126 



Wild Birds 



about she swallowed the insect herself and went in search of 

 another. 



The young now began to yip in earnest and to stretch their 

 scantily feathered transparent necks. One of the lustiest of 

 the four even climbed to the edge and sat in the shade. They 

 would erect their scanty crest-feathers and pant in the sun, 

 which, though not excessively hot, was, with the added feeling 

 of hunger, beginning to make them restless. 



The sense of fear was at last overcome in the mother, who 

 came, fed and cleaned the young, and flew off again. After 

 another pause a huge dragon-fly was brought to the nest. The 

 observer had to wait long at the beginning, but his reward was 

 now quick in coming. The young were then fed every five or 

 six minutes, but the male rarely went to the nest himself. Still 

 cautious to a degree, he would follow after the female, but stop 

 a few feet short of the nest. Then after delivering her insect 

 she would go at once to her mate, take the food from his bill, 

 and bear it to the young. 



The following table gives the number of visits at which food 

 was brought during eight consecutive hours from 8 A.M. to 4 

 P.M., and illustrates how the parental instincts, aided by habit, 

 gradually overcome the feeling of fear in a very shy and 

 suspicious animal. 



