210 BIRDS 



I could see their heads when they were raised above the 

 basket to be fed. I remained near by for hours, watching 

 the little worm-catchers feed their babies, all the while 

 wishing the nest were nearer the ground and trying to 

 devise some plan to make a picture of it without dis- 

 turbing its surroundings. 



Extensive repairs were being made on the driveway, 

 necessitating the use of much explosive, and heavy blast- 

 ing was going on day after day. Vast particles of dirt 

 and rock were constantly falling all about the nest tree, 

 yet the birds kept at their daily toil of feeding, regardless 

 of danger. No doubt remains in my mind but that their 

 labors were of equal import to the park with those of 

 a score or more workmen blasting out the new driveway. 



The first night after I discovered the little nur- 

 sery, a four-inch rain fell within an hour's time. My 

 thoughts in the night frequently reverted to the golden- 

 colored midgets and I wished for their safety. The 

 next morning early I visited the locality of the nest and 

 was much pleased to see the parents feeding the young, 

 as usual. All through that four-inch downpour the faith- 

 ful little mother had hovered, with cuddling wings, over 

 her precious babies, assuring them of their safety. 



I was anxious to make a close-up picture, and the 

 only way to do this was to cut off the limb, carefully 

 lower it to the ground and return it to a safe place where 

 the old bird could easily locate it. I made the pictures 

 and re-anchored the nest ten feet from the ground in the 

 midst of a bunch of elm leaves. I returned three hours 

 later and found the parents feeding the four youngsters 

 quite as though it had not been disturbed. The young 

 were so far advanced that the yellow was appearing in 

 many places in their plumage. 



Two days later two of these little mites had blos- 

 somed into almost full plumage and were perched on the 

 edge of the nest, about ready to break home ties. They 

 were comical-looking bird pygmies, not much larger than 

 a good sized chintz-bug. 



These birds, when feeding the nestlings, simply peck 

 the food into the young birds' throats and are gone in 

 a second, thus making it very difficult to photograph them 

 while at the nest. 



