FRIENDS IN FEATHERS 



Killdeer came running. She uttered a shrill cry and turned to 

 the south, directly away from the stake, limping, hopping, and 

 dragging a wing to attract my attention. That trick had been 

 familiar to me ever since I could remember, so I went to the stake. 

 The nest, or rather the eggs, were easily located by the small spot 

 around which John had plowed. 



There was very little nest to describe. On bare earth, sur- 

 rounded by a few bits of bark, corn-stalk and chips, all picked up 

 in the immediate vicinity, lay four tan-coloured eggs thickly 

 sprinkled with dark brown and black, their sharp points nosing 

 together so that a stiff wind could not roll them away a wise 

 provision of nature in case these improvident mothers neglect to 

 surround them by any barriers at all, as so often occurs. When a 

 few days of sunshine had dried the black earth around the nest to 

 the exact colour of the eggs it would be impossible to distinguish 

 it from the surroundings. I hunted a stone to drive deeper the 

 stake which John had set for my guidance. Then arranging my 

 camera, practically on the ground, a study of the eggs was made 

 at once. I wanted it so much I was afraid of delay. There are 

 times when in summing up the dangers which menace the birds 

 from snakes, Hawks, Crows, Jays, squirrels, and other small ani- 

 mals, hunters, untaught children, and the trampling and tearing of 

 browsing stock, it is really a marvel that a season produces the 

 number of young that it does. 



The next thing was to make friends with Mother Killdeer. 

 In the light of early experiences, with one brooding Killdeer in 

 particular, I had dreamed dreams and seen visions on my way to 

 that nest. I dreamed of becoming so well acquainted with that 

 mother bird that she would take a cricket from my fingers and 

 allow me to stroke her wing as she brooded, for I once had done 

 that with a bird of her kind. I saw a vision of pictures of the 

 brooding bird, and possibly one as she left her nest with her young 



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