V °!s* VI ] Owen, A Family of Nestlings. 2 2$ 



been covered with a thin translucent film, began to open. With 

 the awakening to things visible came a greater liveliness and 

 a tendency to be afraid which found voice, the following day, in 

 loud chirps of alarm. These gave place, July 20, to genuine 

 squawks and July 21, when we took the brood from the nest for 

 the usual weighing the remonstrance was so boisterous as to sum- 

 mon the old birds which hovered about, much disturbed, until the 

 experiment had been concluded. Finally, on the 22nd of July, 

 we found the nestlings too lively to be handled and in our efforts 

 to capture the lot we lost one altogether. Search as we might, we 

 could discover no trace of the missing bird which, but a moment 

 before, had been standing on the grass close to the nest. Mis- 

 givings consumed us for the remainder of the day ; but we were 

 destined to be reassured. On the following day, the young birds, 

 now fully fledged, and able to fly a few feet, one by o'ne left the 

 nest and were led by the parents to a clump of weeds and bushes 

 a few yards away. It was the final surprise of our week's obser- 

 vations to see the vigor with which the young birds followed the 

 old birds, by easy stages, across the field, now running in the 

 grass, now essaying a miniature flight. Within an hour these 

 Song Sparrows of a week had justified the arduous attentions of 

 the parent birds by removing, one by one, to the clump of small 

 growth, to which, no doubt, the nestling lost the previous day 

 had been conducted. For a clay or two an occasional familiar 

 chirp from the weeds assured us that the family was still intact ; 

 but we saw little more of either old or young. 



