100 WAKE-ROBIN 



that Audubon had made a mistake in figuring or 

 describing the female of this species with the red 

 spot upon the head. I have seen a number of pairs 

 of them, and in no instance have I seen the mother- 

 bird marked with red. 



The male was in full plumage, and I reluctantly 

 shot him for a specimen. Passing by the place 

 again next day, I paused a moment to note how 

 matters stood. I confess it was not without some 

 compunctions that I heard the cries of the young 

 birds, and saw the widowed mother, her cares now 

 doubled, hastening to and fro in the solitary woods. 

 She would occasionally pause expectantly on the 

 trunk of a tree and utter a loud call. 



It usually happens, when the male of any species 

 is killed during the breeding season, that the female 

 soon procures another mate. There are, most likely, 

 always a few unmated birds of both sexes within 

 a given range, and through these the broken links 

 may be restored. Audubon or Wilson, I forget 

 which, tells of a pair of fish hawks, or ospreys, that 

 built their nest in an ancient oak. The male was 

 so zealous in the defense of the young that it ac- 

 tually attacked with beak and claw a person who 

 attempted to climb into his nest, putting his face 

 and eyes in great jeopardy. Arming himself with 

 a heavy club, the climber felled the gallant bird to 

 the ground and killed him. In the course of a few 

 days the female had procured another mate. But 

 naturally enough the stepfather showed none of the 

 spirit and pluck in defense of the brood that had 



