Taming Wild Birds without a Cage 239 



intimacy which we had cultivated. Taking a long twig in the 

 hand and reaching through the window in the front of the tent, 

 I touched the old bird. She resented this but little, and when 

 her back was scratched seemed to like the sensation. Then I 

 left the tent to look for insects, and after a long search returned 



Fig. 145. Offering grasshopper to a Chestnut-sided Warbler who has been tamed 

 without use of a cage. It was possible to approach this bird and stroke her back 

 with the hand, without giving alarm. 



with a few small grasshoppers. When one of these was offered, 

 the bird would eye the squirming insect and try to seize it when 

 held within reach. Wishing to economize, I held on to the 

 insect and nearly pulled the bird off the nest. 



After discarding the tent I was able to walk up to this bird 

 and stroke her back with my hand without disturbing her in 

 the least. Setting up the camera outside and attaching a tube 

 with pneumatic bulb at the end, I made a number of photographs 



