*5 



clamorous for food, their incessant chirping being audible to 

 the opposite side of the street. At the end of eghteen days the 

 young are pretty well feathered, and somewhat resemble the 

 mother birds. They gather at the door of their room and 

 crane their necks, scanning the surroundings or watching for 

 the return of the parent birds with food. Sometimes five or six 

 young birds will have their heads thrust out of the door to their 

 room at the same time, but more often only the tips of their 

 beaks protrude. 



From twenty-four to twenty-eight days elapse from the time 

 the young break the shells until they are strong enough to 

 leave the nest and safely soar away wth their parents during the 

 day. Occasionally a venturesome youngster, yet 1 too weak to 

 make much use of its wings, will attempt to fly, but' become 

 stranded a few rods away from the box. Not a few times have 

 I seen a bird leave its house and laboriously wing its way a few 

 yards, all the time coming nearer the ground, but suddenly, 

 as if by a new impulse, rise slowly and then gracefully soar 

 away with its parents. 



While the young are quite small the parents usually take 

 turns gong for food, — as soon as one comes in the other goes 

 out, — but later both are kept quite busy, from early morning 

 until late evening, ministering to their wants. Sometimes the 

 outgoing and incoming birds are so plenty that they remind 

 one of working bees aboil? a hive. 



By far the greater number of old birds forage over Duvall's 

 Hill and the ridge fields to the southward ; and, returning, these 

 birds soar to a point nearly over our place, then with one 

 grand sweep, drop direct to their respective houses and quickly 

 enter their nesting rooms. In leaving the nest they carry away 

 the droppings of the young, which they generally drop from one 

 hundred and two hundred feet from the box. 



When I find a young bird upon tihe ground, I ascend a ladder 

 and try to put it in its nest, but this is usually difficult as so 

 many nests contain young about the same age. However, I do 

 not have to wait long for a second trial, if my selection is 



