126 BIRD BIOGRAPHIES 



turning round and round, doing his 

 utmost to make the little heap of grasses 

 into the shape of a nest. He seemed to 

 be hopelessly entangled in them, yet he 

 was as happy as the sunshine, for he 

 sang loudly over his work. Suddenly 

 he looked up and saw two human eyes 

 looking down at him. The effect was 

 remarkable, for he stopped in his work, 

 ceased his song, and the next second flew 

 away, and as far as I could tell he never 

 returned to his dummy nest again ! 



When the young arrive, the parents 

 are most diligent in obtaining food for 

 them, and from sunrise to sunset they 

 work hard. For the first few days, when 

 the young are very small, one bird will 

 remain brooding on them, while the 

 other searches for food. They take turns 

 at this, and immediately after feeding the 

 young the bird settles down upon them 

 and waits until it hears its mate coming 

 through the reeds ; then it jumps up and 



