Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1886-10-13
BIRD,S-NEsTING.

A1ter all, IL Is the gEOuuV Ul1u9 -.
puzzle the human oologist- Crossing
brook, I saw what I regarded as almoee
infallible signs that a pair Of Marylanea
Yellow-throats had begun to build besidea
it. Unless I was entirely at fault, tht
nest must be within a certain two Q 6
three square yards, and l devoted hai1gz
an hour, more or less. to ransacking IT,
grass and bushes. till I thought every
inch of the ground had been gone over
but all to no purpose. Continuing LII
walk, I noticed, after a while that TIE
male warbler was accompanying meula
the hillside apparently determined t
see me- safely out Of the way. Coming
to the same brook again the next morn.
inc, I halted for another search; and lO:il
ali in q momentsmy eye fell upon tne}
coveted nest. not on the ground, pu1
perhaps eight inches from It, IN q 1ltsle
clump of young g~olden-rods which Woa!al
soon overgrow It completely. The q
male proprietor was present, and mani
tested so much concern that I would no
tarrv,. but made rather as if I had seer
nothing, and passed on. TWAS somss
| time before l observed that she wal
keeping along beside me, precisely "a
her male had done the day before. The
innocent creatures, sorely pestered o.
they were, could hardly be blamed Toy
such precautions; yet it is not pleasant
to be ''shadowed" as a suspicious chaf
acter, even by Maryland yellow-throats
This was my first nest of q very corn
mon warbler, and felt particularly
solicitous for its safety; but alasl ~
sooner was the first egg laid than some
thing or somebody carried it of, and tho
afflicted couple deserted the housB OF
which they had expended, so much laa
Dor and anxiety.
Not far beyond the yellow-throats
brook, and almost directly under oneo
the pewees' oaks, was a nest which prot
ty certainly had belonged to a pair
chewinks. but which was already for
saken when l found it, though I hal
then no mixing of the. fact. 1t con
tanned four eggs, and everything wasilf
perfect order: The mother had gon
away, and had never come back; hay
ing fallen 4 victim, probably, to som
collector, human or inhuman. III
tragedy was peculiar; and the tragics
effect Of it was heightened as day ate
day, for nearly = fortnight at least
cannot say for how much longer), th
beautiful eggs lay there entirely IN
covered, and yet no skunk, squirrel, o
other devourer of such dainties happeI
ed to spy them. 1t seemed doubly 90
that so many precious nests should
robbed, while this set of worthless egg
was left to spoil.
have already mentioned the housd
keeping of a couple of chickadees in
low birch stump. Theirs was one 4
three titmouse nests just then claimin
my attention. l visited it frequently
from the time when the pair were har
at work making the cavity up to ID
time when the brood was nearly read
to Shift for themselves. Both birds too
their share Of the digging, and on 90
eral occasions l saw one feeding Cd
other. After the eggs were deposited
the mother Cor the sitter) displayed %
mirable courage, refusing again an
again to quit her post when l peered
upon her, and even when with my car
l raped smartly upon the stump. III
put my fingers into the hole, howeve
She followed them out in hot hast
Even when most seriously disturbed
my attentions the pair made use Of =
other notes than the common chicEade
dee, but these they sometimes delivers
: in an u%nnaturally sharp, fault-findin
tone.
} My two other titmouse nests wei
both IN appIe-trees, and one of the
7 was in my own door-yard, though Sb,
You'd convenient reach without the bel
{ of Il ladder. The owners of this ii
: were interesting for a very decide
change in their behavior after the your
7 were Matched, and especially as the tin
) for the little ones exodus drew neal
/ AT first, Notwithstanding their do
opened right upon the street, as it wen
within Il rod or two of passing hore
cars, the father and mother went in al
!; out without the least apparent concea|
as to who might be watching them; 81
when they came to be feeding their huI
cry offspring, it was almost laughabl
to witness the little craftiness to Will
they resortcd. They would perch on o
of the outer branches, call chickGdd
, dee, fly 4 little nearer, then like
enough go further of. till finally, aft
% variety of such "false motions" In
the hole they would duck, as If nobo{
for the world must be allowed to kind
. where they had gone. 1t was real
wonderful how expert they grew at q
tering quickly. I%pondered a good de-
} over. their continual calling On such d
l casions. 1t seemed foolish and incol
: sistcnt; half the time l should have fas
ed to notice their approach, had ths
: only kept still. Toward the end, hoy
, ever, when the chicks inside the truI9
| could be heard articulating chickade
dee, with perfect distinctness, it occlI
! rcd to INC that possibly all this per5i
c ent repetition of the phrase by the
birds had been only OF mainly in {
} way of tuition. At all events, the youn
: sters had this part of the chickade
vocabulary right at their tongues On
as we say, before making their debnH
the great world.-Bradfo7U Zorrey,
September atlantic.