THE WILLOW WARBLER 
A curious story is told of a Willow Warbler 
who was seen to be industriously helping to feed the 
hungry brood of a Redstart. Sad to say the real 
mother was not pleased at this attention, and many 
times she darted angrily at the Warbler, trying to 
drive him away. He would not be stopped, how- 
ever, but waited, and slipped up and fed the babies 
when the mother’s back w^s turned. As soon as 
she returned and saw what was happening she would 
pounce angrily on the intruder, as much as to say 
she would have no stranger in her nursery. 
The next day it was seen that the young 
Redstarts had left the nest, and the Willow Warbler 
was trying to follow, and take his part in teaching 
them how to fly. But their mother succeeded in taking 
them quite away, and the Warbler was left desolate. 
A few days later the same bird was noticed 
feeding a grey fledgling of some much larger kind of 
bird, and this big baby was hopping after him, 
joyfully accepting all that was given. 
Perhaps the poor Willow Warbler had lost his 
own mate and his young, or perhaps, indeed, he was 
just a busybody, who thought that he alone knew 
the proper way to feed fledglings. 
