The Audubon Societies 309 



[This composition was written outside of regular school-work, and is based on the 

 observations of a lad just beginning the study of birds. The forty-four species enumer- 

 ated suggest again the value of bird-study within a limited area. To know the birds 

 of a single locality is a task sufhcient to tax the energy and patience of the beginner, or 

 to test the knowledge of the mature student. — A. H. W.] 



OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS AND THEIR NESTS 



This summer I have been making a collection of nests. 



On May 31, I discovered a Yellow Summer Warbler's nest. It was in a 

 very young maple tree near a fence. The outside was mostly made of wool ; 

 the inside of horse-hair. On May 31, the day I found it, there were four eggs. 

 They were grayish blue, with faint brown spots. When I went near, the mother 

 bird always flew off. She went hopping about, and a Chipping Sparrow, whose 

 nest was near, chased the Warbler around for fear she would hurt her nest. 



On June 13 there were four baby birds. They looked like any other kind 

 of young birds. They had just a little fuzz on them and a very red skin 

 and huge mouths. 



They were fed very often; but while I was watching, the father bird would 

 not feed the little birds, but would hop around and sing, then flutter in the air 

 on the opposite side. 



On June 25 the nest was empty. All the birds had flown. — Katherine 

 B. Hyde, (age 12 years). 



[First-hand observations of this kind are worth many lessons from a book. How far 

 the feeling of fear governs the actions of parent birds is well described bj^ F. H. Herrick 

 in "The Home Life of Wild Birds."— A. H. W.] 



THE LOONS 



A pair of Loons built their nest on a muskrat house in a lake near our home, 

 and laid two eggs about the size of a goose egg. They were an olive-green, with 

 brown spots on them. 



When my father went to the field he could see the female on the nest. 



The Loons came to our lake to feed quite often, so we saw them nearly 

 every day. 



My father promised to take me over so I could see the nest and eggs, but 

 we did not get there for two weeks. 



But when we did go we saw a far more interesting sight, for the eggs had 

 hatched. 



When we drew near, we saw two Httle black balls of cotton (of which they 

 reminded us), sitting on the nest among a lot of mud turtles. 



When we were nearly there, the young came sliding out into the water. 



All the time the old Loons stayed very near, giving warning calls, some- 

 times coming very near to us. One little Loon tried to dive, but could only 



