﻿n8 



Bird- Lore 



all, down to within range of the lens. The parents, of course, were panic- 

 stricken for a few minutes, but very soon again decided to take the ups and 

 downs of life lightly and settled upon a dead branch just above the nest, only 

 leaving their lookout station to drive away an occasional meddler or to snap 

 up a passing insect. 



In less than half a day the female was feeding the young again, rather 

 shyly it is true, but coming often with food. More suspicious than his mate, 

 the male lingered for a while in the tree-top and then, to all appearance, 

 forsook his family, not being seen again until the young were fully feathered 

 and flying as they pleased. During the eight days that passed before this 



KINGBIRDS NEST AND EGGS 



occurred, I spent hours in concealment watching the mother about her 

 household duties and seeing the little ones come to maturity. 



Some care was necessary in entering the blind, as the female became 

 very much excited if she saw me, and it was rarely that she was far enough 

 away to permit of getting in unperceived. At such times she would sit on 

 the top of a stake near at hand and cry, refusing to return to the young. 

 However, as the days passed her fears lessened, for, though always alarmed 

 as I entered, she became quiet more quickly than at first. She seemed 

 unable to remember for more than fifteen minutes that I was there, invari- 

 ably going back to work within that time. 



The main part of the parents' duty is the supplying of food, and these 

 little birds did not fare poorly even when we neglect to consider the embar- 

 rassments under which the mother worked. While I had the family under 

 observation a record was kept of the number of times food was brought, 



