22 



Wild Birds. 



The first nest was built at the top of a hill, about a rod from the Oriole's nest already 

 described, on the horizontal limb of a small apple tree twelve feet up, and was a conspicu- 

 ous object to all who passed that way. The nesting bough was removed and mounted in 

 a good position on the morning of July 2d, and the tent was closed at half-past eight 

 o'clock. At this time the two young were six days old and covered with light gray down. 

 While the operation was in progress the old birds hovered over the nest, and with their 



usual boldness, swooped down 

 close to my head, snapping their 

 bills and uttering their piercing 

 alarms. 



After the tent was closed, 

 much to my surprise all became 

 quiet, and I could see both birds 

 the female with insect in bill 

 exploring the nesting tree 

 twenty feet away. She would 

 fly to that point in space which 

 the nest formerly occupied, and 

 hover over it repeatedly, a char- 

 acteristic action of many birds 

 under such circumstances. Ten 

 minutes later the female was 

 again at the nesting tree with 

 insects. For an hour afterwards 

 all was quiet. The old birds 

 were sitting by in silence, prob- 

 ably not far away. At ten min- 

 utes before eleven o'clock one 

 of the pair, probably the female, 

 came with a swoop to the nest- 

 ing branch, and I believe fed her 

 young. In this case the observer 

 had to wait two hours and twen- 

 ty minutes before having the 

 birds close to his eye, but he was 



well repaid for the delay as the sequel will show. In one minute the mother had returned, 

 and now both began to make up for lost time. In five hours and six minutes (from 10.50 

 A.M. to 4.36 P.M., allowing for an intermission of forty minutes when the observer was 

 away), the old birds made seventy-five visits to the nest. Not only had they become 

 accustomed to the tent, but soon paid little heed to anything about it, and one could 

 photograph them at will, focusing directly upon the brooding or standing bird. After I 

 had entered the tent, they would be at the nest in five minutes or even less time, and 

 the young were often fed at half-minute intervals. Occasionally both birds were at the 

 nest together, but this seldom happened unless the female was brooding. 



On the second day the male came to the nesting branch in twelve minutes after the 



Fig. 16. Tent over raft in water of swamp beside Redwing Blackbird's 

 nest. See Figs. 21 and 22. 



