12 THE NUT-HATCH TRIBE. 



loiter away, and he flew in an hour. The fifth 

 and last came up early the next morning evi- 

 dently in haste to join the scattered family, for 

 he bade farewell to the native tree in a short 

 time. No more orioles appeared upon the ma- 

 ple from this day, but for two weeks I saw the 

 little party about; the father, whom I had 

 missed after the flight of the first infant, work- 

 ing like a drudge, with two or three hungry 

 urchins wherever he went, excepting when he 

 sought food in the new-cut grass on the ground. 

 He gave us no more songs, but his sweet, low 

 call sounded all day on the place. 



Another family of little folk came upon the 

 maple after the orioles were gone, a nut-hatch 

 tribe. There were three or four of them 

 exactly like the mother excepting a shorter 

 tail, and they followed her like a flock of sheep, 

 over and under branches, around the trunk, up 

 or down or any way, never pausing more than 

 an instant, not even when she plumped a mor- 

 sel into a waiting mouth. She led her little 

 procession by her querulous-sounding "quank," 

 while they replied with a low " chir-up " in the 

 same tone. It was a very funny sight. They 

 could fly nicely, but never seemed to think of 

 looking for food, and it was plain that the 

 busy little mother had no time to teach them. 

 It was interesting to see her deal with a moth 



