334 WILD WINGS 



on any branch. I felt terribly chagrined, but began a search 

 for it, hoping that it was not yet devoured by foxes. Good ! 

 Here it was on the ground, directly under the nest, squat- 

 ting in the leaves. First I photographed it just as it lay, then 

 in other surroundings where I placed the angry, snapping 

 little fellow to suit my pleasure. One of these situations was 

 at the entrance of a great hollow in a tree-trunk, which might 

 well have been used as the nest-site by the parents, for this 

 species sometimes uses hollow trees as well as old open nests 

 of hawks and crows. 



The next move was to replace the little fellow in the small 

 remnant of nest from which he had fallen, and photograph 

 him from the next tree. Then I screwed up the camera in the 

 old place, and the youth and I went into hiding, hoping that 

 the mother owl would come back. The youth soon got tired 

 of watching for owls, and went sound asleep. Now and then 

 the old owl whined in the distance, but as time dragged on, 

 it was evident that she knew that the young one, now half- 

 grown, and partly feathered, was too old to need brooding. 

 The little fellow, thinking he was unwatched, acted like his 

 own little self. For a while he lay in the sun asleep. His head 

 drooped away over the edge of the nest, and I did not know 

 but he would fall out. Then he stood up and walked about, 

 and stared off in such an interested and spirited attitude that 

 I could not resist the temptation to pull the thread and take 

 his picture. And so the series was complete. Before I left the 

 blind, a Broad-winged Hawk came and stood on a tree near 

 by in a dreamy, contemplative way for about a quarter of an 

 hour, perhaps pondering upon what tree she and her mate 

 had better build their nest. 



It was more than a month, after returning from my trip 

 South, before I again visited the locality. Not a single stick 

 of the nest was left in the crotch. I understood now why it 



