134 BIRDS' NESTS. 



that I twice repeated my search. On the fourth 

 day, happening to look at some plants growing 

 on a hotbed hard by, I discovered a young 

 flycatcher, which was evidently the cause of all 

 the anxiety that I had witnessed. It was quite 

 fledged ; but owing either to some accident or 

 natural malformation, was unable to fly. It had 

 only one eye, and the beak was twisted on one 

 side, with the upper and lower mandible cross- 

 ing each other. My first impulse was to kill 

 it, as I thought it impossible that it would ever 

 be able to feed itself. The continued anxiety 

 of the parent birds, however, who still hovered 

 about me, deterred me from taking this step, 

 at least in their presence, so I left it to its fate. 

 About this time a young kestril, which was 

 being brought up in the house, was allowed to 

 go at large in a meadow adjoining the garden. 

 The day after my discovery of the poor young 

 flycatcher, I observed the kestril scrambling 

 across the meadow, and making for a cherry- 

 tree some twenty yards off. As it approached 



