JOURNAL OF MAINK ORNITHOLOCilC AT. SOCIKTY. II7 



soon came to the end of their life, mainly through my ignorance of 

 their habits. 



There are some advantages in having a bird where it can be 

 studied at close range, but its cage life would naturally be different 

 from its wild life. The peculiarities of the individual could be seen 

 in captivity better than in the open. 



About fifteen years ago, when we were living near the college 

 buildings in Lewiston, we had two Canary birds. They would not 

 pay very much attention to the family and very little to strangers. 

 One of the professors had a soft, musical voice, and whenever he was 

 in the house the birds would start in to sing. When one of the 

 colored students would come in they would screech about as loud as 

 they could. 



Late in the spring of 1904, I found the nest of a Saw Whet Owl. 

 At that time there was one young bird and three eggs in the nest. 

 A few weeks later, when I visited the nest again, the oldest bird had 

 flown and the others were nearly ready to fly. The little fellows 

 were about as large one way as they were the other. As I fed them 

 meat wholly, and they had very little chance to exercise, I was able 

 to keep them only a few weeks. They would always face me unless 

 there were several persons in the room. I had heard it said that an 

 Owl would keep turning its head to follow anyone. These little 

 fellows would turn their heads as far as possible, then they would 

 turn and look from the other side. The old Owl objected to my 

 visits to the nest and did not hesitate to show me that I was not wel- 

 come. She would sit on the limb of a tree and snap her bill, and 

 then she would fly at my head. Sometimes she would come nearer 

 than I enjoyed. 



I suppose every one has noticed the fuss a Robin makes when 

 her nest is disturbed. During the summer of 1907, I spent some 

 time making photos of the nest and eggs of the Song Sparrow, I 

 think it was. When I would place the camera near the nest she 

 would slip quieth^ from the nest, fly a short distance, perch on a 

 stone and watch me until I had completed my work and left the 

 nest. She would make little, if any, disturbance. 



