Familiar Studies of Wild Birds 



let me know with unmistakable vehemence 

 that I was trespassing. From a good view- 

 point on a knoll, I had soon located a nest in 

 the sagebrush. Later I found several of their 

 nests tucked low down among the thickly 

 growing willows along a near-by creek. The 

 nest in the sagebrush proved to have five 

 young about four days old, and, setting up 

 the camera, I prepared to spend the afternoon 

 there. My presence ten yards from their nest 

 was too close to suit the much disturbed birds. 

 For an hour or so, they circled round me, 

 scolding vociferously. But finally the male 

 got up courage to approach and feed the 

 young, and during the afternoon he fed them 

 several times, while his shyer mate remained 

 around complaining, without making a single 

 trip away or visiting the nest. She did, how- 

 ever, dart up constantly after flies until she 

 had gathered such a billful, that it was a puz- 

 zle, indeed, to see how she could hold those in 



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