168 BIRDS OF THE WATER 



At eleven he began to feel the heat very 

 much, and moved about the nest, seeking 

 for the least particle of shade. About noon 

 I saw the parent birds in the distance, and 

 heard them alight on a tall dead tree some 

 sbity or eighty yards away. 



It was not, however, until long past six 

 in the evening that either of the old 

 pigeons began to approach the nest. 



It was then too late for photography, 

 and partly because I wanted the young 

 bird and partly because I thought it just 

 possible it had been deserted, I decided to 

 carry "Kuku" home. 



I had, moreover, the less hesitation in 

 taking him, as there was a second string 

 to my bow in the nestling on the Racecourse 

 cliffs. In regard to desertion, later in the 

 year, and with a larger knowledge of 

 pigeon nature, I found that I had certainly 

 been quite mistaken, and that the old birds 

 were merely keeping away because slightly 

 suspicious, and well aware that their 

 nestling would be none the worse for a 

 twelve hours' fast. Through that long day 

 indeed the nestling never seemed to me to 



