175 



Fig. 151. FIELD SPARROW. 



male was the carpenter, her mate's part consisting of bring- 

 ing part of the material. Both birds would usuall}' depart 

 together, but she always returned first and had her grasses 

 wound into place and was ready to take his as soon as he 

 appeared. 



In the course of three weeks, three of the four eggs that 

 she had laid, hatched. When the young were six days old, 

 several pictures were taken of scenes at the nest. As in the 

 case of the Chipping Sparrows no attempt at concealment 

 was made ; the camera was within three feet of the nest and 

 I was seated on the ground just back of it. The birds paid 

 scarcely any attention to me and were back at the nest in 

 less than ten minutes after I had things in readiness for 

 them. Ants, spiders and plant lice formed the bulk of the 



