120 WILD LIFE AND THE CAMERA 



the manner of a woodpecker, searching each 

 crevice in the hope of finding concealed some 

 insect that was especially to his taste, and so I 

 watched for an hour or so, never tiring of perform- 

 ances so interesting. Then, bidding them a tem- 

 porary farewell, I went off to call on other of my 

 bird friends. 



Owing to an unfortunate combination of circum- 

 stances, many days passed before I was again able 

 to visit my friend of the hillside. It was a disap- 

 pointment, as I should like to have seen the young 

 when they first arrived. As it was, I found them 

 pretty well grown, for nestlings, and I knew that 

 in a day or two they would be strong enough to 

 brave the great world under the able guardianship 

 of their parents. They seemed to be a fine healthy 

 brood, each bird being of about equal size. I 

 mention this fact because it very frequently hap- 

 pens that there is a weakling among the family, 

 one that for some cause or other does not grow 

 as fast as his brothers ; whether it is that he 

 does not get his proper share of food, or that he 

 was hatched a day or so later than the others of 

 the brood, I have never been able to ascertain. 

 But here was a case where all had happened as it 

 should in a well-regulated family, and I was glad 

 that it was so. 



The parent birds were not much disturbed when 

 they saw me examining their family, but when I 

 took one out, that I might the better note his bud- 

 ding feathers, the anxious mother instantly flew to 

 my feet, and with spreading wings and tail she tried 

 to lure me from the nest by pretending some mishap 



