164 



Bird - Lore 



"THEN SCRATCHED HER HEAD" 



on the rough bark as she climbed to the 

 nest. Her movements were smooth and 

 cat-like. Her brooding was brief; it was not 

 needed. She slid down the bark and com- 

 ing close up to the blind stood with raised 

 crest, and tail moving rythmically up 

 and down, uttering her low kr-r-r-rl, not 

 unlike an old hen calling softly for her 

 chicks after a hawk has gone over. We 

 were looking at a bird about a foot and a 

 half long, half the length of which was 

 tail. 



The whole plumage was harsh, especially 

 the bristle-tipped crest, which the bird 

 always raised when excited. On such 

 occasions the feathers on the side of her 

 head would part, showing a bare spot just 

 back of the eye which was bright orange, 

 and another just back of this which was 

 brilliant blue. Mr. Bendire says that the 

 food of this species consists chiefly of 

 "insects, particularly grasshoppers, but 

 embraces occasionally a lizard or a field- 

 mouse." Yes, more than occasionally 

 does this bird eat lizards, as good Major 

 Bendire would have learned could he 

 have watched at this nest with us. 



While we were crouching at the peep- 



hole of the blind the mother-bird came, 

 carrying a big lizard, grasped firmly in 

 her bill. Up the bark she scratched and 

 thrust the lizard, head down, into the 

 mouth of a youngster. The tail hung out 

 of its bill for a long time, but something 

 had hold of it down below, and finally 

 it all disappeared. Soon she came with 

 another lizard, and presently another 

 youngster was sitting propped stiffiy, with 

 a tail hanging out of his mouth. Again 

 came a lizard — and — again — and again — 

 there was no use counting. The larder 

 was full of lizards and nothing else! 



Twice during one morning, as we 

 watched from the hot blind, she stepped 

 on cactus-spines. Each time she had a 

 lizard in her mouth. She hopped on one 

 foot, mumbling the lizard and dabbing 

 at her toe for a time. Finally she started 

 on, and showed no signs of cactus-thorns. 



How easy it was for her to sit immov- 

 iible under a cactus! How hard it was for 

 us to sit cramped and roasting under the 

 old umbrella-blind, immovable for fear 

 of frightening her away! Rut a few days 

 had made a great change in her attitude 

 toward us. At first, when she saw us 



