230 NATURE STUDY REVIEW [8 :6— Sept., 1912 



practicable one under ordinary conditions. When, however, 

 birds are rearing their young, their activities are considerably lo- 

 cahzed, and, by properly accustoming the birds to his presence, 

 one can observe directly what they are feeding to the nestlings ; 

 and by patient observation can determine also how often and how 

 much they are feeding. This does not necessitate the destruction 

 of bird life, and has additional advantage, also, in that it retains 

 as an element of interest in the undertaking, the charm of the 

 bird at work, meeting in its way the problems of its existence. 

 Furthermore, 'actually to see the parent birds bringing to their 

 young large numbers of larvae injurious to various plants, lends 

 to their beneficient work a realism which is otherwise impossible. 



It is unnecessary to review the w^ork done on the feeding 

 habits of birds. Bird students are acquainted with the facts. How- 

 ever, there are but few records of the activities of nesting birds 

 extending over any considerable interval. Many observers have 

 recorded such activities as have been carried on for a few hours, 

 *but it is impossible to appreciate the full significance when so 

 little is known. The present paper is an attempt to record, im- 

 perfectly it is true, the w'ork done by a pair of song sparrows in 

 one day's time. So far as the writer knows there is no record of 

 similar observations on this species. 



On June 4th the writer discovered a nest of a pair of song 

 sparrows so located as to lend itself easily to observation. Sev- 

 eral bird-studentS;, chiefly members of a Nature Study class, were 

 enlisted in the undertaking of making the record. The nest was 

 located in a shallow pit along the margin of which was a thicket 

 of hawthorns furnishing a convenient screen. Observations were 

 made from a distance of about fifteen feet. 



The nest was discovered in the evening. The following 

 morning a camera was set up near the nest. Later in the forenoon 

 it was moved nearer and focused upon it. As often as possible 

 during the day visits were made to the nest in order to accustom 

 the birds to human presence. In the afternoon it was found that 

 the female was feeding the young regularly, though, at any rate 

 while observed, showing some fear when approaching the nest. 

 She alighted at some little distance from it and approached by 

 skulking through the grass. The male brought food, but could 

 not overcome his fear of the strange objects. He. too. approached 

 by skulking through the grass along the margin of the pit. until 



* For an excellent bibliography see Weed & Dearborn's 

 'Birds in Relation to Man." Published by Lippincott's. 



