58 HOME LIFE OF THE REDSTART. 



boldly perched on a low bush, and saluted me 

 with his peculiar cry; flickers uttered their 

 quaint "wick-up" on my right, and a veery 

 sighed softly u we-o" on my left. Unflinch- 

 ingly, however, I kept my face toward that 

 apple-tree, and my eyes on that restless young 

 hopeful, while I noted the conduct of the par- 

 ents toward him. 



This is what I learned : first, that those left in 

 the nest were to be kept back, and not allowed 

 out of the nursery till this one was able to care 

 for himself, or at least to help. The nest, hold- 

 ing probably one or two little ones, was visited, 

 the first hour almost exactly once in twenty min- 

 utes, by madame exclusively, and the three suc- 

 ceeding hours at longer intervals, by her spouse. 

 Scarcely a move was made there ; plainly there 

 were no more "come-outers" that day. The 

 efforts of the mother were concentrated on num- 

 ber one, apparently, to bring him forward as 

 fast as possible. He was, for an hour, fed 

 every five or six minutes, the next hour only 

 three times, and this system was kept up with 

 perfect regularity all day. 



Meanwhile, the behavior of the happy father 

 was peculiar and somewhat puzzling, consider- 

 ing how solicitous he had hitherto appeared. 

 For some time his gay coat was not to be seen, 

 even on his favorite lower branches; and when 



