The Feeding of the 1 'oung. 6 1 



when forth rushed the parents shrieking their alarm notes, and, 

 again and again wheeled up to the nest, until at last they drifted 

 away in the storm. He watched them till they disappeared about 

 half-past-nine. During all this time they only twice summoned 

 courage to look into the nest. Next morning I was rejoiced to 

 see them attending assiduously to the young ones." 



And now, turning again to our group of four nests on the 

 walls, supposing it be the month of July, every one of them 

 with its fledgeling brood sitting with gaping mouths, ever ready 

 for food, you may, perhaps, like to know how many meals are 

 carried up to them in the course ot the day. If, then, the 

 parents began to feed them at about five in the morning, and 

 left a little before eight at night, they would feed them, at the 

 lowest calculation, about a thousand times. 



With all this feeding and care-taking, the young ones, as the 

 summer goes on, are full-fledged, and have grown so plump 

 and large that the nest is quite too small for them ; therefore, 

 they must turn out into the world, and begin life for themselves. 



It is now a fine, brisk, August morning, and at about eight 

 o'clock, you can see, if you look up at the nests, how the old 

 birds come dashing up to them quite in an excited way,, making 

 short curves in the air, and repeating a note which says, as 

 plain as a bird can speak, 



This is the day 



You must away ! 

 What are wings made for, if not to fly ? 



Cheep, cheep, 



Now for a leap ! — 

 Father and mother and neighbours are by ! 



