168 EVERYDAY ADVENTURES 



of their nests. I decided, however, that my only 

 chance was to watch these females, knowing that an 

 incubating bird will not leave her eggs for any 

 great length of time. Accordingly, when the next 

 streaked brown bird flew up far ahead of me, I settled 

 down in the long grass with a field-glass and carefully 

 watched her flight. She crossed the meadow and 

 alighted some three hundred yards away. In about 

 fifteen minutes she came back and settled in the grass 

 on a slope some distance from where she had flown 

 out. Almost immediately she flew out again, probably 

 warned by the male on guard. Once more she crossed 

 the meadow, and this time stayed away so long that 

 I nearly fell asleep in the drowsy, scented grass. 

 In the meantime, one by one, the songs of the males, 

 like the tinkling, gurgling notes of a trout-brook, 

 ceased, and my part of the meadow seemed deserted. 

 Finally through my half -shut eyes I saw Mrs. 

 Bobolink come flying low over the tops of the 

 waving grass. As I lay perfectly still, she made a 

 half -circle around the slope and suddenly disappeared 

 in the ripple of a green wave that rose to meet the 

 wind. I marked the place by a tall weed stalk, and 

 waited a minute to see whether this was another 

 feint. As she did not appear, I ran up as rapidly 

 and silently as possible before the father bird could 

 spy me from the other side of the pasture and cry 

 the alarm. Perhaps he had become careless while 

 rollicking with his friends. At any rate, when I 

 reached the place there was no sign of any bobolink 

 near me. 



