26 



Wild Birds 



sides. There was doubt in the case of a nest of House Wrens 

 (No. 45), the young of which were not seen. They became so 



Fig. ii. Red-breasted Nuthatch carrying insect to nest in dead 

 trunk of apple tree. The bird has the singular practice of smear- 

 ing the entrance with drops of pitch, some of which are seen just 

 above the opening. This Nuthatch always entered right foot first. 



tame that they would come boldly within reach of the hand, and 

 if their young were destroyed the culprit must have been a 

 squirrel or a weasel. 



Kingbirds have remained in the nest eleven days after the 

 change, Robins a week, Cedar-birds six days. A glance at the 

 table will show that in the case of the Chestnut-sided Warbler 

 (23), the Spotted Sandpiper (49), and a number of Gulls and 

 Terns, observations were begun when there were eggs, and no 

 doubt there are many species or individuals in which it would 

 be possible to watch from the tent the whole family-life, from 

 hatching to flight from the nest, but only careful and experi- 



