Notes from Field and Study 



363 



pose and idleness was at an end, and now 

 they must be up and doing. We hurried 

 over to a point from which we could get a 

 full view of the nest and discovered the in- 

 teresting cause of all the 'fuss and feathers' 

 in our otherwise quiet household. Both 

 of the parent birds were standing beside 

 the nest, and the four little ones were seen 

 to be standing on the edge of the nest, vig- 

 orously occupied in limbering up their 

 tender little wings and apparently making 

 ready for the eventful moment of depart- 

 ure for a more ample view of life. The 

 parent birds, observing our presence, took 

 alarm and flew over to the eaves of the 

 adjoining cottage, from which point, in 

 great agitation, they watched the pro- 

 ceedings that ensued directly. When left 

 to themselves, and still standing on the 

 nest, one of the youngsters literally shook 

 itself loose from the others, and, seemingly 

 gauging the distance from the nest to the 

 hard floor of the veranda, took flight and 

 had just strength enough to land on the 

 boards, some fifteen feet below, with a 

 most uncanny look of triumph in its cur- 

 ious eyes, and instantly gave vent to a 

 plaintive appeal for assistance. The parent 

 birds flew over to attack us, but immediately 

 went to the assistance of the brave little 

 fellow on the piazza. The other three re- 

 fused, under the most interesting prompt- 

 ings of the parents, to budge from the nest, 

 and for several hours more remained 

 standing in their narrow confines, until at 

 last one of the parents flew up to the nest 

 and deliberately began to pick and tear 

 the nest apart, until they were actually 

 forced to follow the lead of the little fellow 

 below. This they succeeded in doing with 

 great difficulty, as the delicate little forms 

 hit the veranda with considerable force, 

 1 anding them 'on all fours' among the chairs. 

 They were so shaken up that they settled 

 into a corner of the veranda and remained 

 there until the following day, when we had 

 the good furtune to see some of the most 

 fascinating features of the whole proceed- 

 ing. In the bright sunshine of the next day 

 the little ones emerged from the point 

 where they had rested during the night 

 and commenced hopping about the ver- 



anda. At last the parents succeeded in get- 

 ting them to the edge of the veranda, about 

 ten feet above the ground. At this most 

 interesting moment the scene before us re- 

 minded me of those beautiful lines of that 

 purest and gentlest of the poets of Na- 

 ture — Goldsmith : 



"And as a bird each fond endearment 

 tries 

 To tempt its new-fledged offspring 

 to the skies." 



So, Mr. and Mrs. Robin, balancing them- 

 selves on the wing, fluttered to and fro 

 repeatedly, exerting all their powers of per- 

 suasion to induce the fledglings to make the 

 supreme effort. Meanwhile, the offspring 

 moved nervously about on the extreme 

 edge of the veranda, rising and falling on 

 their tender legs, with instinctive fear re- 

 flected in every movement. While watch- 

 ing all this sweet "touch of Nature," one 

 by one the youngsters actually leaped into 

 space, their tender wings carrying them 

 about twenty feet away on the grass, 

 where the enraptured parents greeted them 

 with vociferous rejoicing, thereby relieving 

 us of our long, but delightful vigil, and 

 affording us the opportunity to re-open 

 that portion of the veranda which had 

 been reserved exclusively for our feathered 

 friends during the period of a month. — 

 Olga Marie Morgan, New York City. 



An Unusual Nesting-Site 



The Hermit Thrush, who is not half the 

 hermit its name would imply, is among our 

 commonest birds at Asquam Lake, N. H., 

 and its musical notes may be heard from 

 early in the morning until late at night. 

 Often it chooses to build its nest beside 

 some well-beaten path. Indeed, one cou- 

 rageous mother built her nest and raised 

 her young in a field where the boys of 

 Camp Algonquin played quoits, and al- 

 though fifty boys knew the whereabouts 

 of her home, she continued to raise her 

 brood. Indeed, perhapsfeelinginstinctively 

 that she was not to be molested, she would 

 not desert her nest even when the boys 

 were within a foot of her. 



But this summer I was permitted to 



