SOME OF THE WILD THINGS 



hurry up and bring out their babies. Both 

 birds had insects in their bills. I did not 

 take the nest to the old spot, but instead placed 

 it in a clump of bushes near the cabin. When 

 I had secured the nest, the old birds gave the 

 three babies their breakfast. This programme 

 was followed day after day, until the young 

 birds we'e old enough to fly. 



About two hundred visitors one Sunday in- 

 spected the nest, and the old birds did not 

 make a protest or show fear. They knew that 

 I would protect their little ones. A clear case 

 of bird intelligence. 



Returning from the city, while the catbirds 

 were rearing their young, I heard a great 

 outcry from a number of birds in the cabin 

 dooryard. At first I thought some bird enemy 

 had destroyed the young catbirds, but I found 

 them all right. Just over the wall in the 

 bushes was a nest of the veery. This nest 

 was in ruins. That morning it had contained 

 four newly hatched birds. While I was ex- 

 amining the nest, one of the catbirds flew to 

 a bush near me, and raised an outcry to 

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