20 Wild Birds 



it is better to avoid approaching, touching, or in any way dis- 

 turbing the young after the flight feathers have appeared. 

 The cutting of leaves or twigs which obstruct the light or cast 

 undesirable shadows should be done before this time. 



On the other hand, investigations of the young which require 

 accurate weighing, measurements, or photographs of the birds 

 themselves, place the matter in a different light. With these 

 objects in view the nest must be frequently approached and 

 the young taken out, and for such studies the change of the 

 nesting site offers such obvious advantages that it is needless 

 to dwell upon them. In taking down the nesting bough it is 

 often necessary to touch the nest, but this does no harm. 



Young birds eight or nine days old stand the heat well, pro- 

 vided they are fed, but on very hot days they should not be 

 allowed to go without food for more than two hours at the 

 longest. Should the parents bring no food during this time, it 

 is better to feed the young in the nest, or to return the nest to 

 its original site, and suspend operations until the next day. 



Sudden storms of wind and rain or equally severe blasts of 

 torrid heat are liable to arise on any summer's day in the 

 country, but their evil effects can be greatly mitigated, if not 

 overcome, by careful watching. Special care should always be 

 taken not to cut away too much foliage around a nest of very 

 young birds. As already suggested, one should follow the rule 

 of leaving the birds to their own devices in days of unusual heat 

 or humidity. 



As has been already said, the old birds may be expected to 

 come to the nest in from twenty minutes to an hour, when the 

 tent is brought into immediate use after removal of the nesting 

 bough. It is naturally impossible to predict exactly what will 

 happen in any given case until the experiment is tried, since the 

 personal equation or individuality of the birds themselves is 

 an unknown and variable factor. One thing only is certain, 

 that the parental instincts, reenforced by habit, will win in the 

 end, that they will cast out fear, and draw the birds to their 

 young. If proper precautions are taken, everything should go 

 well, and the young leave their nest in due course. 



