and cool and hover over the young like 

 an animated sunshade to protect them from the August 

 sun. 



At the end of ten days the home ties were broken by 

 both of the young birds departing at the same time. 



