178 American Birds 



times hunting food, and then the nestlings were protected 

 by the kaves. Each time the mother had to reach under 

 and raise the roof to feed her bantHngs. 



In order to get some pictures we tied a string to the 

 branch that held the basket nest and anchored it two feet 

 nearer the ground. When the mother returned with a 

 worm, and dropped from the upper branch, where she 

 always lighted, to the limb where the nest was hung, she 

 fluttered in the air trying to light on her accustomed perch. 

 She looked puzzled and went back to try it again, but 

 when she put her feet down to light there was no perch. 

 Then the father came and he did the same thing. There 

 was no alarm. They looked at each other a few minutes 

 and talked, and then the mother dropped to the nest and 

 fed her children. She saw me lying in the grass and 

 scolded mildly for my impudence. But she straightway 

 forgot the nest had been lowered, for when she came back 

 she missed the limb again and tried to light where the nest 

 had formerly been. Then, to be sure she was not dream- 

 ing, she lit near the foot of the branch and hopped along 

 till she came to the nest. 



Once the mother came with a triangular piece of food 

 in her bill, that looked as if it might be from the back of 

 a beetle. She thrust it into one open mouth, but the chick 

 could not swallow it. She watched him a moment and 

 then took it and thrust it into another mouth. This chick 

 had the same trouble, but she flew away leaving it there. 

 And all the time the young bird sat there with the food 

 bulging out of his mouth. Several times he tried to swal- 

 low it, but it was no use; it was too big and unyield- 

 ing. When the mother came again and saw the food 



