300 



Bird - Lore 



5 or 6 feet of the nest, then the mother 

 darted into the brush and covered the 

 young while the male flitted about the 

 other side of the pile, trying to decoy me 

 away from the nest. This was repeated at 

 intervals during several days, while the 

 birds gradually grew a little less timid at 

 my presence. The mother always took the 

 nest while the male, when I allowed him 

 to draw me to the other side of the brush 



with a piece of apple which, after a tenta- 

 tive taste, he would peck eagerly as I held 

 it, even allowing my hand to touch his 

 breast or back. The photograph was taken 

 just in time, as the next day the young 

 birds were gone from the nest, and there- 

 after, though I occasionally saw the old 

 birds, I could never again approach them. 

 — Mary Galloway, 357 Hubbard Avenue, 

 Detroit, Mick. 



TAMING A BROWN THRASHER 



would sit motionless on a twig, manifestly 

 afraid but determined to stand his ground 

 if only he could keep me away from the 

 nest. After repeated visits he would per- 

 mit me to come gradually nearer till I 

 stood within 2 feet of him. Hoping to 

 induce him to eat from my hand, I offered 

 him grain and angleworms, but though he 

 would not stir till my hand almost 

 touched him, he refused to be conciliated 

 and would peck at my hand and hiss his 

 desire that I should go. I won him at last 



The Language of Robins 



Early in the summer, a pair of Robins 

 nested on a corner of our front piazza, 

 which was in constant use, and many 

 times the mother bird acted as if we had 

 no right there. Perhaps she knew by 

 that time it was a very public place to 

 rear a family. However, she stuck to the 

 home nest, and when four baby birds came, 

 she took good care of them. They grew so 

 fast and crowded so far over the nest 

 that we often wondered where she found 

 room to stay there at night to protect 

 them. After they were feathered, one 

 little fellow tumbled down on the porch- 

 rug, and though he seemed almost large 

 and strong enough to take care of himself, 

 we put him back in the nest. They cried 

 so for food that the parent birds were kept 

 busy finding worms and insects to satisfy 

 them. 



One afternoon, when I was preparing the 

 strawberries for supper, I found a number 

 of soft ones and decided to give them to 

 the young birds myself. I stood on a chair 

 which raised me high enough to reach the 

 nest and also to see the fun. All were so 

 hungry and evidently all Hked strawberries 

 for they raised up, opened those big 

 mouths, and I never could tell which of 

 them got anything, for they all grabbed at 

 each piece I held out. 



I suppose the old birds were not far 

 away and heard the noise and chatter, for 

 soon, from the pine tree whose branches 

 hung near the porch, came another kind 

 of chatter — a shrill, quick, cki, chi, chi, 

 chi, chid, cha, — chi, chi, chi, chi, chid, cha — 

 repeated again and again till the youngsters 

 heard and noticed it and then, hungry as 



