124 BIRD BIOGRAPHIES 



about, and unless it was deep the eggs 

 would roll out, but this was deep enough 

 to prevent such a thing happening in the 

 most violent storm that might rock it. 



Four eggs were laid, and for a fort- 

 night the little sitter was rocked to and 

 fro ; sometimes the nest swung more than 

 eighteen inches from side to side, but 

 the bird sat there as perfectly as if she 

 had been part of the nest, and the 

 biggest gust of wind never shifted her. 

 Her mate was most diligent in feeding 

 her, and I do not think there is a 

 prettier sight in the world than that of 

 a male bird feeding his sitting mate. I 

 have seen it many times when watching 

 the birds, and to me it is always fasci- 

 nating. But the male, besides feeding his 

 mate and singing, seems to have a lot 

 of spare time, and in this he surely does 

 a very strange thing. It is a habit 

 peculiar to all the male members of the 

 Warbler family while their mates are 



