76 HOMING WITH THE BIRDS 



his perfect eye toward the lens. For a number of 

 mornings I tried to induce him to give me a study 

 showing him in perfect condition, without at that 

 time giving a thought to the fact that it might be 

 extremely interesting to prove that the birds have 

 accidents and sickness the same as human beings. 



I always had noticed afield that after the con- 

 struction of the nest had advanced for a day or 

 two, each bird chose a separate route, by which 

 to approach their location, and strictly adhered 

 to that route in coming to the nest, leaving it by 

 another and on the wing, wherever possible. This 

 indigo bird had formed the habit of approaching 

 his nest by flying to a certain twig of a bellflower 

 apple tree near by, then to the pointed top of a 

 board of the high alley fence, against which the 

 honeysuckle climbed. From there, he would drop 

 to the nest, every time bringing his bad eye on the 

 side toward the lens. One morning I started to 

 focus the camera on his location with my mind 

 fully made up to saw the limb from the bellflower 

 tree in an effort to make him seek a new route and 

 approach from the other side; but when I reached 

 the honeysuckle I found that the neighbour's cat 

 had attacked the nest in the night, probably killing 

 the mother bird — certainly tearing down the nest 

 and eating the eggs. 



The final intimate experience with an indigo 

 bird came when driving from our farm one evening. 

 I saw an abject spectacle in the shape of a bird 



