FRIENDS IN FEATHERS 



Every time he came back from the west, lie broke his long flight 

 by perching an instant on a tall stump in another fence-corner 

 surrounded by a growth of hickory and sycamore sprouts. 



I set up the camera, leaned two rails against the fence on each 

 side of it, covered it with green leaves and attached the long hose. 

 The scheme worked perfectly. I took three pictures of the 

 full-grown Jay, a rare one with swollen throat as he screamed 

 defiance, seemingly in answer to the cry of an old Gander down 

 by the creek; one with closed beak; and one of the female, all 

 sharp and strong enough to enlarge beautifully. 



These studies proved it quite true that most birds select a 

 route by which to come to and leave a nest. If you watch them 

 you can nearly always discover it. Sometimes the female and male 

 approach from different sides, each coming and leaving by their 

 own routes. Both these Jays entered their tree by way of the 

 stump, coming from the west; and by way of one certain branch 

 of the rambo when coming from the orchard. Many other 

 birds follow this custom. The Cardinals I knew best each had a 

 path coming to and leaving the nest, from which they never 

 varied unless some sound startled them. A pair of Baltimore 

 Orioles I knew well both used the same route in approach and 

 leaving. 



On the morning the oldest Jay baby first investigated the 

 apple-tree, I posed him, with his mates, on a maple limb and 

 took their pictures. Some young birds are worse subjects while 

 some are better, but I seldom have made a finer baby picture. 

 Their colours were similar to their elders, not quite so strong as 

 they would be after a first moulting, while their feather-markings 

 were the same. Their beaks always were w T ide open, and how 

 Father Jay worked! Every few minutes he came slipping into 

 the elm to feed a nestling, and then left in a hurry to bring an- 

 other lunch; but always he paused on a near-by tree and 



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