348 Animal Life 
anybody came. She also told me that it did not matter leaving the eggs a long 
time during the first few days, nor the last few—that the most critical time was in 
the middle of the period. 
Josephine had not been gone more than ten minutes when the man appeared, 
walked straight up to the box, and looked in. JI promptly called Josephine, and 
together we watched with strained eyes to see what he would do. When he took 
his face away from the box I could see he looked surprised; he called his woman, 
and she came and looked in too. They did not stay long, and Josephine soon 
returned to her post. 
June 4th—aAl]l yesterday Josephine refused to come out to feed, and I had to 
bring flies and chips of cocoanut and drop them down to her; but this morning she 
came out and bade me look in—the first egg had hatched, and there was a tiny red 
pipe visible as é our firstborn 
stretched his 3 neck up for food. 
June d5th.— Two more 
babies are out of their prisons. 
June 6th.— All the eggs are 
hatched save one. We are 
half afraid about this one, but 
shall not give 
for another 
June 7th.— 
babies are in 
way to despair 
day. 
Hurrah! Ten 
the nest and I 
feel as proud YOUR G CHAFFINCH. ‘“Seemed surprised to see us.” as lucife s) 
although after all I have not 
had very much to do with it. 
June 26th.—The last few days have 
indeed been busy ones—not a minute 
to spare even to write up my diary. 
From daylight till dark, bring, bring, 
bring; ten mouths to fill—and hungry 
mouths they are, too. Insect after insect, 
grub after grub, caterpillar after 
caterpillar, crumb after.crumb—ten 
hungry babies are no joke. 
June 28th.— This morning the 
man came out with his camera, took six 
of our babies out of the nest, and placed 
them all in a row on a twig. hey were 
not really frightened, TOA AD GONGAIMDID GI because we had told 
them all about him and his woman and 
the gun, which proved to be nothing but a new sort of camera. They were too 
young to fly yet, and after he had taken some photographs of them the woman 
replaced them carefully. 
July 4th.—Harly this morning we coaxed the whole family out of the nest and 
took them into the orchard. A young chatfinch stared hard as we passed; one of Parus 
majors sons seemed surprised to see us; and three baby long-tailed tits sat in a row in 
the sunshine, two of thém pretending to be half asleep. There is plenty of cover there 
now, and any number of insects. We shall get away to the woods directly the young 
rascals are strong enough, and we, intend bringing the babes back to the man’s house 
in the winter, when insects are scarce, in the hope of finding cocoanuts hung up ready. 
