HOUSE FINCHES TWO DAYS OLD 



The Growth of a Young Bird 



By E. R. WARREN. Colorado SprinES, Colo. 



With photographs from life by the author 



IN the spring of 1903 a pair of House Finches {Carpodacus mexicanus 

 frontalis) built their nest on the cap of the columns supporting our 

 porch roof, and laid four eggs. The nest was watched until the eggs 

 hatched, on the 12th of May. Beginning on that day, pictures were taken 

 daily of the young, care being taken always to have the camera as nearly as 

 possible at the same distance from the birds, and to place the birds on a 

 paper ruled into inch squares. The pictures illustrating this article show the 

 changes at intervals of several days. 



At first, the birds have nothing but a partial covering of down, and, as 

 usual with such young birds, are hideous, half-naked little things. About 



- 















^m^ 



"'^'■"""'" 4 







\ w 



1 ^^F 'Hif 



HOUSE FINCHES EIGHT DAYS OLD 

 (263) 



