﻿May, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  191 
  

  

  ' 
  ',*'■ 
  

  

  ( 
  ^^^ 
  

  

  ■-«^AK* 
  :: 
  i3t*"^«^ 
  

  

  • 
  r 
  tt 
  

  

  L-.iSflR.'. 
  

  

  His 
  Black 
  and 
  White 
  Nuptial 
  Suit 
  Was 
  Already 
  

   Being 
  Replaced 
  by 
  One 
  of 
  Gray 
  

  

  became 
  quiet; 
  but 
  they 
  made 
  him 
  wait 
  with 
  one 
  eye 
  at 
  a 
  peep- 
  

   hole 
  for 
  thirty 
  minutes 
  before 
  feeding 
  a 
  single 
  birdling. 
  

   The 
  spot 
  where 
  the 
  first 
  young 
  bird 
  was 
  located 
  was 
  carefully 
  

   noted 
  and 
  approached 
  at 
  once, 
  yet 
  so 
  closely 
  did 
  his 
  colors 
  

   blend 
  with 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  newly 
  mown 
  stubble 
  about 
  him 
  that 
  

  

  and 
  swallowed, 
  the 
  old 
  bird 
  fell 
  to 
  pecking 
  violently 
  at 
  the 
  

   wires 
  in 
  an 
  attempt 
  to 
  get 
  them 
  out 
  of 
  his 
  way. 
  He 
  was 
  no 
  

   longer 
  afraid 
  of 
  the 
  cage. 
  Another 
  grasshopper 
  was 
  brought 
  

   almost 
  immediately. 
  Again 
  the 
  old 
  bird 
  fought 
  the 
  cage, 
  

   fought 
  it 
  to 
  his 
  satisfaction, 
  for 
  he 
  never 
  afterward 
  ques- 
  

   tioned 
  its 
  resistance. 
  

  

  Subsequently 
  he 
  came 
  and 
  went 
  with 
  perfect 
  freedom, 
  re- 
  

   gardless 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  during 
  each 
  absence 
  the 
  cage 
  was 
  

   brought 
  a 
  little 
  nearer 
  the 
  tent, 
  and 
  ultimately 
  rested 
  within 
  

   twenty 
  inches 
  of 
  it. 
  The 
  tent 
  had 
  ceased 
  to 
  worry 
  him, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  and 
  even 
  prior 
  to 
  this 
  time 
  he 
  had 
  formed 
  the 
  habit 
  of 
  

   alighting 
  upon 
  its 
  ridge 
  pole 
  whenever 
  he 
  returned 
  from 
  a 
  

   trip 
  to 
  the 
  meadows. 
  He 
  evidently 
  considered 
  the 
  tough 
  red- 
  

   legged 
  locusts, 
  which 
  were 
  common 
  about 
  the 
  tent, 
  improper 
  

   food 
  for 
  young 
  stomachs, 
  for 
  he 
  always 
  left 
  this 
  locality 
  on 
  

   his 
  foraging 
  trips 
  and 
  brought 
  soft-bodied 
  meadow 
  grass- 
  

   hoppers 
  and 
  katydids 
  from 
  distant 
  points. 
  The 
  mother 
  bird 
  

   brought 
  grasshoppers, 
  too, 
  but 
  her 
  fear 
  was 
  never 
  sufficiently 
  

   reduced 
  for 
  her 
  quite 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  cage. 
  There 
  were 
  other 
  

   birdlings 
  still 
  at 
  large, 
  and 
  to 
  these 
  she 
  presently 
  devoted 
  her 
  

   entire 
  attention. 
  In 
  other 
  similar 
  tests 
  with 
  bobolinks 
  it 
  inva- 
  

   riably 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  male 
  who 
  came 
  to 
  feed 
  the 
  little 
  ones. 
  

   Females 
  of 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  birds 
  are 
  often 
  braver 
  than 
  their 
  

   mates. 
  At 
  nightfall 
  the 
  cage 
  was 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  cloth 
  and 
  

   taken 
  to 
  a 
  neighboring 
  house 
  for 
  safety. 
  Shortly 
  after 
  sun- 
  

   rise 
  the 
  following 
  morning 
  it 
  was 
  carried 
  back 
  to 
  the 
  tent. 
  

  

  Hie 
  Tent 
  Had 
  Ceased 
  to 
  

   Worry 
  Him 
  

  

  The 
  Colors 
  of 
  the 
  Young 
  Blend 
  

   with 
  the 
  Newly 
  Mown 
  Stubble 
  

  

  The 
  Male's 
  Apprehension 
  Shown 
  by 
  the 
  Convulsive 
  

   Movements 
  of 
  the 
  Wings 
  and 
  Tail 
  

  

  it 
  was 
  only 
  after 
  a 
  diligent 
  scrutiny 
  of 
  the 
  place 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  

   discovered. 
  Forty-five 
  minutes 
  later 
  a 
  second 
  little 
  captive 
  

   was 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  first. 
  Both 
  were 
  now 
  put 
  into 
  a 
  cage 
  which 
  

   was 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  about 
  a 
  rod 
  from 
  the 
  tent. 
  

  

  At 
  first 
  the 
  old 
  birds 
  were 
  in 
  great 
  distress, 
  the 
  male 
  in 
  his 
  

   excitement 
  frequently 
  breaking 
  out 
  with 
  snatches 
  of 
  song, 
  

   although 
  it 
  was 
  then 
  so 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  that 
  his 
  normal 
  

   season 
  of 
  song 
  was 
  a 
  month 
  passed, 
  and 
  his 
  black 
  and 
  white 
  

   nuptial 
  suit 
  was 
  already 
  being 
  replaced 
  by 
  one 
  of 
  sober 
  gray. 
  

   Agitated 
  humans 
  not 
  unfrequently 
  say 
  and 
  do 
  things 
  out 
  of 
  

   season. 
  In 
  a 
  little 
  while 
  they 
  settled 
  down 
  on 
  some 
  tall 
  

   weeds 
  that 
  stood 
  near 
  by 
  and 
  silently 
  awaited 
  developments. 
  

   After 
  a 
  time 
  they 
  disappeared, 
  presumably 
  resigned 
  to 
  the 
  

   new 
  state 
  of 
  affairs, 
  for 
  the 
  cage 
  had 
  been 
  out 
  only 
  eighteen 
  

   minutes 
  when 
  the 
  old 
  male 
  was 
  seen 
  approaching 
  it 
  with 
  a 
  

   grasshopper 
  crosswise 
  in 
  his 
  bill. 
  He 
  was 
  plainly 
  afraid 
  of 
  

   the 
  cage, 
  and 
  no 
  wonder, 
  yet 
  his 
  desire 
  to 
  feed 
  his 
  babies 
  

   gradually 
  got 
  the 
  better 
  of 
  his 
  fear, 
  and 
  each 
  round 
  brought 
  

   him 
  a 
  little 
  nearer. 
  It 
  was 
  most 
  interesting 
  to 
  watch 
  his 
  

   movements 
  while 
  subjected 
  to 
  these 
  conflicting 
  impulses. 
  Ap- 
  

   proach 
  and 
  retreat, 
  approach 
  and 
  retreat, 
  over 
  and 
  over 
  

   again. 
  In 
  two 
  minutes 
  the 
  struggle 
  was 
  ended. 
  Devotion 
  

   conquered. 
  He 
  had 
  to 
  push 
  his 
  grasshopper 
  between 
  the 
  

   wires 
  several 
  times 
  before 
  the 
  little 
  ones 
  discovered 
  that 
  they 
  

   also 
  must 
  come 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  wires 
  if 
  they 
  were 
  to 
  receive 
  food. 
  

   But 
  appetite 
  was 
  a 
  good 
  instructor 
  and 
  they 
  soon 
  learned 
  

   what 
  to 
  do. 
  When 
  the 
  grasshopper 
  had 
  been 
  duly 
  delivered 
  

  

  The 
  devoted 
  father 
  recognized 
  it 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  and 
  came 
  out 
  

   to 
  meet 
  it 
  singing 
  as 
  if 
  at 
  his 
  wedding. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  cage 
  had 
  become 
  commonplace 
  to 
  him 
  by 
  this 
  time, 
  

  

  He 
  Crept 
  Up 
  to 
  It 
  

  

  it 
  was 
  decided 
  to 
  give 
  his 
  courage 
  a 
  severe 
  trial. 
  After 
  all 
  

   concerned 
  had 
  breakfasted, 
  the 
  young 
  birds 
  were 
  transferred 
  

   to 
  a 
  tin-pail 
  set 
  in 
  a 
  hole 
  in 
  the 
  ground 
  so 
  that 
  its 
  rim 
  was 
  

  

  