12 



JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



The blue of the flowers and the blue 

 of the bhxls blended very pleasantly in 

 my thoughts, and one who studies birds 

 and flowers together will find double en- 

 joyment in his excursions. 



Incidents in Bird Life. 



ARTHUR MERRILL. 



In a recent number of the Youth's 

 Companion an incident was related 

 where a family of Jays received into their 

 nest, without molestation, a young Spar- 

 row, although they had previously killed 

 and eaten its nest-mate, which had un- 

 fortunately fallen to the ground. The 

 inference was, that with birds, even as 

 savage as Jays, hospitality is instinctive. 

 If among Jays the rites of hospitality 

 are observed, then among our more 

 familiar birds we ought to find it to a 

 greater degree, and aside from the shel- 

 ter and nourishment given the parasitic 

 Cow-bird, which may be from the obliga- 

 tion of hospitality, we doubtless might 

 find among these, many instances that 

 prove more than a friendly and neigh- 

 borly feeling, such as is shown in the 

 following incident furnished by a lady 

 at East Auburn. Unfortunately I can 

 not determine the identity of the birds, 

 but even without that I should consider 

 it of unusual interest. Two families of 

 birds nested in some apple-trees under a 

 kitchen window, and maintained very 

 friendly relations, making frequent vis- 

 its, and exchanging voluble congratu- 

 lations on their progress in nesting. 

 One family, nesting in a hollow tree, 

 hatched its young and the fact was an- 

 nounced to the interested watchers by a 



very unusual bustle in the happy neigh- 

 borhood. Soon after the other family 

 had laid its eggs, the house cat was seen 

 to catch the female as she left the nest to 

 get a drink, and the whole duty of in- 

 cubation fell upon the male. This he 

 discharged faithfully, refusing to leave 

 the nest, and day by day as he sat there, 

 he was fed by his neighbors across the 

 way, who redoubled their attention when 

 the young hatched. The weather being 

 damp and foggy, he was seen to arrange 

 the leaves overhead, so as to catch the 

 water as it dripped ; later he re-arranged 

 them so as to form a canopy over the 

 young, and all the time they were in the 

 nest he attended them devotedly, but 

 not more faithfully than his neighbors 

 had ministered to his wants when he was 

 in trouble. 



No trait among our birds appeals to us 

 more strongly than the fearless confi- 

 dence with which some approach us, and 

 it is not less interesting when it is in- 

 spired by curiosity, as it often is. The 

 Chickadee, on this account, is a favorite 

 of nature students, and I think no one 

 who deserves it fails to get his friend- 

 ship. To the stories that have been 

 told of his friendliness, I might add 

 some from personal experience, but pre- 

 fer to give an instance that I think equal 

 to anything published, of a young lady, 

 an interested student of woodland dwell- 

 ers, who, while out with the birds, was 

 received by a Chickadee with very mark- 

 ed attention, though perhaps, with an 

 excess of familiarity. The bird alighted 

 upon her shoulder, plucked at her cloak 

 and pulled her hair, with an exhibition 

 of entire confidence that was as well 

 deserved as it was given. 



To be Continued. 



