Method of Bird Study and Photography 27 



enced students should experiment in this direction. It all 

 depends on the strength of the parental instincts at the period 

 in question. As was said in a former edition, where the attach- 

 ment to nest and eggs is strong, as in Owls, Fish Hawks, Flickers, 

 Kingbirds, and the Chipping Sparrows, to mention a few cases, 

 we might look for success, but the subject does not admit of this 

 simple analysis. Setting aside individual variation which con- 

 fronts us at every turn, we must remember that what we call 

 for convenience parental instinct, as has been explained, is a 

 complex of instincts, embracing many distinct kinds of activities, 

 such as nest-building, egg-laying, incubation, brooding, feeding, 

 and care of the young, in the course of which fear is a variable 

 factor. Thus, the sense of fear is completely blocked in the 

 Flicker by the brooding instinct; when possessed of this im- 

 pulse you may knock loud and long at her door, saw open her 

 house, and even take her in the hand, but she will not budge a 

 feather ; yet a few days later, after the young need this attention 

 less, the same bird becomes very shy. The persistency of the 

 sitting hen is proverbial, and in attempting to thwart her plans 

 the beautiful precision of her instinct, which is apt to be re- 

 garded as an index of total depravity, is not sufficiently ap- 

 preciated. 



Having early expressed my confidence in the future of the 

 movable tent as an observatory for the study of nesting birds, 

 I am pleased to find that many field-ornithologists have adopted 

 it with success in various parts of the country. As a blind for 

 watching the scenes at the nest it fulfils every requirement, and 

 all questions of accessories, or even of color, for the purpose of 

 concealment, are of minor importance, as students of animal 

 behavior will soon learn. The tent may prove serviceable in 

 watching the building of the nest, in such species or individuals 

 as have a strong attachment to chosen sites, and whose plans 

 are not easily disturbed by trifles; in many cases, however, 

 no blind is needed, perfect quiet being the only requisite. If 

 experiments in this direction are made, care should be taken 

 not to place the tent too near, at least on the first day. No 

 doubt many kinds of birds may be attracted by food and other 



