The Nest in the (jutter 



^^ 



I lia( 

 wliilc 



■l.Iat 



opened hill. At 

 quietly oxer the 

 the shutter for aiKillicr cxiioMirc. 



I'iiliirrs were taken f\er\ Iwo or thrc'C (la\s, hiil ll 

 the birds the more fierce Ijecamc their altai ks upon nn 

 a pair of Chickadees with which 1 had been working,' a 



)ir(l remained stancHng 

 he camera and snapped 



e loiij^er I worked with 

 , (|uite in contrast with 

 few (hiys before, which 

 (ame and fed their young without l)aying any attention to me while I was stand- 

 ing near, arranging the camera. After the second day, whene\-er I aj)proached 

 near enough the nest to set up the camera, the Kingi)irds tlew at me furiously, 

 ])oising themselves above me and then darting (|uickl\- at my head, now com- 

 ing near enough to strike me with their bill. In 

 the\- usuall}- struck about the same spot each 

 n\- head with a cloth 



ise was blood drawn, but, as 

 ', I was glad of an excuse 



KINGBIRD SHIELDINC 

 THE R.WS OF 



YOUXG I'R( 

 FHE SUN 



to cover 



while focusing the camera. Their 

 rage seemed to grow from da\ 

 to day, and on the morning of 

 the fifth dav mv ap])earance out- 

 doors was the signal for both 

 birds to hover over my head and 

 utter loud cries, while waiting for 

 an opportunity to dart down at 

 me. In the afternoon of the same 

 day, while I was watching the 

 birds from a distance of al)out 

 fifty feet, one of them, which had 

 been standing on the gutter near 

 the nest, suddenl\- made a dash 

 straight for my head with such speed and fjuickness that I barely had time to 

 throw up my arm to ward off the attack. They never attacked me unless both 

 birds were present, and even then only one came near enough to strike me. 



An occurrence f)n the fourth day, which might have resulted in a tragedy, 

 doubtless tended to strengthen the feeling of antagonism which the birds dis- 

 played. It was an extremely hot day, and, as there were no trees near the house, 

 I fastened a bough of a tree to the ladder in such a way as to shade the nest. 

 Although the birds attacked me vigorousl\- as usual, I thought that the shade 

 might prove just as grateful even if furnished against their will. During the 

 afternoon a terrific thunderstorm arose, in which the rain fell in torrents and was 

 accompaniefl by a gale of wind which blew the bough and ladder past the nest, 

 tearing off one of the shingles near. After the storm I looked at the nesting site, 

 expecting to find that the torrents had washed the lU'st atul \oung I'rom the 

 gutter, but fortunately everything was as usual, and apparently both nest and 

 young were in as good condition as ever. 



The food given the \-oung seemed to consist chielly of small insects, too 



