WHAT I HAVE DONE WITH BIRDS 



white body of the mother, her slender legs invisible in the rapidity 

 of motion, and behind her, almost keeping pace, a tiny ball of 

 down also invisibly propelled. 



Pursuit began. The old bird at once took wing and with eyes 

 fast on the baby I darted here and there and ran and ran. 



"Want help?" inquired my daughter from the carriage on the 

 road. 



' 'Deed I do !" I panted, running on. 



Molly-cotton joined the chase. After repeated failures, we 

 caught him. We were breathless and disheveled and he was not 

 even "winded." He certainly was the most exquisite bird baby 

 I ever handled. His entire covering was of the softest, silkiest 

 down. On his head was a little tan cap, sprinkled with pepper- 

 and-salt and having a black band and chin strap, and a white vizor. 

 Around his throat was a broad snowy collar and a narrow black 

 tie. His coat and the upper half of his sleeves was of the same 

 tan with the pepper-and-salt effect, as his cap. The lower sleeve 

 was white, separated from the upper by a black band. His vest 

 began snowy white at the collar and shaded by delicate gradations 

 to an exquisite salmon pink. He had a neat little long bill, long 

 bare legs and the big prominent eyes of the nocturnal feeder, 

 for Killdeer both feed and fly at night when they choose. 



We expended what breath we had left in going into raptures 

 over his suit, and the sweetness of his baby voice. Then Molly- 

 cotton held the bird while a camera was set up. She placed him 

 on the bank and I focused sharply on his head and her hands. 

 Then I put in a quick plate, set the shutter at the one hundredth 

 of a second and told her to let him go. He went. He had cov- 

 ered a rod before I had sufficiently recovered from my surprise 

 to see that no exposure had been made and then only to realize 



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