THRUSH COUSINS 



in a very short time the young, though now too old to 

 be injured thus, became a bit restless. The devoted 

 father noticed this, and came at once to their relief. 

 Running out from his shelter, he took his stand over 

 them, spreading out wings and tail so as to perfectly 

 shield them from the sun. How fine and noble a bird 

 he looked as he bravely did his duty, with an air both 

 fearless and at the same time resigned to whatever fate 

 might befall him. The female was back in the thicket 

 exhorting him, I took it, to be brave. But, despite this 

 intrusion for the sake of my studies, I came as a friend, 

 and would not, nor did not, hurt them. 



With the reflecting camera I then advanced, and, pre- 

 senting the instrument as near to him as I pleased, 

 snapped and snapped again. Then I wanted a differ- 

 ent pose of the brave bird, so I extended my foot toward 

 him. Quick as a flash he pounced at my leg, struck it a 

 quick, angry blow, and hastened back to the young, this 

 time sitting on the nest as though incubating. After 

 getting his picture in this position, I decoyed him off 

 several times again. After each attack he would either 

 return to the nest directly, or go off into the thicket a 

 few moments before coming back home to assume 

 some new and striking pose. One such was when he 

 stood over the young and some of them poked out their 

 heads to see for themselves what was going on. Some- 

 times, when I made only a slight feint, he would run 

 part way to meet me and stand out in the open in a 

 defiant attitude, while I snapped him. 



234 



