THE BIRD STUDY BOOK 

 Cardinal's nest and had a finger well bitten for his 

 misdeed. Beware, too, of trying to caress a Screech 

 Owl sitting on its eggs in a hollow tree; its claws are 

 very sharp, and you will need first-aid attention if you 

 persist. Occasionally some bird will let you stroke its 

 back before deserting its eggs, and may even let you 

 take its photograph while you are thus engaged. On 

 one occasion I removed a Turkey Vulture's egg from 

 beneath the sitting bird. It merely hissed feebly as I 

 approached, and a moment later humbly laid at my 

 feet a portion of the carrion which it had eaten a 

 short time before — a well-meant but not wholly ap- 

 preciated peace-offering. 



Lessons to Be Learned. — ^An infinite variety of in- 

 teresting things may be learned by watching birds at 

 their nests, or by a study of the nests themselves. 

 How many persons have ever tried to answer seri- 

 ously the old conundrum: "How many straws go to 

 make a bird's nest?" Let us examine critically one 

 nest and see what we find. One spring after a red 

 squirrel had destroyed the three eggs in a Veery's 

 [26] 



