126 



THE CONDOR 



Vol. IX 



look, and then out he would come with words of praise and away they would 

 fly together. 



I had a splendid arrangement to watch the builders at close quarters. I could 

 go in the tank-house and close the door and then in the darkness I could look thru 

 a crack in the box, and with my eyes less than a foot away, could watch every 

 movement the birds made. While the mother was sitting on the eggs, she became 

 very tame and we often reached in and stroked her feathers. 



When the young birds came, I watched the mother come to feed and brood her 

 young. The father was the ever- watchful admirer, but the mother was all busi- 

 ness and paid no attention to him 

 except to knock him out of the 

 way when he was too devoted. 

 The mother always brought in the 

 food, and the father kept staying 

 away more and more until the 

 young birds were grown. 



One day while I was watching, 

 the mother was feeding the young- 

 sters on maggots almost entirely. 

 She would be gone quite a while, 

 but each time would return with a 

 large mouthful which she fed to 

 the young. Occasionally one of 

 the young failed to get all of them 

 and if one dropped, the mother 

 picked it up and ate it herself. 



One of the eggs was addled and 

 did not hatch, but the mother was 

 very fond of it. She would look 

 at it almost every time she returned 

 and would turn it over and then 

 hover it a few moments as if she 

 were sure it contained a baby bird. 

 The nest was lined with horse- 

 hair and once when the mother 

 fed one of the chicks, the food 

 caught and the little bird swal- 

 lowed the hair too, but both ends 

 stuck out of his mouth. He kept 

 shaking his head, but could not 

 get rid of it. I waited to see if 

 the mother would assist him, but she didn't seem to notice his trouble, so 

 I had to reach in and dislodge the hair. Otherwise I am afraid it would have 

 fared hard with the chick. 



These bluebirds had five young in their first brood. When the first 

 youngsters left the nest, the father became more attentive and helped care for the 

 little ones that were just starting out in the world. They all stayed about the yard 

 till the young knew how to hunt for themselves. Finally three of them disap- 

 peared; I suppose they went off with other bluebirds, and two of the young still 

 stayed with us. The parents themselves seemed to disappear for a few^ days and I 



WESTERN BLUEBIRD ABOUT TO ENTER HOLE IN 

 SIDE OF TANK-HOUSE, WITH FOOD FOR YOUNG 



