3o6 



THE WHITE-EYED VIREO. 



The nest shown in the near-by ilhis- 

 tration was pointed out to me by a friend, 

 Mr. C. H. Morris of McConnelsville. 

 The bird was on but she occupied the 

 center of a little bower \vhich was 

 guarded by a wall of droop- 

 ing vines and bristling black- 

 berry stems. With fear and 

 trembling I cut an entrance 

 way, remo^'ing the stems one 

 by one, and glancing' appre- 

 hensively at the sitting bird, 

 but she sat on, unmoved. 

 Next, the camera was 

 brought in and advanced by 

 slow stages toward the 

 watchful bird. Many twigs 

 required to be cut away, and 

 there ^\•as much flapping of 

 camera-cloths, gesticulating 

 of unmanageable "legs," and 

 clicking of shutters, but the 

 white-eyed beauty sat nicely 

 for her portrait, — once, 

 twice, thrice, until the strain 

 became too great for her. 

 Next the nest and eggs were 

 photographed, and after re- 

 moving the Cowl)ird's egg 

 (which appears in the pic- 

 ture just above the nearer 

 rim) the rest were left to be 

 gathered later in the day. 



Returning some five 

 hours later, the bird-man pressed eagerly into the copse, intending to collect 

 the set of eggs for a well-known museum. The bird was on and happv now 

 in a new-found confidence. Nearer — nearer — came the collector. The bird 

 sat on. Finally moved by some strange impulse the man brought his face 

 down close to hers, not above a foot away, and gazed wistfuUv, searchingly, 

 into those trustful eyes. Then that old hard heart of mine melted within me 

 and I turned and fled. 



Photo 

 by the 

 Author. 



"SAT i\ICEI,Y FOR HER TORTR.MT." 



