A CHARMING PICTURE 139 



bird -notes will hear their sweet squeaky 

 voices everywhere. 



A few weeks after the little idyll of June 

 I had the good fortune to surprise a family 

 party, and note the pretty family feeling. 

 Two young ones sat on a fence as close to- 

 gether as they could get. The parents fed 

 them there, hovering before the little pair in 

 the daintiest way. When all had enough 

 food and the parents wanted to rest, they 

 alighted by the two youngsters, one each side 

 and close to them, making a charming pic- 

 ture. 



But the wise elders never forgot that baby 

 swallows must take their regular wing-exer- 

 cises, so now and then the two would circle 

 around in the air, uttering peculiar cries, 

 which seemed to inspire or excite the young- 

 sters, for they took to their wings and tried 

 to follow. They flew well, but soon tired and 

 dropped to the fence, but far apart. Then 

 it was pleasing to see both of them begin 

 drawing nearer one another, running or 

 creeping along in their pretty way till they 

 were nestled side by side again. 



The life of a nestling is most interesting. 



