I io Twelve Months With 



favorite. I had not walked far when I espied a 

 male cedar-bird perched upon one of the low 

 outer branches of a large elm, near which was a 

 large and very dense thorn apple tree. The male 

 bird uttered his well-known "beady note" several 

 times, and watched me anxiously, raising his crest, 

 as he frequently does when excited, and I con- 

 cluded there was a nest near at hand, where his 

 mate might be found. After watching him a few 

 moments without receiving any hint as to the 

 whereabouts of the nest, I approached the thorn 

 apple tree, and the male immediately flew over 

 the tree, showing considerable anxiety. After 

 careful search in the dense foliage I discovered 

 the nest out on the fork of a small limb, about 

 fifteen feet from the ground. The mother bird 

 was on the nest, her crest and tail appearing over 

 the edge. I pulled at the lower branches, but 

 she merely peered over at me with evident alarm. 

 I secured a stick and beat the foliage around her, 

 but she still refused to leave the nest. 



The foliage of the tree was very dense, and, in 

 addition to its own closely hanging branches, a 

 large grape vine about three inches in diameter at 

 the base climbed up and wound itself among the 

 limbs, making an ideal place in which to secrete 

 a nest. Unable to curb my curiosity, I resolved 

 to climb, and, removing my coat to reduce, so far 

 as I might, the vulnerable surfaces for the wait- 

 ing thorns, essayed the ascent. I managed, with 

 a good deal of difficulty and after suffering a 



