110 A-BIRDING ON A BRONCO. 



nest they were at work on, to save them as much 

 trouble as might be. When my bird came, her 

 bright eyes were quick to espy the old nest. She 

 looked around, bewildered, as if wondering 

 whether she was really awake, and making sure 

 that this strange looking affair were not her sec- 

 ond nest, come to grief in her absence. Being 

 reassured by her examination, she came back 

 and hopped from twig to twig inspecting the old 

 piece of nest. At last she caught sight of a 

 feather. That, apparently, was just what she 

 wanted. She quickly flew over, pulled out the 

 white plume, and went straight to the new house 

 with it ! 



I was not able to watch any of my bush-tits 

 through the season, that year, but five years later, 

 when again in southern California, to my delight 

 I found the tits building in almost the same tree 

 where they had been before. 



One day an interesting brood was out in the 

 brush, and I took notes on their proceedings : 

 "A family of young were abroad this morning 

 filling the leaves with their little moving forms, 

 and the air with their fledgling cry of schrit. 

 As nearly as I could judge, there were ten in the 

 family — eight young tagging after two old birds. 

 While I watched, a droll thing happened, proving 

 that a family of eight may affect a parent's break- 

 fast as well as his nerves. One of the family, 

 which I took to be the father bird, had some goody 



