54 



Bird -Lore 



up to me and looked me in the eye, as if to intimidate me, while he 

 exclaimed "a-tittup! a-tittup!" but soon disappeared and either fed his 

 brood silently or led their uncertain flight from sapling to sapling. 



The young have an odd appearance of being larger than the parents, 

 owing to the plumage being flufify and not so neatly preened as in the 

 neat, alert older bird. They are of a light gray, more like a Bush -tit with 

 short tail, and lack the flame -colored crown -ornament of the male and the 

 greenish shade that distinguishes both older birds. Their note is the 

 finest, most needle-like chirp imaginable; and, it was no longer a wonder 

 that I could not hear it while they were still in the nest. Following this 

 sound, I distinctly saw one only a few feet above me. His mother came 

 and fed him silently, with as much unconcern as if I had been far away. 



I returned to the nest and chopped down the tree, hoping to take 

 the nest home. I found it too loosely built and too dependent upon 

 many growing twigs of the tree to be removed, and the whole limb was 

 too bulky. I was rewarded for my pains, however, by finding a perfect 

 little egg, which was so well protected by the mass of feathers that it 

 did not break when the tree crashed to the ground. This egg appeared 

 rather of a cream-color than a buff, and had no distinguishable spots, 

 though the texture seemed somewhat granular. It was decidedly pointed 

 at one end and very broad at the other, measuring .55X.47. 



Early on the morning of August 3, I heard again the high musical 

 song of the male. The fine insect -like chatter of the young was all 

 about me in the boughs that formed my shelter, so I knew that the 

 family was still keeping together and gaining strength for their long 

 journey to the south, where I hope to meet them again next winter. 



BARTRAM'S PLOVER ON NEST 

 Photographed from nature by J. E. Seebold, at Carlisle, Pa. May 25 -June i, IQ02 



