64 WILD LIFE AT HOME. 



back had been lacerated in several places by the 

 cat's claws. How she escaped being dragged out 

 I cannot imagine, except upon the hypothesis that 

 she was all but out of reach of the marauding 

 brute as he stood on tiptoe against the tree. 

 Her mate was calling pathetically for her from the 

 trees around, and continued to do so all day long. 

 One day I discovered a song-thrush sitting on 

 her nest hi the cart-shed, and upon putting her 

 oft', ascertained that she had five fine large young 

 ones. I immediately retired to watch her, through 

 my field-classes, feeding them. It was not long 

 before she returned with a supply of worms, which 

 she distributed with commendable impartiality 

 amongst her hungry offspring. Instead, however, 

 of going off in search of more, she sat down and 

 covered her chicks with a look of supreme maternal 

 contentment. By-and-by along came her mate with 

 a quantity of food, and she rose and stood on the 

 edge of the nest and watched him administer it with 

 her head cocked on one side. I was extremely anxious 

 to get a study representing this last scene, so we 

 fixed up the camera on a hay-elevator, which com- 

 manded a view of the nest, and hid it with straw 

 and its operator also in the body of an old cart close 

 by. He actually succeeded in making a picture of 

 the two parent-birds at the nest, as described above ; 

 but unfortunately his view and that of the camera 

 were from somewhat different points, and instead 

 of the photograph showing what we wanted, it 



