204 



Bird - Lore 



was with me, for after a few moments she flew a short distance down the slope 

 into a small but high elm. There on a horizontal limb, about thirty-five feet 

 from the ground, was the much-desired nest. She immediately began 

 incubating. 



I thought that our troubles were now over, for the nest was so situated 

 that it would be fairly easy to photograph, and I could almost see the pictures 

 that I was going to have. However, things were not destined to turn out that 

 way. Several days later, on going to the slope, equipped for picture-taking, 



neither of the old birds 

 ^ Bifl IGiL.. * was seen, and we feared 



that something had 

 happened to them. The 

 ascent to the nest was 

 made, and then, to our 

 dismay, we found that 

 it was empty. Some 

 marauding red squirrel 

 or thieving Grackle, 

 had, in all probability, 

 made off with the eggs. 

 At any rate they were 

 gone and our photog- 

 raphy hopes with them. 

 There was nothing left 

 to do but pack up and 

 go home. 



There then followed 

 a period that was at 

 first promising and then 

 discouraging, until, one 

 day, much to our sur- 

 prise, we discovered 

 another nest in a hem- 

 lock, about twenty-five feet from the ground and only a little over a hundred 

 yards from the house. A ladder was soon placed against the tree and the climb 

 up to the nest made. It contained three of the beautiful, pale bluish green, 

 spotted eggs. They were still fresh, and so it is possible that the nest was 

 built by the same pair of birds that were so unfortunate in their first attempt. 

 We decided not to place our box camera in the tree until the eggs should have 

 been incubated for four or five days more. After the expiration of that time, 

 on going out to the nest, wo found that the worst had happened. Thereon the 

 ground lay the three eggs, smashed by their fall from the nest above. Several 

 little holes were punched through the shells, which gave evidence that a mis- 



FEMALE SCARLET TANAGER AT NEST 



