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Bird - Lore 



o'clock on the 14th. The nicety with which matters had been so arranged that 

 the young Cowbird would have just a convenient start in life over its unfortu- 

 nate rival commanded at least my admiration if not my sympathy. Cowbirds 

 must indeed be sharp nest-finders to be able to discover at short notice not 

 only the nests of certain suitable kinds of birds, but even nests containing 

 eggs at a certain stage of incubation ! 



"After the hatching of the eggs, I spent considerable time at the nest-side, 

 and observed with interest the many pretty little incidents of a bird's domestic 



A NEST OF THE CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER 



life — the constant and tender brooding of the newly hatched young by both 

 Warblers in turn; the never-ceasing search among the neighboring trees and 

 bushes for small caterpillars ; the delivery of the food by the male to the brood- 

 ing female, who, in turn, would raise herself and pass it to the young; the care- 

 ful cleansing of the nest; and many other intimate details of the birds' loving 

 and happy lives. When I drew aside the leaves that sheltered the nest and 

 allowed the sun to shine upon it for purposes of photography, the mother, 

 realizing with that wonderful instinct common to all birds which nest in the 

 shade, the fatal effect on her babies of the sun's direct rays, would take her 

 stand on the edge of the nest and with outstretched wings would form of her 

 own body a living shield for the comfort and protection of her young. Although 

 herself in evident distress from the heat, and with parted mandibles contin- 

 ually gasping for air, she would remain in this position as long as the sun shone 

 upon her, only stepping aside occasionally when a well-known signal announced 

 that her husband had arrived with a meal for the little ones. It was a beautiful 

 picture of parental devotion. 



