WOOD AND WASTE 141 



and shiver in o; with eagerness. During rain 

 one of the parents sits with wings out- 

 spread over the nest, and in this ingenious 

 manner keeps the nestlings dry and warm. 

 The young are also carefully sheltered 

 from the heat, and most particularly when 

 quite naked and flabby. Even from a 

 distance it is easy to tell the age of the 

 young, the sitting bird acting as a sort of 

 animated barometer. With eggs or squab 

 young you hardly see her back, a week later 

 you can notice her sides, and a day or two 

 before the nestlings fly she is fairly hoisted 

 up by their growth. 



The Waxeye's nest may be had between 

 October and January, and probably earlier 

 and later. 



