510 LAND BIRDS 
No help has the mother bird had from her mate in this 
labor, except the encouragement of his cheery song as he 
swung always in sight of her, ready to join her the mo- 
ment she left her work. In a few rare instances I have 
known him to make a pretence of 
nest-building a few feet away from 
the real cradle, either to amuse him- 
self or deceive me, for the loosely 
woven affair was never regarded 
seriously by the female. She some- 
times perched near it, regarding with 
amusement the masculine attempt 
at housekeeping, and with a scornful 
flirt of her tail went back to her 
own cosey nest. It was often a 
week or two after the latter was 
entirely finished before the first egg 
was laid. For fourteen days the female 
brooded, hidden by the green tules, hear- 
nee ing only the gay banjo-like song of her 
| and the grunts of the rails. Never, 
497. YELLOW-HEADED 
BLACKBIRD. 
mate, the hoarse croaking of the frogs, the 
| “chaacks” of her yellow-head neighbors, 
by any chance, does the gay lord of 
« Beseechingly from the that small household assist her un- 
cradle.’’ 
til the wonderful transformation has 
come, and hungry nestlings are stretching their open 
mouths beseechingly from the green cradle. Then his 
paternal instinct awakes, and he hustles for food to fill 
them. 
ane reat 
